Garden Updates
New Co-CEOs of Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute on Leading the Next Chapter
Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute have shared that Lisa Christy and Aki Nakanishi have been named Co-CEO.
We are now seeing the peak bloom of our irises. Make sure you don't miss this beautiful but fleeting moment.
Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute have shared that Lisa Christy and Aki Nakanishi have been named Co-CEO.
On Sunday, January 11, Portland Japanese Garden celebrated O-Shogatsu, Japanese New Year. KPTV, Portland’s local FOX affiliate, visited the festivities and spoke with our guests and staff about the beloved annual tradition. The story is on their website and can also be viewed below.
2025 was an exciting and memorable year for Portland Japanese Garden! The Garden embarked on a diverse range of incredible programming, welcomed some of the world’s most respected leaders across a variety of fields to Portland, and enjoyed the everlasting beauty and serenity of the Garden itself. Let’s take a look back at all that happened in 2025 at Portland Japanese Garden.
Here we present original writing crafted by Portland Japanese Garden in 2025, 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.
This fall, we are honored to display Cross Currents by Portland-based bamboo artist Anne Crumpacker as part of our exhibition, Designing Nature: Elements of Harmony. While Designing Nature will run through February 23, 2026, Crumpacker’s work can be seen in the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner for a special viewing period, October 18 through Monday, November …
A vivid blue and white design, bringing to mind a waterfall or falling rain. A quiet elegance, and an iconic silhouette. We are honored to showcase Untitled (Dango), a beautiful sculpture by famed Japanese-born artist Jun Kaneko. It can be visited via the second floor of the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center in the …
Portland Japanese Garden, founded more than 60 years ago through the efforts of local civic leaders and their friends in Japan, is deeply proud of its home city. As we have noted, Portland has a community of caring and nurturing people. We see this quality revealed through the many breathtaking gardens, spaces that can only …
“Designing Nature: Elements of Harmony” features imagery from four of Japan’s finest public gardens: Kairakuen (偕楽園) in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kenroku-en (兼六園) in Ishikawa Prefecture, Kōraku-en (後楽園) in Okayama Prefecture, and Ritsurin Garden (栗林公園) in Kagawa Prefecture.
In March, Portland Japanese Garden established its Sakura Society, a membership level that welcomes emerging leaders from the ages of 21 to 45 to become patrons of the organization. The Sakura Society offers a deeper connection to the Garden and its mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace through tailored engagement opportunities with the Garden, art, and …