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2022 Media Coverage of Portland Japanese Garden

A photographer capturing an image of the Sapporo Pagoda Lantern in the Strolling Pond Garden. Photo by Nina Johnson.

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.

“The Tree,” one of the most photographed trees in the world, in the Strolling Pond Garden.

National Outlets (alphabetical)

The Architect’s Newspaper informed its readers about the exciting news that Kengo Kuma & Associates will be redesigning the Glass Theater on Japan Institute’s campus.

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.

Good Housekeeping named us among the “40 most fascinating places you won’t believe are in the United States.”

The Flat Garden as seen from the Pavilion. Photo by Julia Taylor.

iHeart, the largest radio broadcaster in the U.S., posted an article naming Portland Japanese Garden as the “ideal romantic spot” in Oregon.

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.”

The Peace Lantern presentation in Tokyo. Photo by Ken Katsurayama

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)

Mainichi Shimbun (Japanese) covered the presentation of Kaneko Awards to CEO Steve Bloom and Board of Trustees Member Yoshio Kurosaki in Japan.

Next to our Welcome Center, an untitled piece by Jun Kaneko in our latest exhibition: Garden of Resonance: The Art of Jun Kaneko.

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.”

The Tea Garden’s kashintei seen just past the upper pond of the Strolling Pond Garden.

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.

Reisetopia (Switzerland), a Swiss luxury travel site, named the Garden as one of the places tourists should visit while in Portland.

The Telegraph (UK) had a long article about what people should do when visiting Oregon and included us, noting we are “a haven of serenity and tranquility.”

Upscale Living, an international luxury publication, named us first among gardens “every passionate gardener should visit.”

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.”

Cherry blossoms decorate the view in front of Portland Japanese Garden’s Nezu Gate.

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:

KGW-TV, Portland’s NBC affiliate:

 KOIN-TV, Portland’s CBS affiliate:

The Moon Bridge of Portland Japanese Garden’s Strolling Pond Garden in fog.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB):

The Oregonian:  

The Portland Tribune:

Other Local & Regional Outlets: