PORTLAND, Ore. – June 16, 2025 – Behind the Shoji, opening Saturday, 6/21 and running through Monday, 9/1, in Portland Japanese Garden’s Pavilion Gallery, is one of the Garden’s most beloved summer traditions. An annual show and sale of Japanese and Japanese-inspired wares, visitors can peruse and purchase from a variety of curated items often unavailable short of a visit to Japan itself. What makes this elevated and distinctive shopping experience stand out is the level of care and the miles traveled that go into determining which items will be available.
This year we’re excited to be showcasing items that will bring the ingenuity and beauty of Japanese design to your home. Come by and peruse our stunning collection, featuring furniture, lighting, and décor. You’ll be able to pick items like the handsome tansu, as seen in this collection of photos. From Portland-based antique retailer Shogun’s Gallery, these tansu are handcrafted wooden chests made in Japan during the nation’s Meiji period (1868-1912) and are a charming way to store your most valued items.
Behind the Shoji headlines a summer filled with many exciting opportunities, including:
- Tanabata, the Star Festival on Sunday, 7/6 | One of the five seasonal festivals celebrated in Japan since the eighth century, the Star Festival at Portland Japanese Garden will feature musical performances, storytelling of the Tanabata folk legend, and wish writing, in which visitors can write a wish and add it to the colorful display of tanzaku (wish strips) on bamboo in the Garden’s Crumpacker Bamboo Allee.
- Natural Patterns: Katazome Stencil Dyeing | Katazome is a method of using exquisitely cut paper stencils and resist paste to dye fabrics. Today, katazome-created designs can be stand-alone art pieces, or are often found on noren curtains, futon covers, and furoshiki gift wraps. Local Oregon artist, Karen Illman Miller, has practiced katazome for the past 30 years, infusing her designs with inspiration from the natural world and drawing from her background as a marine biologist. The Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery is hosting Miller’s extraordinary art through September 15.
- Beat the Heat of Summer | Situated at a higher elevation that much of its home city, Portland Japanese Garden is a great way to get outside and stay cooler than in other parts of the area. With shaded paths, bubbling streams, and frolicking koi, the Garden is the perfect place to get some time in nature away from higher temperatures.
More Information
Hours
- 10:00am-5:30pm (last entry at 5:30pm) | Wednesday – Monday, closed Tuesdays
- Behind the Shoji is open during Garden hours and is included with paid admission.
- Tickets to the Garden can be purchased at tickets.japanesegarden.org
- The event page for Behind the Shoji can be found here
Admission
- Adult: $22.50
- Senior (65+): $19.50
- Student (with ID): $18.50
- Youth (6-17): $16.50
- Child (5 and under): Free
- Members: Free
Visual Assets
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, Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351
wlerner@japanesegarden.org
About Portland Japanese Garden
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.