In October, Portland Japanese Garden was delighted to participate in a trade mission led by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek. As was reported by The Oregonian earlier in the year, Governor Kotek had traveled overseas to Japan and South Korea “to expand opportunities for trade and tourism between the state and the countries.” Included in this …

Written by Will Lerner, Marketing and Communications Manager In October, Portland Japanese Garden refreshed its Kashintei Tea House by adding new tatami mats thanks to generous support from its volunteers. Floor coverings traditionally composed of woven grass and straw, tatami mats are often found in Japanese buildings, including but not limited to tea houses. Believed …

In October, the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) gathered for its annual conference at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Among the various events was a special reception on October 16, in which esteemed members of the NAJGA community were recognized for their service to the organization and the field of Japanese gardens …

On Museum Store Sunday on November 30, shoppers receive a 10% discount, while members of Portland Japanese Garden will receive an additional 10% on top of their Member discount.

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 welcomed Anne Hunter, gardener and curator for Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s three-acre Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and Japanese Tree Peony Collection, to become the latest professional to participate in its guest gardener exchange program.

In August, retired U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, his wife Ruth Harkin, former county attorney and author, and his sister-in-law Jean Harkin, also an author, visited Portland Japanese Garden for a tour of the landscape and to reconnect with Aki Nakanishi, Director of the Japan Institute and Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education.

On May 31, Portland Japanese Garden partnered with Chamber Music Northwest to host the West Coast premiere performance of Lost Freedom: A Memory. Inspired by autobiographical accounts of the incarceration of Japanese-American citizens in World War II, the event weaved together music and spoken word in a profound exploration of a chilling time in American history. It …

On June 6, Hugo Torii, Garden Curator of Portland Japanese Garden and Director of Japan Institute’s Japanese Garden Training Center, was formally knighted as part of the 2025 Honorary Knighting Ceremony and Rose Festival Queen’s Coronation. It was part of a more than 100-year-old Portland tradition organized by the Royal Rosarians, a group that “are …