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Portland Japanese Garden Hosts Visit from Japan’s Ambassador to the United States, Koji Tomita

Ambassador Koji Tomita looks out at the Flat Garden. Photo by Jonathan Ley.

On March 24, Portland Japanese Garden had the profound honor of receiving His Excellency, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America, Koji Tomita. Ambassador Tomita was greeted by Chief Curator and Director of the International Japanese Garden Training Center Sada Uchiyama, Garden Curator Hugo Torii, and Japanese Liaison Manager Natsuko Takahashi, as well as Board President-Elect Drake Snodgrass and Board Vice President Cal Tanabe.

L-R: Portland Japanese Garden Board of Trustees Vice President Cal Tanabe, Ambassador Tomita, and Board of Trustees President-Elect Drake Snodgrass. Photo by Jonathan Ley.
L-R: Portland Japanese Garden Board of Trustees Vice President Cal Tanabe, Ambassador Tomita, and Board of Trustees President-Elect Drake Snodgrass. Photo by Jonathan Ley.

This group of leaders accompanied the Ambassador for a stroll through our historic garden spaces, enjoying views of a landscape emerging from the stillness of winter into the vitality of spring. As visitors and members know, Portland Japanese Garden places authentic Japanese garden design within a Pacific Northwest forest. This unique quality was something Ambassador Tomita was keenly aware of, remarking that the Flat Garden in particular featured good harmony of a Japanese garden with forest trees and plants from different cultural backgrounds.

His Excellency, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America, Koji Tomita chatting with Portland Japanese Garden Chief Curator Sada Uchiyama. Photo by Jonathan Ley.

Upon the conclusion of a tour that journeyed through the Wisteria Arbor, over the Moon Bridge, and past the Heavenly Falls and Tea Garden, Uchiyama gave the Ambassador a brief overview of Portland Japanese Garden’s new sibling organization, The Japan Institute. Portland Japanese Garden and The Japan Institute are sibling organizations united in the pursuit of the same mission: Inspiring Harmony & Peace. These simple yet profound words are a catalyst that drives our staff and Board of Trustees forward in our pursuit of a more peaceful and sustainable world. The belief we can realize such a world is bulwarked by the support we receive from our International Advisory Board (IAB). Ambassador Tomita joined the IAB in 2021 and he along with other global leaders support the Garden by sharing our mission to a global audience and by making connections with fellow leaders in Japan and around the world.

Portland Japanese Garden is delighted to have been visited by Ambassador Tomita, and is grateful for his kind words, shared later in a Tweet via the Embassy of Japan:

To learn more about Ambassador Tomita, read this article announcing his appointment to the IAB from our winter edition of The Garden Path.

More Photos of Ambassador Tomita’s Portland Japanese Garden Tour: