Yamashiro is a restaurant located in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. Surrounding the restaurant is a series of gardens. However, it was not always a restaurant.
Website: https://yamashirohollywood.com/
The building and its adjacent gardens have a long history dating back to 1911, when the Bernheimer brothers began building a home to house their vast collection of Asian art. The name Yamashiro, meaning "mountain castle" (山城), reflected the fact that the home sat high on a hill.
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| The "Mountain Castle" |
Related Weblinks:
Yamishiro: Restaurant History Page
Yamishiro: The Story of an LA Icon
Yamishiro: The Palace on the Hill
The gardens that exist today are remnants of the original landscape, although they have changed considerably over time. The restaurant's outdoor seating surrounds the main structure, while the remaining gardens occupy a lower terrace just below.
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| The Original "Palace" |
A small stream meanders around the perimeter, bordered by a mixture of ornamental stones and a variety of lantern styles.
Many of the lanterns are made of cement and are reminiscent of an "Orientalist" style, perhaps fitting for Hollywood, which in its early years often portrayed East Asian cultures through a misunderstood Western perspective.
The inner courtyard, also part of the restaurant's seating area, follows this Western interpretation of Japanese gardens while existing within an architectural backdrop that conveys a stronger sense of Japanese authenticity. It is an unusual juxtaposition.
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| The Original Courtyard |
The original garden entry gate still stands but has been modified to include a large golden Buddha, further extending the restaurant's misguided interpretation of Asian décor.
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| The Original Gate |
The original large pagoda also remains, although it is not fully visible from the restaurant's garden area. It can, however, be viewed up close and in its entirety from the grounds of the nearby Hollywood Hills Hotel (an opportunity I neglected), which transformed the original garden pond into a swimming pool while preserving the pagoda in place.
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| The Original Pond & Pagoda |
Overall, I was not impressed with either the garden or the restaurant's menu. Still, it was interesting to see the extent to which the original structure and its surroundings have been transformed over time.
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| Then |
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| Now |
Unfortunately, those transformations have resulted in an inauthentic interpretation of Japanese garden design that no longer—or perhaps never did—reflect the site's original purpose or intent.
