2024 was a year remarked by several stories from the media that demonstrated the incredible landscape, unforgettable programming, and outstanding people that bring Portland Japanese Garden to life. To close out the year, we have selected our best coverage of 2024 below. We also have two more end-of-year reviews: a look back at the many events that happened here and a collection of original writing.

National & International Outlets

AARP Magazine named the Garden as being one the best places to see cherry blossoms in spring.

Bloomberg Connects highlighted us among the world-class gardens one can explore through their digital platform.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported on the appointment of Lisa Christy to the role of Executive Director of Portland Japanese Garden.

Country Living wrote that alongside the waterfront, Portland Japanese Garden makes its host city one of the top places in the country to see cherry blossoms.

Courier Japan, a Japanese-language site, shared an article previously written for Atlas Obscura about Gena Renaud, one of the Garden’s culinary partners who supplies treats for the Umami Café.

Cultural News, a Los Angeles-based organization that caters to the Japanese and Japanese American communities, covered our art installation, Spread Peace: Wish Tree by Yoko Ono.

Fodor’s Travel suggested a visit to Portland in autumn is worthwhile to see the Garden when it’s experiencing its peak fall colors.

Group Travel Leader recommended the Garden as a place to visit to see spring blooms.

House Beautiful spoke with our very own Garden Curator, Hugo Torii, about zen gardens and things to consider when building one’s own.

Later in the year, House Beautiful spoke with Lead Gardener Evan Cordes about caring for bonsai.

Islands, a longtime destination magazine, shared what they found to be the 14 most popular botanical gardens according to Reddit. Though we’re not a botanical garden, we appreciate the praise nonetheless.

The Japan Times, Japan’s oldest and largest English newspaper, interviewed Aki Nakanishi, Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education in a piece in which he discussed how Japanese gardens are land art that simultaneously supports ecological health.

Japanese Garden TV, a highly popular YouTube channel based out of Japan, paid a special visit to the Garden in winter.

Matador highlighted us as being among the places in the U.S. one should go see cherry blossoms.

PetaPixel, one of the premier YouTube channels, podcasts, and websites about photography, visited the Garden while covering a new camera.

Sports Illustrated includes travel among the pursuits they cover and chose as a reason to visit Portland, calling us scenic and tranquil.

The Travel noted that we’re among the 7 places in the U.S. that looks “airlifted” over from Japan

The Dutch outlet Verkeersbureaus featured a Portland resident from the Netherlands who named as one of their favorite places in the city.

Local & Regional Outlets

KATU-TV, Portland’s ABC Affiliate:

• Covered O-Shogatsu (Japanese New Year), one of the Garden’s beloved annual cultural festivals.
• Alerted their audience that the Garden was seeing the peak bloom of cherry blossoms.
• Gave a fullhearted endorsement of visiting our landscape in fall.

KGW-TV, Portland’s NBC Affiliate:

• Recommended the Garden as a place to see cherry blossoms in spring.
• Chatted with Carolyn Supinka, Assistant Director of Exhibitions, about our art exhibition, Vision of Place.
• Visited our art installation, Spread Peace and spoke with Paula Esguerra, Director of Japan Institute’s International Exchange Forum (2022-24)

KOIN-TV, Portland’s CBS Affiliate:

• Built anticipation for the Garden’s stunning annual display of cherry blossoms.
• Spoke with Mayuko Sasanuma, Director of Cultural Programming about our celebration of Hina Matsuri, Doll’s Day.
• Chatted with Megumi Kato, Director of Marketing, and Carolyn Supinka, Assistant Director of Exhibitions, about our art exhibition Vision of Place and the anticipated cherry blossoms of spring.
• Alerted their audience that the Garden had reached peak bloom of its cherry blossoms.
• Promoted our art installation, Spread Peace: Wish Tree by Yoko Ono.

KPTV, Portland’s FOX Affiliate:

• Spoke with Paula Esguerra, Director of Japan Institute’s International Exchange Forum (2022-24) about our art installation, Spread Peace: Wish Tree by Yoko Ono.
• Visited the Garden during our celebration of Tanabata, the Star Festival.
• Made sure to let their audience know when we reached peak fall colors.

Oregon ArtsWatch:

• Came by to cover our art installation, Spread Peace: Wish Tree by Yoko Ono.
• Chatted with artist Naoko Fukumaru for her exhibition, Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru.

The Oregonian:

• Listed Hina Matsuri as a recommended event back in March.
• Recommended to their readers they visit our spring art exhibition, Vision of Place.
• Suggested the Garden as a place to see cherry blossoms in spring, and then did so once again.
• Highlighted how we’re considered one of the most peaceful places in Portland.
• Recommended that folks check out our collaborative horticultural exhibition with the Bonsai Society of Portland.
• Covered our ranking as one of the top U.S. urban gardens.
• Shared the news when Tripadvisor gave the Garden a Traveler’s Choice Award.
• Pointed their readers to Bon-Odori (Summer Festival) as something worth experiencing.
• Offered our horticultural exhibition featuring Ikebana International as a recommended event.
• Highlighted the Garden as a place to see fall colors in a region with no shortage of options.
• Came through to take pictures of our final days of peak fall.

Willamette Week:

• Named O-Shogatsu as one of their recommended events and then later came to the Garden to take pictures of the day.
• Covered the appointment of Lisa Christy to the role of Executive Director of Portland Japanese Garden.
• Alerted their readers that the Garden was seeing the peak bloom of its cherry blossoms.

Portland Tribune:

• Covered the appointment of Lisa Christy to the role of Executive Director of Portland Japanese Garden.
• Featured our exhibition, Vision of Place.
• Recommended checking out our art installation, Spread Peace: Wish Tree by Yoko Ono.
• Highlighted Bon-Odori as an event worth checking out.
• Reported that we had reached peak fall colors this past autumn.

More Local & Regional Media:

Brooklyn Paper covered Japan Institute’s donation of a handcrafted replica of our beloved Peace Lantern to Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Capital Press, a Salem-based newspaper, interview Garden Curator Hugo Torii about the deep significance of the Garden and its flora.

The Columbian, a newspaper based out of Southwest Washington, recommended visiting our art installation, Spread Peace: Wish Tree by Yoko Ono.

Oregon Pero en Español, a website that caters to Spanish-speaking Oregonians, featured the Garden.

Oregon Public Broadcasting sat down with exhibiting artist Naoko Fukumaru to discuss her artwork and her Garden exhibition, Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru.

The Pacific Sentinel, a publication produced by the students of Portland State University, sat down for a lengthy conversation with Lisa Christy, Executive Director of the Garden.

Preview highlighted Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru as well.

Ranch and Coast, a magazine based in San Diego, featured the Garden in their travel piece on Portland.

Seattleite listed Portland Japanese Garden as one of the things folks taking a road trip south from Seattle should do.

Via, a publication produced by AAA, wrote that the Garden is among the reason why they feel Portland is among the cultured cities of the Pacific Northwest.

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