Portland Japanese Garden is many things—it is, of course, a garden. It is also a cultural institution that introduces people to Japanese culture and is a meeting place where people from all over the world come to learn both about others and themselves in the process.
Over the course of 2024, the Garden had several stories that reveal its complexity, depth, and importance to not just people here in Portland, but around the globe. We were able to share more about those who have made an indelible impact on it, the spaces within its 12.5 acres in Washington Park, and the cultural traditions of Japan that are the source of the organization’s programming.
Here we present original writing crafted by Portland Japanese Garden in 2024, all imbued with the spirit of this nonprofit organization’s mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace and aligned with its vision of cross-cultural understanding. We also have two more end-of-year reviews: a look back at the many events that happened here and a summary of notable press coverage.
Culture
Tranquil Simplicity: Exploring the Meaning of Wabi Sabi in Portland Japanese Garden
Wabi sabi is a term that has become increasingly popular in Western circles but is one that is so deeply nuanced that it defies any simple explanation. This article explores the history of the term, its shifting meanings, and uses the Tea Garden of Portland Japanese Garden as a lens through which one might be able to recognize it.
Wabi Sabi and Tea: Exploring the Relationship Between Two of the Most Revered Aspects of Japanese Culture
Following the article exploring the meaning and origins of wabi sabi, this piece spends more time looking at the very deep relationship between the aesthetic and tea. As is the case with so many elements of Japanese culture, tea can help serve as an avenue to better understanding.
Japanese to English and Vice Versa: The Tribulations of Translation
Because of they both are complex languages, English and Japanese can be difficult to master, let alone translate. In this article, we touch on some of the challenges that arise when trying to introduce Japanese concepts to English-speaking audiences.
Koi: Learn About The Living Jewels of Portland Japanese Garden
There may be no element of the Garden’s landscape that brings more joy and energy than its koi. In honor of these beloved creatures, we took a look at their history at Portland Japanese Garden, their cultural significance in Japan, and answered some common questions.
Joto Sake, Portland Japanese Garden’s Official Sake Partner, Seeks to Educate People on Japan’s Signature Beverage
At the end of September, Portland Japanese Garden collaborated with its longtime and official sake partner, Joto Sake, for a special afternoon tasting. Timed to align with World Sake Day on October 1, Joto presented six special offerings from their portfolio, accompanied by light bites from Elephant’s Delicatessen. Ahead of this highly anticipated event, the Garden sat down to chat about Joto and sake with Ryan Mellinger. Mellinger is a sake expert who has been with Joto for ten years. She currently serves as General Manager for Joto Sake within the Kobrand Corporation.
Tips on Japanese Maple Pruning
A maple tree in a space like Portland Japanese Garden can appear like a map of a river and its tributaries, with limbs extending out in a manner simultaneously gnarled and elegant. Stunning in all seasons, Japanese maples seem as though they were placed by divine intervention. Maples in the wild are beautiful in their own way, but in Japanese gardens they are shaped into idealized forms, something that is the result of 整姿 (seishi), or the grooming and organization of the branches. With careful consideration of each tree’s location and how it contributes to a space’s composition, gardeners transform it into a more idealized form, while considering its natural form and character through sentei (the pruning of branches). While the best way to learn is through our Maple Pruning Workshops, a coveted member-only program, we hope that this peek into a few basics can help spark an interest in this fascinating horticultural activity.
Portland Japanese Garden Textile Workshop Attendees Use Learned Skills to Craft Gift for Volunteers
Portland Japanese Garden is a cultural institution that offers a variety of different programming so that people can learn more about the gifts of Japan through design, art, cuisine, and more. Among these programs has been a series of textile workshops led by artisan, U.S. Navy veteran, and former Oregon College of Art and Craft instructor Judilee Fitzhugh. After concluding her series of winter workshops earlier in 2024, her students gathered back together to use their learned skills to craft a gift for the horticultural support volunteers of the Garden.
Living Traditions Marks Renewed Focus on Portland-Based Programming for Japan Institute
On February 3, more than 200 people gathered in the atrium space of Wieden + Kennedy (W+K), an iconic Portland advertising agency with offices around the world along with deep ties with Japan. The excited crowd filed in to attend the newest installment of Living Traditions, a series of conversations and talks that explore some of the most iconic facets of Japanese culture and traditions. Presented by Japan Institute of Portland Japanese Garden supported by the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan, the series has featured cultural stewards from a diverse range of creative disciplines exploring the intersection of culture, nature, and human ingenuity.
People
Steve Bloom: Cultivating a Legacy at Portland Japanese Garden
Over the course of its more than 60 years, there are few figures who have made a greater and more lasting impact on Portland Japanese Garden than Stephen D. Bloom. Bloom first joined the organization in 2005 as Executive Director before eventually taking on the mantle of Chief Executive Officer, a title he holds until his retirement in January 2025. The Garden is proud to present this retrospective on Bloom, whose accomplishments are so prolific that even this article, as long as it is, may fail to do them justice.
Ann Burroughs: Japanese American National Museum President and CEO on Her Institution’s Approach to Peace
Portland Japanese Garden welcomed Ann Burroughs to give a keynote address at its Annual Membership Meeting in May of 2024. Burroughs, an internationally recognized leader in the advancement of human rights, currently serves as President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles, California. She is also Chair of the Japanese American Confinement Sites Consortium and has worked with Amnesty International for many years, including serving as Chair of the organization’s Global Assembly. Burroughs sat down to chat about JANM and Portland Japanese Garden after a walk through its grounds.
Lisa Christy: Celebrating International Women’s Day
Lisa Christy, Executive Director of Portland Japanese Garden, wrote this article inspired by International Women’s Day about the lessons she’s learned from influential women in her life. “Now, in this position of Executive Director, the time has come to no longer bank the wisdom I’ve been given, but to spend it as much as I can on whomever will accept it, in the hopes that they’ll know they are valued, they are needed; that they’ll feel included,” Christy writes.
Naoko Fukumaru: Exhibiting Artist Profile
On September 28, Portland Japanese Garden debuted its final art exhibition of 2024, Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru. In both the Pavilion and Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Galleries, the show will feature the artwork of kintsugi artist and master conservator Naoko Fukumaru. “Kintsugi is a five-hundred-year-old Japanese method of restoring damaged ceramics with natural urushi lacquer dusted with powdered gold, seen as enhancing beauty by celebrating imperfection and impermanence,” shares Fukumaru, who discusses her personal history and how it inspired her art today.
Reverend Zuigaku Kodachi: Local Leader Who Introduced O-Bon to Portland Japanese Garden in 1976
On an unbearably hot summer day, a polar opposite of his home prefecture’s winters, the Reverend and his wife Keiko welcomed members of Portland Japanese Garden’s staff into their home to chat about his almost 50 years of friendship and collaboration with the organization. He introduced what is one of the Garden’s most beloved annual traditions: hosting gatherings to recognize O-Bon (The Spirit Festival).
Chloe Lee: Traversing New Grounds Through a Partnership with the University of Oregon
During the summer of 2023, University of Oregon student Chloe Lee joined Portland Japanese Garden’s Marketing Department as an intern as part of her school’s Portland Internship Experience program (PIE). PIE students receive a philanthropically-funded stipend, and career preparedness, and all while contributing to organizations that aim to make a difference in their community. Here is an article written by Lee in which she reflects on her time with the Garden.
Lungi Morrison: Indigenous Knowledge Expert and Granddaughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Her Relationship with Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute
In November 2024, Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute welcomed Lungi Morrison to Portland for a series of events that explored the increasingly relevant themes of reconciliation, social integration, and Indigenous knowledge. Morrison, a granddaughter of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has lived and worked across the world, including her current base and native nation of South Africa. She sat down to discuss her work and partnership with Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute between two special programs she participated in, a panel discussion linking the Japanese artform of kintsugi to ways communities can use art to heal “broken” aspects of humanity and a lecture on how Indigenous knowledge, a subject in which she is a scholar, can drive social impact.
Oregon Nikkei: The Story of a People From 1832-1963
To understand the importance of Portland Japanese Garden, one has to know the context in which it was built. While its establishment is firmly tied to the reconciliation needed after the tragedies of the World War II era, the truth is that conditions were often hostile and violent for Oregon’s Nikkei population, or the Japanese diaspora. This article tells the story of a people to whom the Garden owes credit for its existence today.
Peter Putnicki: Guest Gardener with an Authentic Sense of Pride in Gardening
Portland Japanese Garden is a “living classroom” that offers tremendous opportunities for experiential learning to all who enter its gates. The lessons of Portland Japanese Garden are many and varied; not only does it speak about the way trees grow and how moss forms on stone, but also about the lives and culture of the people who designed and nurtured this enduring art form. One signature program that uplifts the Garden’s own gardening staff and garden professionals from outside organizations is an initiative led by Garden Curator Hugo Torii. In May, Portland Japanese Garden welcomed Peter Putnicki, Senior Gardener of Seattle Japanese Garden, to become the latest professional to participate in this exciting endeavor.
Masaki Shimada: Volunteer Spotlight
One of these gifted and bright individuals that Garden is fortunate enough to call one of its volunteers is Masaki Shimada, who has been providing invaluable support to the organization since 2020. Shimada sat with The Garden Path to discuss his volunteer service.
Peter & Beverly Sinton: Japanese Textile Collectors Discuss Donation of Fukusa to Portland Japanese Garden
Portland Japanese Garden was excited to showcase the art of gift-giving through the exhibition Painting with Thread: The Art and Culture of Fukusa, featured in the Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery from June 22 through September 16. Fukusa are ornate works of Japanese silk that were traditionally used in formal gift-giving rituals amongst prominent families in Japan starting around 350 years ago during the Edo period (1603-1868). The fukusa (gift covers) featured in the exhibition were generously donated along with a collection of uchishiki (decorated altar cloths) to the organization by San Francisco residents Peter and Beverly Sinton, longtime fans and collectors of Japanese textiles. This exhibition marks the first time the nuanced artistry of fukusa has been displayed in Portland Japanese Garden. Ahead of Painting with Thread, Peter and Beverly sat down to talk about fukusa, their collection, and why they chose to donate these stunning and elaborately decorated works to the Garden.
Caryl Stern: LionTree Chief Impact Officer & Former President and CEO of UNICEF USA on Leaving the World Better Than How We Found It
In June of 2024, Portland Japanese Garden welcomed Caryl Stern to speak at the annual reception for its Golden Crane Recognition Society, a group of donors whose profound generosity helps the organization’s immediate and long-term vitality. For more than 40 years, Stern has tirelessly worked in service to others, including a decade-plus tenure as President and CEO of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) USA and as Executive Director for the Walton Family Foundation. Stern is currently Chief Impact Officer for LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank, where she focuses on philanthropic efforts through impact investing in products and services that will work toward solving global problems. Ahead of her remarks, Stern sat down with us to chat about her work and blossoming friendship with Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute.
Tsuru Tuenge: Volunteer Profile
Among the many incredible people who have been generous in donating their time is Tsuru Tuenge, a member of Portland Japanese Garden since the late 1970s and a highly admired volunteer since 2017. As Tuenge reached 1,000 hours of service with the organization, she sat down to talk with us about her past and time with the Garden.
Jan Waldmann: Tea Ceremony Expert and Cultural Partner
Portland Japanese Garden is honored to have the dedicated support of local artists, musicians, and practitioners who share their expertise and talents with our guests at cultural demonstrations and performances. They help us pursue our mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace by shining light on Japanese culture as a form of cultural diplomacy. One such individual is Jan Waldmann, who sat down with The Garden Path to talk about her nearly 50 years of collaboration with the Garden.
Places
The Zoki no Niwa of Portland Japanese Garden: A Uniquely Natural Feeling
Issue 11 of The Journal of the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA), published in November 2024, features an article written by Lerner. In it, he shares insights from the organization’s Garden Directors and Curators, all Japanese-born niwashi (garden masters). They discuss the Natural Garden, one of the organization’s five historic garden spaces, and an example of the zoki no niwa style. Here the article is re-shared with Portland Japanese Garden’s community.
A Token of Good Will and Friendship: The Story of the Sapporo Pagoda Lantern
2024 marked the 65th anniversary of one of the United States’ oldest and strongest sister city relationships—Portland, Oregon in the U.S. and Sapporo, Hokkaido in Japan. This sister city relationship, which has fostered an everlasting friendship across the Pacific, has also come to be manifested in more tangible forms. One such example is our Sapporo Pagoda Lantern, a gift delivered to us in 1964 as our landscape was being built. Learn more about this stunning 18-foot stone lantern and why our friendship with Sapporo has been so vital to the establishment and continued success of Portland Japanese Garden.
Jubitz Oregon Terrace: This Often-Overlooked Space at Portland Japanese Garden Evokes Feelings of Famed Japanese Landmark
Located on the other side of a massive sliding glass door on the second floor of the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center, the Jubitz Oregon Terrace is a restful scene tucked away from the busier areas in the Cultural Village of Portland Japanese Garden. On one side, a platform arises from water and features a rotating assortment of different bonsai ranging from Chinese wisteria to western hemlock, to shore pine to vine maple. On small shelves on a stucco wall are kusamono, accent plants that often accompany bonsai: sometimes, lupine, lady fern and violet, aster and vetch, or Douglas iris. Learn more about this less-traversed space, one inspired by a famed Japanese landmark.
New Hinoki Hedges Replace Hemlock in the Tea Garden
In March, the Garden Department of Portland Japanese Garden and its leader, Garden Curator Hugo Torii, engaged in a project to improve the Tea Garden after its outer periphery of hemlock hedges had been facing continual decline. After the hemlock was removed and the drainage improved, the space was filled with nearly 20 new hinoki, a cypress native to Japan that has been known to have been a part of Japanese garden design since the nation’s Heian period (794-1185).
How to Plan the Perfect Day of Visits to Portland’s Incredible Gardens
Even if you’re a longtime Portland resident, visiting a local garden is still very much worth your time. Here is a helpful itinerary so you can plan the perfect day of Portland garden visits.
Washington Park: Mapping Out What to Do and What to See in One of Portland, Oregon’s Best Attractions
In this piece, the wonderful attractions and sights to see in Portland Japanese Garden’s home of Washington Park are shared to help visitors plan out a day in one of Portland’s most beloved tourist destination.