Follow along for weekly-to-daily updates as the Garden transitions to its autumn peak.
Amy Carlson Gustafson, a journalist with the Minnesota Star Tribune, recently paid a visit to Portland, Oregon. In her article, which praises the quirkiness, natural beauty, and friendliness of our city, she writes “Exploring the rock gardens, quaint paths, lush green foliage, rustic tea garden and bonsai trees helped me quickly shed travel stress.”
By Will Lerner, Communications Manager for Portland Japanese Garden & Japan Institute Portland Japanese Garden has been and always will be a community effort. Founded by civic leaders in government, business, and cultural organizations in 1963, it has been a place of nature, beauty, and cultural understanding for more than 60 years. And while it …
Portland Monthly recently recommended Portland Japanese Garden as a top place in the area to see fall colors.
Portland Japanese Garden is delighted to announce its final art exhibition of 2025: Designing Nature: Elements of Harmony. Opening Saturday, September 27 and running through February 23, 2026, this exhibition invites visitors to explore the history, techniques, and traditions behind this timeless art form—revealing the depth, intention, and beauty that define Japanese garden design.
Hugo Torii, Garden Curator and Director of the Japanese Garden Training Center, was among the experts featured in a recent article from HGTV on Zen gardens. “The most important element of this kind of private space is how it makes you feel,” Torii shared with writer and author Lynn Coulter. “If it provides comfort to …
My Modern Met, a culture website that cover topics such as art, design, photography, architecture, science, technology, and environmental issues, recently featured Portland Japanese Garden, calling it a “true gem” and “a place where visitors can immerse themselves in Japanese culture while enjoying and appreciating nature in all its glory.”
HGTV named Portland Japanese Garden the most beautiful garden in Oregon.
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.
AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advocates for all individuals over the age of 50, recently recommended Portland Japanese Garden among a select group of American gardens that provide serenity to their visitors.