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Garden+ Lecture | Niwa Akari II: Landscape Lighting in Japanese Gardens

Lectures

When
November 19, 2026 | 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Where
Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center
Event Audience
Public and All Members
On Sale Dates
Golden Crane | October 7 | $35
Members | October 14 | $35
Public | October 21 | $40
Tickets go on sale at 7am PST on the scheduled date.
Yagoto Hasshokan　

Event Information

Explore how an illuminated Japanese garden can communicates and inspires global audiences! 

Continuing its exploration of landscape illumination following Tim Ryan’s 2025 talk, the Japanese Garden Training Center’s 2026 Garden+ Lecture is delighted to present Satoshi Uchihara, a world-renowned lighting expert from Japan. Uchihara will further explore the Japanese concept of akari (light). He will examine the history, spirituality, and unique quality of modern Japanese lighting through real-world case studies. This lecture will also include a chat with Tyler Nishitani, a local architect who helped shape Portland Japanese Garden’s award-winning 2017 expansion. 

Kinkaku-ji Temple of the Golden Pavilion a National Treasure and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kyoto
Ginkaku-ji Temple of the Silver Pavilion a National Treasure and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kyoto

The Japanese Garden Training Center, a proud endeavor of the Garden’s global cultural initiative, Japan Institute, is excited to present this program as part of its “Garden+ Lecture” series. These in-person gatherings aim to examine Japanese gardens through bold and inspiring new contexts by bringing designers, authors, practitioners, and researchers to Portland Japanese Garden to share fresh ideas and expertise. 

About the Speakers

Satoshi Uchihara

A native of Kyoto, Satoshi Uchihara grew up surrounded by his family’s traditional Nishijin textile business. His early experience of silk, its delicate textures and changing reflections of light, became a lasting inspiration for his approach to light and design. He studied spatial design at Tama Art University and began his professional career at Motoko Ishii Lighting Design Inc., where he worked as a designer and chief designer. He became independent in 1993. For more than 30 years, Uchihara has explored the relationship between light, architecture, landscape, and culture, with more than 1,200 projects in Japan and abroad. His work ranges from architectural and landscape lighting to urban nightscape planning, including numerous projects involving Kyoto’s historic cultural heritage. His work has received international recognition, including awards from the IES, IALD, iF Design Award, and APIDA. Through light, Uchihara seeks to reveal the character of a place and create new connections between people, culture, architecture, and time. 

Tyler Nishitani

Tyler Nishitani is a design-oriented architect, leader and strategic thinker with more than 20 years of experience bringing ambitious projects from conception to reality. Nishitani has an abundance of public, intuitional and community-oriented project experience, having served in designer, project architect, and project manager roles. Included among his work is the expansion of Portland Japanese Garden in 2017. Then a Project Architect with Hacker, Nishitani was part of a team of experts who helped bring Kengo Kuma’s vision for the Cultural Village to life. As a mixed race (hapa), fourth–generation Japanese-American (yonsei) and third/fourth generation Portlander, he embraces his cultural and local heritage in his work.

About the Japanese Garden Training Center

Japan Institute of Portland Japanese Garden’s Japanese Garden Training Center teaches the traditional skills and techniques for creating and fostering Japanese gardens, while acquainting learners with a garden’s cultural heart. The Training Center offers learners of all levels, from elementary school students to horticulture enthusiasts to seasoned professionals, the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the Japanese garden and its philosophies. It offers workshops, themed tours, school programs, lectures, professional seminars, and design intensives.