2022 was a memorable year for media coverage for Portland Japanese Garden. With captivating art exhibitions, international programming, and the everlasting beauty of the Garden itself, a broad range of media outlets, both in topic as well as geography made us part of their coverage. To close the year, we have selected our best coverage of 2022 in the below summary. To see a roundup of all the exciting events, exhibitions, and gatherings that happened here in Portland and around the world, click here.
National Outlets (alphabetical)
Best Life listed the Garden among their favorite things to see in Portland, noting our “unparalleled view of Mount Hood.”
THE DIRT, the official blog of the American Society of Landscape Architects, had an excellent and in-depth interview with our chief curator, Sada Uchiyama, in which he discussed the mission of Portland Japanese Garden and much more.
Fodor’s Travel recommended us as one of the 12 most stunning Japanese Gardens across the United States, calling us a “Washington Park oasis” and in a different piece said the praise we have been given as being the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan is “well earned.”
Forbes recommended a trip to Portland and named the Garden as a chief reason why, noting “the meticulously maintained Portland Japanese Garden opened in 1967 to symbolize peace between Japan and the U.S.” Later in the year they included the Garden as a reason why Portland is a top wellness destination in the country.
Frommer’s shared what they consider to be 12 of the world’s most gorgeous gardens. Gardens in Thailand, Mexico, Morocco and beyond were touted alongside Portland Japanese Garden, the only American location included.
Insider mentioned us in their article about 10 things to do in Portland.
Luxe Magazine included the Garden in its June issue, noting, “nestled in the hills above downtown Portland, the Portland Japanese Garden is a tranquil oasis beloved by travelers and locals alike.”
Travel + Leisure noted that no trip to Portland is “complete without a trip to the Portland Japanese Garden. They also suggested people who take cruises to the Pacific Northwest this autumn visit the Garden to see “yellows, oranges, and reds straight out of a storybook.”
Tripadvisor has an official blog and used a photo of the Garden to represent Portland in their roundup of best places to visit in the US in October.
USA Today ranked us as the 10th best botanical gardens in North America, a distinction we’ll accept despite not technically being a botanical garden. In a different article, they mentioned us as one of the best places for sightseeing in Portland, writing we’re one of the city’s “brightest gems.”
Yelp’s official blog wrote that we are among the 25 most photographed places in Portland, including a rave review that noted the Garden is “an absolute must for anyone visiting Portland and was the highlight of my recent trip.”
Japanese Outlets
Japan Institute’s inaugural peace programming in Japan was well covered by Japanese media due to the efforts of the team on-site that facilitated these efforts.
The September 14 Peace Lantern dedication in Hiroshima was covered by:
- NHK (English) (link)
- NHK (Japanese) (link)
- Yahoo Japan (Japanese) (link)
- Chugoku Shimbun (Japanese) (link)
- Fuji News Network (Japanese) (link)
- HOME (Japanese) (link)
- Mainichi Shimbun (Japanese)(link)
The September 16 Peace Lantern dedication in Nagasaki was covered by:
- NHK (Japanese) (link)
- Yahoo Japan/RCC (Japanese) (link)
- Yahoo Japan/NBC (Japanese) (link)
- TBS (Japanese) (link)
Other International Outlets (alphabetical)
AFAR, an international travel magazine, recommended 12 places to see cherry blossoms in the U.S., and listed us first, using a beautiful image of the weeping cherry tree outside the Pavilion as their lead photo.
Breaking News IE (Ireland), The Portugal News (Portugal), Irish News, News Letter (Northern Ireland), Look-Travels (France), and The Sunday Post (Scotland), and NewsChain Online (UK) all shared the work of a visiting British journalist who was given a tour of the Garden by the Marketing Department. She had very kind things to say about the Garden, including that here you can “soak up some serious tranquility.”
City A.M. (UK) took a tour of the Garden with the Marketing Department. The result was exceptionally kind words about the Garden.
Couple of Men, an award-winning gay travel blog based out of Amsterdam visited Portland and loved the Garden, noting “a visit should be on every traveler’s bucket list, not just those in the LGBTQ+ community.
The Daily Mail (UK) reported on a new book that features Portland Japanese Garden among the world’s best gardens, titled Amazing Gardens of the World. Not only was a beautiful photo of our Moon Bridge in fall the lead image in this report, they also included a quote from the book author’s Vivienne Hambly, who shared, “With a view of the city of Portland, this considered West Coast garden was borne of the desire to build relations between Oregon and Japan in the 1950s, post-World War II – as were many other Japanese gardens around the United States.”
In one of the finest pieces of travel writing about Portland this year, Telegraph (UK) writer Chris Leadbeater took time to praise the Garden after receiving a tour from the Marketing Department, writing our “ornamental bridges, koi-carp ponds, sand gardens and maple trees [forge] a special oasis.”
International Travel News, a monthly magazine read by globe trotters, published a lovely letter in January from a visitor who noted “the immersion in bountiful beauty took place on US soil but transported us, in spirit, to another country halfway around the Earth.”
North Ireland Travel News included the Garden in their feature story about travelling to Portland.
The Vancouver Sun (Canada) praised us, writing, “Considered one of the most authentic Japanese Gardens outside Japan, the 12-acre urban sanctuary highlights the designs of renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma – beautifully manicured gardens laid out between streams, koi ponds and an authentic Tea House.”
Local Outlets
Portland Japanese Garden was front and center in the coverage of our city by local media here in the Pacific Northwest. Below the stories are organized by outlet, in alphabetical order.
KATU-TV, Portland’s ABC affiliate:
- O-Shogatsu was featured in “Things 2 Do,” a segment that covers recommended events going on in the Portland area.
- Travel writer Adam Sawyer named the Garden as his top recommendation for a Valentine’s Day outing, noting “The Japanese Garden in town, is one of the best romantic spots I think we have here.”
KGW-TV, Portland’s NBC affiliate:
- An interview with Chief External Affairs Officer Lisa Christy and Yume Confections owner Gena Renaud about the wagashi available at the Umami Café.
- A recommendation to see Portland Japanese Garden’s cherry blossoms and to visit our website for regular updates on the state of the blooms.
- A piece on the improved transportation options within Washington Park, featuring Portland Japanese Garden as a place to stay cool during the heat of summer.
- A preview of Garden of Resonance: The Art of Jun Kaneko ahead of its opening.
- Assistant Director of Exhibitions Sarah Kate Nomura and our Marketing Director, Megumi Kato joined daily live program, Hello, Rose City! to talk about Garden of Resonance and our fall colors.
KOIN-TV, Portland’s CBS affiliate:
- An interview with Communication Specialist Will Lerner focused on the Umami Café for their Foodie Friday segment
- Speaking about our exhibition Fashion and Fantasy: The Art of Netsuke Carvings, anchor Emily Burris noted the Garden “always does such a great job curating these exhibits,” with her co-anchor, Ken Boddie, adding we’re “one of the coolest places in Portland.”
- They recommended us among the best places to see cherry blossoms in the city.
- Coverage of Japan Institute’s programming in Japan.
- A preview of Garden of Resonance: The Art of Jun Kaneko a few days before it opened.
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB):
The Oregonian:
- This preview of enticing 2022 art exhibitions in Portland featured Fashion and Fantasy: The Art of Netsuke Carvings, our first new exhibition of 2022.
- Coverage on our spring exhibition, Gifts From Japan, which noted, “Portland Japanese Garden has added a new dimension to its horticulturally rich, 12-acre environment.”
- Peak Northwest, a podcast produced by The Oregonian, gave rave reviews of the Garden, mentioning their recent visit had them feel like they were “transported to the ultimate peace oasis.”
- Here is Oregon, a site devoted to positive stories about the state by the staff of The Oregonian, shared this video to their social channels after taking a tour with the Marketing Department.
- Here is Oregon later in the year posted a walking tour of the Garden to Twitter and Instagram.
- The Oregonian also took to Instagram to highlight the checkered pattern that was raked in the Flat Garden for Moonviewing, give their readers a “moment of tranquility” with footage of the Heavenly Falls, and capture some of our early December snow.
- A recommendation to buy friends and families a gift membership to Portland Japanese Garden during the holiday season.
The Portland Tribune:
- Assistant Director of Exhibitions Sarah Kate Nomura was interviewed about Fashion and Fantasy: The Art of Netsuke Carvings.
- Coverage of Garden of Resonance: The Art of Jun Kaneko, noting the work was “perfect for the space.”
- The Portland Tribune alerted its readers to Richard Deverell’s lecture at PAM this summer.
Other Local & Regional Outlets:
- Art Focus on KBOO had three interviews with Assistant Director of Exhibitions Sarah Kate Nomura this year, about Fashion and Fantasy: The Art of Netsuke Carvings, Gifts from Japan: A Horticultural Tale Told through Botanical Art, and Garden of Resonance: The Art of Jun Kaneko.
- Oregon Artswatch wrote a long and in-depth article about not only Portland Japanese Garden, but the Japan Institute’s first artist-in-residence, Rui Sasaki. Later in the year they followed up with a glowing review of Garden of Resonance: The Art of Jun Kaneko and also recommended visiting to see A Poem of Perception: Kenji Ide.
- Portland Monthly created a list of 50 things to do in Portland and noted people should visit the Garden because it’s “made for leisurely ambles through [a] serene oasis.”
- Assistant Director of Exhibitions Sarah Kate Nomura had a conversation with KPTV about Fashion and Fantasy: The Art of Netsuke Carvings.
- The Pacific Sentinel, a Portland State publicationoffered, “The Japanese Garden is an idyllic place, tucked into the upper West edge of downtown Portland. In many ways, the slow growing scenery and patient creation of the space is a large-scale version of the attention to detail found in traditional netsuke carvings.”
- The Vanguard, a different student-run publication out of PSU, had a very nice write up with several pictures of the Garden on one of our long-time cultural partners, Mitsuki Dazai of Oregon Koto-Kai.
- Seattle Met listed the Garden among their Portland recommendations, noting we went to the “next level in the late 2010s, unveiling a stunning $33.5 million upgrade from star architect Kengo Kuma.”
- Seattle Refined, a travel and culture site, took a tour of the Garden with the Marketing Department during a trip to Portland and came away loving their experience, noting, “A blissful morning spent in the Portland Japanese Garden is a complete treat for the mind, body and soul.”
- KHON, Honolulu’s FOX & CW affiliate, took a tour of the Garden with our Interim Marketing Director, Han Oh.