Portland Japanese Garden Celebrates the New Year throughout January
O-Shogatsu (Japanese New Year) is a time of celebration for the start of a new year and hopes of happiness and prosperity to come. At Portland Japanese Garden, we are celebrating Japan’s most important holiday throughout the beginning of January with special events, demonstrations, and performances all culminating in the return of our beloved and free (with daily admission) celebration on January 12.
Below are all the exciting events we have in store, make sure you plan your visit today!
Book TicketsNew Year’s Day, Members-Only
January 1 | 10am – 2pm
We invite members and their guests to start the new year with a peaceful, contemplative stroll through Portland Japanese Garden. A special day when the Garden isn’t open to the public, you’ll be able to sip complimentary tea in the Umami Café from the Jasmine Pearl Tea Company, enjoy an extra discount in our Gift Shop, take a volunteer-led tour, and participate in a treasure hunt that’s fun for the whole family!
To take part in this, make sure you become a member today!
Membership InformationCultural Demonstration: Hatsugama Tea Ceremony
January 4 | 1:15 – 2:15pm
In honor of the New Year, Jan Waldmann will present a special Japanese tea ceremony known as Hatsugama (初釜) in the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center. The kanji, or Japanese characters, for Hatsugama mean “first/new” and “kettle.” For tea teachers and students, the first kettle (or tea ceremony) of the new year happens in a festive event between January 1 and 11 when the tea master reverses roles and serves tea to all their students.
Cultural Performance: Koto and Storytelling by Oregon Koto-Kai
January 5 | 1:15 – 2:15pm
Enjoy a free koto (Japanese zither) performance by Oregon Koto-Kai at 1:15pm at the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center. In this family-friendly performance, performers will tell a traditional New Year’s themed Japanese story (Kasa Jizō) accompanied by koto music.
Cultural Demonstration: Engi no Ii Mono (Auspicious Items) in Ikebana for the New Year
January 10 | 1:15 – 2:15pm
Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, has been translated as “living flowers” or “the way of flowers.” Join us from 1:15-2:15pm for a New Year’s focused ikebana presentation on auspicious items in ikebana by Rumiko Fadden and David Komeiji of the Saga Goryu Ikebana North American Branch in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center.
O-Shogatsu Festival, Japanese New Year
January 12 | 10:00am – 2:30pm (Members-Only: 9:30 – 10:00am)
Our annual festival celebration returns! The Garden will celebrate the beginning of 2025, the Year of the Snake, or hebi in Japanese, from 10:00am to 2:30pm with family-friendly activities and performances including ink-wash painting and special traditional dances. See the full schedule for the O-Shogatsu Festival.
January 1: New Year’s Day, Members-Only
January 4: Cultural Demonstration: Hatsugama Tea Ceremony
January 5: Cultural Performance: Koto and Storytelling by Oregon Koto-Kai
January 10: Cultural Demonstration: Engi no Ii Mono (Auspicious Items) in Ikebana for the New Year
January 12: O-Shogatsu Festival, Japanese New Year
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