2023 was an exciting year for Portland Japanese Garden. As we celebrated our 60th anniversary with memorable art exhibitions, inspiring international programming, and the beauty and serenity of the Garden itself, we saw the organization covered over an impressive amount of media outlets around the world. To close the year, we have selected our best coverage of 2023 in the below summary. We also have a roundup of all the exciting events, exhibitions, and gatherings that happened here in Portland, New York, South Africa, and Japan.
National & International Outlets
News18 (India) covered “The Tree” on their site.
Tei-en Kyokai News (Japan) covered our 60th anniversary gala in Tokyo.
Travel Awaits named us one of the PNW gardens to visit in the spring.
USA Today included among the 23 best places to see cherry blossoms in the U.S.
U.S. News & World Report ranked us high among the best things to do in Portland.
Local & Regional 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.
City Cast Portland:
- We were named as one of their favorite places to see fall colors in the city.
- Marketing Director Megumi Kato and Communications Specialist Will Lerner were interviewed on an episode.
KATU-TV, Portland’s ABC affiliate:
- They alerted their readers and viewers when our weeping cherry had bloomed.
- When irises were in bloom, they once again let readers know they should come check them out.
- They put the word out when we were holding our special 60th anniversary celebration in the Garden.
- An alert about us reaching peak fall color.
KGW-TV, Portland’s NBC affiliate:
- A feature on Subtle Intimacy, describing it as a “garden experience that sparkles.”
- A recommendation to go see Subtle Intimacy on their daily show Hello, Rose City!
- A story about our cherry blossoms showing their full beauty.
- A quick feature about our annual summer marketplace, Behind the Shoji.
- A special report done at the Garden about our 60th anniversary celebration.
- A story that anticipated the approach of our fall colors.
- A recommendation to attend our annual Moonviewing event.
- A story covering the “exquisite” art featured in our Takahiro Iwasaki exhibition.
- In her final report for KGW-TV, local news icon Brenda Braxton featured Portland Japanese Garden.
KOIN-TV, Portland’s CBS affiliate:
- Raving about Subtle Intimacy on their morning broadcast.
- Recommended an outing to the Umami Café for lovebirds celebrating Valentine’s Day.
- Ranking us among the best photo-worthy spots to see cherry blossoms in Portland.
- Sharing how we had been named one of the country’s best spring travel destinations.
- They alerted their viewers when our cherry blossoms had really started to shine.
- A story about how the cold weather had an influence on the timing of our cherry blossoms blooming.
- A report from the Garden when our irises were in bloom.
- A live in-studio appearance about the return of our annual summer marketplace, Behind the Shoji.
- They let their readers know when we were bestowed a travel award from Sunset Magazine.
- A story that included us among the most photogenic locations for fall colors in Portland.
- A report about how another outlet had named us as a top place to see fall colors.
- They then shared our alert about how fall colors had reached their peak.
- A story about our peak fall colors with emphasis on “The Tree.”
KPTV, Portland’s FOX affiliate:
- 19 minutes of the Garden’s beauty accompanied by music.
- A feature on our Rui Sasaki exhibition.
- A nice feature about our special 60th anniversary celebration at the Garden.
- Video coverage of our peak fall colors.
Oregon ArtsWatch:
- Featured a long article about our Jun Kaneko exhibition as well as incorporated a lovely tribute to the late Matt Jay.
- An article that recommended Subtle Intimacy among the art exhibitions on show in the state.
- A deep dive into what we’re hoping to accomplish with Japan Institute’s Global Center for Culture and Art.
- A positive review of our Takahiro Iwasaki exhibition.
- An in-depth interview with Takahiro Iwasaki that included lots of kind words about his work on display at Portland Japanese Garden.
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB):
- An interview with Jun Kaneko and our guest curator Frank Feltens for a piece on Garden of Resonance.
- We were included among the places they felt offered “prime leaf peeping.”
- A long feature on our culinary cultural partner, Gena Renaud of Yume Confections.
The Oregonian:
- Noted that Subtle Intimacy was among new art exhibitions that “celebrate women and their sense of self.”
- A lovely feature on our excellent O-Shogatsu celebration.
- A recommendation to attend our celebration of Hina Matsuri.
- Including us in their guide on the best places to see cherry blossoms around Portland.
- An excellent collection of photographs of the Garden when our cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
- A recommendation to go check out Kodomo no Hi.
- As with previous cultural festivals, a recommendation for the weekend, this time Tanabata.
- They let their readers know when we were bestowed a travel award from Sunset Magazine.
- A collection of photographs capturing autumn colors just after their peak but at a time when the Garden was still beautiful.
Pamplin Media:
- Wrote warmly about Subtle Intimacy, noting it invites visitors to marvel at Japan Institute Artist-in-Residence Rui Sasaki’s art.
- Recommended Hina Matsuri as an outing for Portlanders in March.
- An alert to their readers about how our cherry blossoms had bloomed.
- They suggested their readers check out our special 60th anniversary celebration in the Garden.
- Two days later, they published another article recommending the 60th anniversary celebration.
- Photos when we had reached peak fall color.
Portland Monthly:
- A beautiful and long feature about the service we provide our community as a “cultural icon.”
- We were listed among the “quintessential” things to do in the city.
- A suggestion to go check out our Takahiro Iwasaki exhibition.
Other Local & Regional Outlets:
- Axios Portland recommended people attend our 60th anniversary celebration at the Garden.
- Cultural News shared the exciting hire of our Executive Director of our office in Japan, Misako Ito.
- The Daily Herald, a Chicago newspaper, looked at Portland’s dining scene and included the Umami Café as a destination travelers should head, noting that the café “appears to float over a hillside with expansive views of the surrounding forest.”
- Eater Portland wrote that the Umami Café is “one of the most serene settings in all of Portland.”
- Here is Oregon wrote a long feature about the transformation of the old Portland Zoo into the Garden we’ve all come to love today.
- KBOO featured our Rui Sasaki exhibition on the program, “Art Focus.”
- New York Keizai Shimbun covered our New York Peace Symposium.
- Pacific Sentinel, a PSU student publication, covered Subtle Intimacy.
- St. Louis Magazine recommended train trips west to Portland and included us as a reason why.
- SF Gate wrote that “no visit to Portland is complete without heading to the Portland Japanese Garden.”
- The Spokesman Review noted we are one of the most serene and authentic Japanese gardens outside of Asia.
- The Star Tribune out of Minnesota shared lovely thoughts about the Garden in a writer’s recollections of their PNW travels.
- Univision Portland alerted their audience about our peak fall colors.
- Via, a publication produced by AAA, promoted the tail end of our Jun Kaneko exhibition.
- Visual Art Source published a rave review of Subtle Intimacy.
- Willamette Week covered O-Shogatsu in January.
- Willamette Week also shared our Bon-Odori event in summer.
- Yuuyake Shimbun published a rave review of Subtle Intimacy.