Note: This letter first appeared in the winter 2025 issue of The Garden Path, the quarterly member magazine of Portland Japanese Garden. Members of the Garden are mailed copies. Click here to join.

Dear Members,

Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! Happy New Year! And thank you to all those who donated to our end-of-year fundraiser. Your gifts are what allow us to maintain these beautiful spaces, provide immersive cultural programming, and exist as a restorative place.

It has been one year since I had the honor of being appointed Executive Director of Portland Japanese Garden and the beginning of my 11th year with the organization. As I begin a new decade at the Garden, I am excited to work alongside you, our staff, volunteers, and Boards to not only maintain our world-class landscape and inspired programming, but to bring it to new heights.

Even before I took on the role of Executive Director, my focus here was always on our community—how we can serve them better and make their experience live up to the standards that our predecessors set. I had the pleasure of learning firsthand the immeasurable impact Portland Japanese Garden has had on people. This urban oasis has helped heal the wounds of historic bigotry, provide emotional and physical comfort through nature, and introduce the gifts of Japan to many who might not otherwise get to experience them. I know the Garden has certainly helped transform my previous appreciation for Japanese culture into a lifelong and passionate pursuit of better understanding—about Japan, about myself, and how both combined can inform how I give back to my community.

Toward the end of 2024, I traveled to Japan to meet with our longtime key partners. The reason why Portland Japanese Garden is hailed as the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan is because of our deep ties there. Since our establishment in 1963, we have looked to the nation’s leaders in landscape architecture, the arts, and culture to guide our organization and that tradition will continue on. As you’ll read in this issue, we expect to have incredible programming in 2025 that will reflect our deep ties to Japan. As the world grapples with increasing division, I am grateful and excited for our organization to continue being a means and symbol of the vitally important American and Japanese relationship for years to come.

And when I speak of years to come, I mean that Portland Japanese Garden is intended to last millennia. I’m confident it will because we have an excellent group of leaders joining me to help pursue our mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace. Aki Nakanishi, the Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Arts, and Education and Director of Japan Institute will continue to lead our excellent programming. Hugo Torii, our Garden Curator, continues to bring out the brilliance of our landscape by overseeing its maintenance and design. And Misako Ito, our Japan Office’s Executive Director will continue to strengthen our already deep ties to partners and supporters in Japan.

With these highly respected leaders, our compassionate and incredible staff, dedicated and remarkable volunteers, and sage and passionate Boards, there is nothing we can’t do together. We are ready.

With gratitude,

Lisa Christy
Executive Director

About Lisa Christy

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