The garden was dedicated in October 1965 and is patterned after Korakuen Garden in Okayama, Japan. San Jose and Okayama became sister cities in 1957, only the third such pairing in the United States. Its three ponds sit at different heights, linked by streams, and were stocked with koi sent from Okayama in 1966.
Entry is free, though the city charges for parking in Kelley Park. In 2017 Coyote Creek flooded the garden, submerging the lower pond and most of the tea house.