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Portland Japanese Garden Reopens After Week of Inclement Winter Weather

Posted by Portland Japanese Garden on
The Flat Garden of Portland Japanese Garden with snow on the ground.
The Flat Garden. Photo taken 1/22/24.

PORTLAND, Ore. –January 22, 2024—Portland Japanese Garden is happy to share that it is reopening today, Monday, January 22 after having been closed for more than a week due to inclement winter weather. The Garden will open at 10am for the general public and aims to resume member hours (8am to 10am) beginning Wednesday, January 24. The organization’s typical winter hours are 10am-3:30pm, Wednesday through Monday, being closed Tuesdays. Member hours are available every day the Garden is open, weather permitting.

The Antique Gate, a wooden gate thought to be at least 200 years old that sits at the foot of the hill in Portland Japanese Garden.
The Antique Gate. Photo taken 1/22/24.

Perched at a higher elevation than much of Portland, the combination of freezing temperatures, high wind speeds, and freezing rain had an adverse impact on Portland Japanese Garden. Where ice melted through many parts of the city, it persisted throughout our grounds, making it difficult to traverse. Fortunately, due to the tireless work of its Garden, Facilities, Visitor Relations, and Security departments throughout the worst of the storm, damage was mitigated and its koi were protected and kept safe. Out of an abundance of caution, some parts of the Garden will remain closed to the public as some ice has yet to melt. We ask that guests be careful while walking our grounds.

The Nezu Gate, a wooden gate that people pass through to enter the historical gardens of Portland Japanese Garden.
The Nezu Gate. Photo taken 1/22/24.

We are grateful for the patience of our community while we work to restore the Garden to its famously pristine conditions and are excited to reopen so people can enjoy the serenity of our landscape.

A tall stone lantern in Portland Japanese Garden stylized to look like a pagoda.
The Sapporo Pagoda Lantern. Photo taken 1/22/24.

Photos

Photos taken by our staff can be found in this Dropbox folder. Photographer name is in the file name. Please stylize the credit as “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden, photo by [fill in name].” If there is no photographer name, “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden” will suffice.

Media Contact

Will Lerner | Communications Specialist | (503) 542-9351 | [email protected]  

About Portland Japanese Garden

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland and the state of Oregon, 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 among the foremost Japanese cultural organizations in the world.  

About Japan Institute

Japan Institute was established in 2022 as a global cultural initiative of Portland Japanese Garden. This sibling organization is the programmatic arm of Portland Japanese Garden, allowing us to share and expand our cultural programs more broadly around the world, deepen international partnerships, and continue to engage diverse people in shared experiences and conversations about peace, beauty, and connection of nature. Japan Institute consists of three centers: Global Center for Culture and Art, International Exchange Forum, and International Japanese Garden Training Center. 

Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute share the mission: 

Inspiring Harmony & Peace