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Gift a Japanese Garden for the Holidays

Guests take in the Heavenly Falls. Photo by Portland Japanese Garden.

PORTLAND, Ore., United States—November 18, 2024—This year has been a tumultuous one, where the stresses of everyday life sometimes became too strongly felt. Perhaps an important person in your life has been feeling anxiety or unrest more sharply than in years past. As you consider the presents you’ll be giving this holiday season, we encourage purchasing those you love a gift membership to Portland Japanese Garden to give them a space to find peace and connect with nature.  Portland Japanese Garden stands as a crown jewel of its home city and because it is in perpetual evolution, it is best enjoyed through multiple visits, something its members can attest to.

Families gather in the Garden on a warm winter day. Photo by Portland Japanese Garden.

There is a growing amount of research that indicates that time spent in nature has a positive impact on physical and mental health. In the heart of a Pacific Northwest forest, alongside meandering streams and amid cool breezes, a stroll through Portland Japanese Garden relieves the pressures of everyday life. Even better, members can visit in the morning before the public arrives, allowing for a calmer forest bathing experience.  The nonprofit organization is also often referenced as “more than a garden.” Beyond the beauty and serenity of its spaces, the Garden is a cultural institution that offers festival celebrations, workshops in traditional Japanese creative endeavors and art exhibitions. Members of the Garden receive exclusive access to these culturally immersive opportunities that draw us together in a time of increased division. 

The strolling pond garden in Portland Japanese Garden. From this perspective we see a wooden bridge (The Moon Bridge) and trees illuminated by sunshine.
The Strolling Pond Garden as seen in February 2024. Photo by Portland Japanese Garden.

For many of its members, Portland Japanese Garden has become a second home — a comforting part of the city to frequent and a highlight on the itinerary of visiting friends and family. Aside from being able to enjoy the transformation of the seasons in Portland’s most beautiful urban oasis, members to the Garden enjoy unlimited free admission, daily member-only hours, enchanting art exhibitions, early access to register for hands-on workshops, and discounts to our Gift Shop. All of the benefits of a membership to Portland Japanese Garden can be found here.

Visual Assets

Light snow in the Flat Garden in Winter. Photo by Tyler Quinn.

Images 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 no photographer is listed, “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden” will suffice.

Media Contact

Will Lerner (he/him)
Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351 (office)
wlerner@japanesegarden.org

About Portland Japanese Garden 

A view from above of the Cultural Village, opened in 2017. Photo by Sheepscot Creative.

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, 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 the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America.