Garden History

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From Asphalt Grounds to Urban Oasis: Portland Japanese Garden was Once a Zoo

Because of the careful and diligent maintenance of its grounds by generations of gardeners, facilities technicians, volunteers, and more, Portland Japanese Garden appears as though it has been perched atop the West Hills for as long as Washington Park has existed. It may be surprising to know that the site it sits on today was once the old location of the Portland Zoo, now known as the Oregon Zoo.

In the News Garden History

Supporting Portland Japanese Garden for 60 Years

Inspired in the late 1950s by growing cultural ties between Oregon and Japan, Mayor Terry Schrunk and members of the Portland community conceived the idea of building a Japanese garden on the site of the old zoo in Washington Park. This initiative sparked the interest of Margueritte (Maggie) Drake, who showed up at the first …

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In the News Garden History

History of Portland Japanese Garden

KGW (local NBC affiliate) is broadcasting their News at Sunrise show live from the Garden for two weeks during the Tokyo Olympics. As part of their series “Our Shared Journey”, KGW is featuring local stories of the shared connections between Japan and Oregon, including the history of Portland Japanese Garden. For the full coverage with the …

Garden History

A Symbol of Everlasting Peace and Friendship

A Symbol of Peace: Healing Wounds from War When the Second World War came to an end in 1945, many painful scars were left behind. In the years following the war, anti-Japanese sentiment in Portland and the United States was still very real for many, the wounds from the war had not healed. Less than …

Garden Updates Garden History

An Historic Moment

On Sunday, a beautiful thing happened. A decades-old vision conceptualized by the dreamers and doers at Portland Japanese Garden became reality. Nearly three thousand people came to witness the conclusion of construction and celebrate our beautiful new beginning: the Cultural Crossing expansion. A 20-person delegation from the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine traveled from Kamakura, Japan to …

Garden Path Garden History

A Note By Kinya Hira, First Garden Director of Portland Japanese Garden

In addition to Professor Takuma Tono of Tokyo Agricultural University, the original designer of Portland Japanese Garden, eight Garden Directors and two Garden Curators from Japan have overseen the development and maintenance of the original five gardens over its 60 years. This lineage of Japanese wagashi (garden master) has made our garden unique among Japanese …

Garden Updates Garden History

A Wall Connecting Cultures

When visitors come to Portland Japanese Garden, one of the features they will notice is a massive stone structure at the west end of the new Cultural Village. Measuring 18.5 feet tall and 185 feet long, it rises up to both greet visitors and transport them to another place and time. Walking past it, the …