Japanese Pagoda Tidal Basin

The Japanese Pagoda is a small pagoda located near the Tidal Basin south of the National Mall. The attraction itself is not super big but it's very popular when the cherry blossoms are out and blooming. It's near the FDR Memorial and you might just miss it if you're not paying attention.

The contrast was interesting seeing this tinier statue with the humongous National Monument in the background. It's a nice pagoda but I spent probably 30 seconds looking at it and taking pictures before we left. I would recommend checking this out if you're in the area for the cherry blossoms.

This is pretty any day, but especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. If you want to actually read the inscription or get pictures without tons of people, go any month except late March or early April. This is also an excellent sunrise/sunset photo opportunity.

You can take the #1 Circulator bus from Union Station and get off at stop 6 or 7. It costs $1 per stop. You need dollars or your metro card.

This little statue sits just outside the FDR memorial, and is easily missed if you aren't paying attention!

Very quaint "little" (450 lb) statue along the Tidal Basin trail - stop by and take a look if you go that way - its worth the few minutes to appreciate the contrast between the Washington Monument in the distance and the pagoda up close.

You can easily miss this little monument if you are not paying close attention. It does get the most attention and photo opportunities during the National Cherry Blossom Festival where over a million people are drawn to the Tidal Basin each year. I got a couple of them taken myself when I went to the festival with my roommate's fiancee.

It is a neat little monument, but not as old as you might imagine. It was given by a mayor from Japan in 1958 and has remained settled there ever since. This is the location where they kick off the official opening ceremony of the Cherry Blossom Festival every year as well.

This monument is probably considered "Off the beaten path" as a DC monument. Chances are, if your walking between the FDR and the TJ memorial, you'll pass it by without even noticing it. It's just a blink of an eye - lawn ornament. Upon further viewing, the storyboard provides you with more knowledge and detail about this stone structure than you'd ever imagine.

I was able to relate it to a game my son has -- Skylanders. In their main meeting area, a giant column rises out of the ground, with similar "Earth, Fire, etc." meanings to the layers of the pagoda to the column.