Portland Japanese Garden
The 5.5 acre Portland Japanese Garden is composed of five sub-gardens. As a Japanese garden, the desired effect is to realize a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquility and to experience the feeling of being a part of nature. The garden has five major sub-gardens, each a different degree of formality:
The Strolling Pond Garden is the largest and contains multiple areas. In one, rocks built into the path are arranged as the Big Dipper constellation. There is a 100-year-old five-tiered pagoda lantern, a gift from Portland’s sister city of Sapporo with ornamental rocks forming the shape of HokkaidÅ island and a red stone for Sapporo. Several ornate or whimsical bridges cross the creeks between ponds. There is also a handmade moon bridge.
The Natural Garden has multiple ponds, waterfalls, and streams. Trees, shrubs, ferns, and mosses grow in their natural state.
The Sand and Stone Garden contains weathered stones rising from rippled sand suggestive of the ocean. The tranquil rake patterns are often present in karesansui (Japanese rock gardens).
The Flat Garden is typical of urban garden design, but here it contrasts with the park’s folds and contours. Raked white sand represents water and vividly contrasts with lawn, moss, evergreens, and azaleas.
The Tea Garden has two areas, each devoted to enhancing the tea ceremony: an outer waiting area and an inner garden surrounding the authentic tea house, constructed in Japan by Kajima Construction Company and assembled onsite in 1968.
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