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This Summer Visit Portland Japanese Garden, the Most Authentic and Beautiful Japanese Garden Outside of Japan

The Heavenly Falls in the Strolling Pond Garden. Photo by Julia Taylor.

PORTLAND, Ore. — January 24, 2022 — Portland Japanese Garden sits nestled in the hills of Portland, Oregon’s iconic Washington Park, overlooking the city and providing a tranquil, urban oasis for locals and travelers alike. Designed in 1963, it encompasses 12 acres with eight separate garden styles, and includes meandering streams, intimate walkways, and a spectacular view of Mt. Hood. When His Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, the former Ambassador of Japan to the United States, visited Portland Japanese Garden, he proclaimed it to be “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan.”

Early morning sunlight trickles throughout the Sand and Stone Garden. Photo by Julia Taylor.
Early morning sunlight trickles throughout the Sand and Stone Garden. Photo by Julia Taylor.

In addition to our immaculate and authentic garden spaces, Portland Japanese Garden is host to different cultural offerings. This summer, our Pavilion Gallery will feature Gifts From Japan, an exhibition of richly captured botanical illustrations that illuminate the unique origin stories of Japanese flowers many presumed were native to the United States. This exhibition will accompany a rotation of different cultural demonstrations and performances including tea ceremony, koto music, and ikebana arrangements. These engaging events will take place in our Cultural Village, a space designed by internationally renowned architect Kengo Kuma to resemble monzenmachi, or towns outside shrines and temples in Japan.

The Flat Garden. Photo by Julia Taylor.
The Flat Garden. Photo by Julia Taylor.

Portland Japanese Garden changes with the seasons and is never the same garden twice. In summer the cherry blossoms of spring give way to a lush terrain of energetic and multihued greens. Flowers such as our irises bloom in purple and white and the orange and black koi happily swim in the waters of our Strolling Pond Garden. It truly is a place to find connection: with nature, with one another, and within. We look forward to your visit!

Visual Assets:

Photos of Portland Japanese Garden (photo credit in file name) 

Media Contacts:    

Will Lerner | 503-542-9351 | [email protected]

Han Oh | 503-542-9310| [email protected]     

About Portland Japanese Garden:  

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America.