PORTLAND, Ore., United States—June 4, 2026—Alaska Airlines and Portland Japanese Garden today announced a new, multi-year partnership, bringing together two Pacific Northwest entities committed to building community, finding cultural connection and creating meaningful guest experiences.

Through this partnership, Alaska will help enable the Garden’s mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace by sharing Japanese culture with the world. As a visible expression of the collaboration, Alaska will feature Portland Japanese Garden on its 2026 Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade float, bringing a representation of the Garden’s beauty and cultural significance to thousands of parade attendees and viewers in downtown Portland. The collaboration will also support a range of initiatives designed to elevate visitor experiences, expand access to cultural programming and deepen community engagement both locally and beyond. 

“Portland Japanese Garden is a treasured cultural institution in our region. We are honored to partner with an organization that embodies connection, care and a profound respect for place—values that resonate deeply with Alaska’s mission,” said Jeanette Waddle, Public Affairs Manager at Alaska Airlines, “This collaboration will help us create meaningful moments for the broader community.” 

“Portland Japanese Garden is thrilled to begin its new partnership with Alaska Airlines. Both our organizations believe that cultural exchange creates meaningful connection and understanding across communities,” said Lisa Christy and Aki Nakanishi, Co-Chief Executive Officers at Portland Japanese Garden, “This partnership will help strengthen our longstanding relationship with Japan, so we can continue to offer an authentic space where people can experience beauty, serenity, and vibrancy of Japanese culture. We’re excited to celebrate our new friendship at the Rose Festival Parade in Portland and share that spirit of connection with the city we proudly call home.”  

Alaska has proudly served Portland since 1979, with more than 2,900 employees from Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and Hawaiian Airlines based in the city. This partnership reinforces the airline’s commitment to the city and its communities, leveraging a shared vision of fostering understanding, connection and well-being through the creation of thoughtful experiences. 

For more information, please visit https://japanesegarden.org/.

Visual Assets

Images can be found in this Dropbox folder. The photographer’s name is in the file name. Please stylize the credit as “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden, photo by [fill in name].” If no photographer is listed, “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden” will suffice.

Media Contact

Media Relations
newsroom@alaskaair.com    

Portland Japanese Garden
Megumi Kato, Senior Director of Brand and Innovation 
(503) 542-0288 (office) 
mkato@japanesegarden.org  

About Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon  

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a global airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our guests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and Europe. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com. Alaska and Hawaiian are members of the oneworld alliance. Members of our Atmos Rewards loyalty program can earn and redeem points with oneworld airlines and our additional global partners that serve over 1,000 worldwide destinations. Learn more about what’s happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as “ALK.”  

About Portland Japanese Garden 

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America. Portland Japanese Garden has a mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace. 

The post Alaska Airlines and Portland Japanese Garden Announce Multi-Year Partnership appeared first on Portland Japanese Garden.

Captivating Woodblock Prints from Artists Based in Portland, Japan, and Across the U.S.

Portland, ORE., United States—March 5, 2026—Portland Japanese Garden is excited to announce its first new art exhibition of 2026: Enduring Impressions: Contemporary Woodblock Prints. Opening Saturday, March 7 and running through Monday, June 15, this exhibition reveals how the centuries-old tradition of mokuhanga,Japanese-style woodblock printmaking, is experiencing a contemporary revival as artists around the world use the artform’s quiet power and unique characteristics to create captivating works of art. 

Mokuhanga has been embraced as an environmentally friendly art form that traditionally uses wood, water-based pigments, and paper made from plant fibers. The exhibition’s featured artists are among the growing international movement where meticulously crafted art prints incorporating these traditional tools and techniques are complemented by alternative printmaking technologies and strategies for contemporary expression. Across the galleries at Portland Japanese Garden, Enduring Impressions presents an eclectic range of contemporary prints, alongside a behind-the-scenes look at the process, history and future of this iconic art form.

This exhibition marks the Garden’s first collaboration with the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA) and is co-curated by Stephen Salel, the Museum’s Robert F. Lange Curator of Japanese Art. In the Garden’s Pavilion Gallery, six of the original artists who participated in HoMA’s 2025 iteration of this exhibition will be featured. Joining them will be Portland-based illustrator and printmaker,Aya Morton, whose mokuhanga-inspired prints merge silkscreen with relief printing processes to produce beautifully rendered scenes of the Pacific Northwest.

Meanwhile, the Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery will offer a glimpse at the diverse accomplishments of this printmaking tradition through the remarkable work of two pivotal artists: Kawase Hasui (1883-1957), one of Japan’s most iconic artists of the 20^th century, and Portland-born Richard Diebenkorn (1922–1993), a prominent American Abstract Expressionist.  Though visually distinct, their prints are nonetheless linked across time and space by the meticulous collaborative craftsmanship and expert-driven processes at the heart of traditional mokuhanga. 

Major support has been provided by Jordan Schnitzer and The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, and Oregon Arts Commission. Additional support has been provided by the Robert F. Lange Foundation. The Tanabe Gallery portion of Enduring Impressions was made possible through support from The Lavenberg Collection of Japanese Prints and The Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation.

Event Information

Enduring Impressions: Contemporary Woodblock Prints
3/7/2026 – 06/15/2026
Portland Japanese Garden
611 SW Kingston Ave. Portland, OR 97205
(503) 223-1321 (main)
Cost: Included with Daily Admission
Hours & Admission found here

Visual Assets

Images can be found in this Dropbox folder. A document is included providing credit information.

Media Contact

Will Lerner, Marketing and Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351 (office)
wlerner@japanesegarden.org

About Portland Japanese Garden  

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America. 

About Japan Institute

Japan Institute was established in 2020 as a global cultural initiative of Portland Japanese Garden. This sibling organization is the programmatic arm of Portland Japanese Garden, allowing us to share and expand our cultural programs more broadly around the world, deepen international partnerships, and continue to engage diverse people in shared experiences and conversations about peace, beauty, and connection of nature.

Portland Japanese Garden & Japan Institute share the mission: Inspiring Harmony and Peace.

The post Portland Japanese Garden to Debut First New Art Exhibition of 2026 appeared first on Portland Japanese Garden.

Lisa Christy and Aki Nakanishi Bring Decades of Expertise into Joint Leadership of Beloved Non-Profit Organization

Portland, ORE., United States—January 16 2026—Lisa Christy, Executive Director of Portland Japanese Garden, and Aki Nakanishi, Director of Japan Institute and the Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education for Portland Japanese Garden have been named Co-CEOs of Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute, the organization’s Board of Trustees announced today. Together, they will oversee a nonprofit public garden and cultural organization that has been hailed as the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and one of North America’s preeminent Japanese cultural organizations.

In their Co-CEO roles, Christy will oversee the Garden’s administrative and operational functions, including guest experience, finance, and organizational management. Nakanishi will lead programmatic and cultural oversight, guiding the Garden’s educational, and cultural initiatives and stewarding its Japanese and bi-cultural integrity. The leaders will work together on fundraising and mapping out the strategic vision for the organization. This innovative leadership model is fitting for a bi-cultural organization such as Portland Japanese Garden and was specifically tailored based on the significant, unique, and complementary experiences of Christy and Nakanishi.

Lisa Christy spent 15 years in business working in advertising – including at the prestigious agency Wieden+Kennedy. She joined the Garden in 2014 as Director of Marketing & Communications. She later served as Chief External Affairs Officer and then Executive Director before being appointed Co-CEO in 2026. Throughout her tenure, Christy has helped define how Portland Japanese Garden serves its community. She led a sevenfold expansion of the External Affairs division, oversaw a comprehensive rebrand, and directed the communications strategy for the Cultural Village opening, earning national and international recognition. Christy built the Garden’s guest experience strategy, expanded community access and engagement programs, and helped drive record-setting membership and attendance year after year. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Travel Portland.

Aki Nakanishi joined Portland Japanese Garden in 2018 as the Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education and also served as Director of Japan Institute, the Garden’s cultural and programmatic arm. Prior to these roles, he spent ten years at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, where he led cultural initiatives advancing U.S.–Japan relations while also founding a nonprofit organization dedicated to regional revitalization and youth empowerment. During his tenure at the Garden, Nakanishi has overseen more than 1,000 programs, including exhibitions of traditional and contemporary artists and craftspeople, seasonal festivals, culinary initiatives, cultural demonstrations, workshops, forums, and lectures. Through this work, he has helped strengthen the Garden’s reputation as a leading international center for cultural exchange, deepening public understanding of the reciprocal cultural ties between the U.S. and Japan. Nakanishi is currently a PhD candidate at University of Cambridge, conducting his research focusing on medieval Japan.

“We are incredibly excited for Lisa and Aki to take Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute forward,” shares Paul Schommer, President of the Board of Trustees. “The two of them have been instrumental in helping the organization maintain much-needed stability during a time that has been demanding for cultural institutions across the nation. Beyond their steady hand, both Lisa and Aki have impressive professional backgrounds, a profound knowledge of the Garden and an exciting vision for its future, unmatched strategic thinking, and empathetic insight that complement each other perfectly. We have the utmost confidence in their vision for the organization and know their work will help the Garden and Institute continue to uplift our beloved city of Portland through nature, the arts, and cross-cultural understanding.”

“We are both deeply grateful to the Board of Trustees for this vote of confidence,” Christy and Nakanishi shared in a joint statement. “Through our years at Portland Japanese Garden, we have seen firsthand the profound importance this organization has to the City of Portland and our community, in addition to fostering strong U.S.-Japan relations. As leaders of a bi-cultural organization, we are honored to bring our complementary experiences and strengths to build on the good work of those who came before us. We’re fortunate to have a strong Board and look forward to working with them as well as our exceptional staff, passionate volunteers, dedicated members, and generous donors to help carry forward our important mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace.”

Visual Assets

Photos of Lisa Christy and Aki Nakanishi can be found here. “Best of photos” can be found here. The photographer name is in the file name. If no name is present, please simply credit Portland Japanese Garden.

Media Contact

Will Lerner
Marketing and Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351 (office)
wlerner@japanesegarden.org

About Portland Japanese Garden  

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America.

About Japan Institute

Japan Institute was established in 2020 as a global cultural initiative of Portland Japanese Garden. This sibling organization is the programmatic arm of Portland Japanese Garden, allowing us to share and expand our cultural programs more broadly around the world, deepen international partnerships, and continue to engage diverse people in shared experiences and conversations about peace, beauty, and connection of nature. Portland Japanese Garden & Japan Institute share the mission: Inspiring Harmony and Peace.

The post Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute Name New Co-CEOs appeared first on Portland Japanese Garden.

PORTLAND, Ore., United States—September 22, 2025—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.

Designing Nature will be shown throughout the Garden:

Pavilion Gallery to Feature Work of Internationally-Renowned Artists

Designing Nature will feature beautiful and captivating art from a range of artists based in locations throughout the world. This includes a large-scale waterfall painting of famed contemporary nihonga painter Hiroshi Senju, a bamboo sculpture from Tanabe Chikuunsai IV and acclaimed artist Honda Syoryu from the collection of Peter Shinbach, a selection of suiseki (landscape scene stones) from the collection of Andrew and Jeffrey Robson, and scale miniatures of Portland Japanese Garden by local model maker Aimee Eng.

Four Prominent Gardens of Japan Presented in the Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery

Travel to Japan through a curated selection of photographs from four prominent public gardens: Kairaku-en, Kenroku-en, Koraku-en, and Ritsurin Garden in the Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery. Members and visitors are also invited to learn more about the rich history and traditions of garden design from a selection of books in our Vollum Library, located on the Learning Center’s second floor.  

Stunning Images of Portland Japanese Garden Exhibited in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Art Learning Center

Photographer Stu Levy has been a neighbor of the Garden for over 50 years and has captured its timeless beauty through his black and white images of scenes that echo across the years. From flowing water to mist in the trees, these images evoke meditative moments through a unique perspective. 

Contemporary Bamboo Art in the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner

From October 18 through November 17, Cross Currents will be on display in the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner. Crafted by Portland-based bamboo artist Anne Crumpacker, Cross Currents showcases her innovative crosscut bamboo technique through this installation of interwoven panels that evoke a meditative landscape. 

Portland Japanese Garden would like to thank The Miller Foundation and Toshiba International Foundation for their support of arts and culture programming.

Event Information

Designing Nature: Elements of Harmony
September 27, 2025 – February 23, 2026
Portland Japanese Garden
611 SW Kingston Ave. Portland, OR 97205
(503) 223-1321 (main)
Cost: Included with Daily Admission
Hours & Admission found here

Visual Assets

Images can be found in this Dropbox folder. The photographer’s name is in the file name. Please stylize the credit as “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden, photo by [fill in name].” If no photographer is listed, “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden” will suffice.

Media Contact

Will Lerner, Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351 (office)
wlerner@japanesegarden.org

About Portland Japanese Garden  

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America. 

About Japan Institute

Japan Institute was established in 2020 as a global cultural initiative of Portland Japanese Garden. This sibling organization is the programmatic arm of Portland Japanese Garden, allowing us to share and expand our cultural programs more broadly around the world, deepen international partnerships, and continue to engage diverse people in shared experiences and conversations about peace, beauty, and connection of nature.

Portland Japanese Garden & Japan Institute share the mission: Inspiring Harmony and Peace.

The post Portland Japanese Garden’s Final Exhibition of 2025 Explores History and Artistry of Japanese Gardens appeared first on Portland Japanese Garden.

PORTLAND, Ore. – June 16, 2025 – Behind the Shoji, opening Saturday, 6/21 and running through Monday, 9/1, in Portland Japanese Garden’s Pavilion Gallery, is one of the Garden’s most beloved summer traditions. An annual show and sale of Japanese and Japanese-inspired wares, visitors can peruse and purchase from a variety of curated items often unavailable short of a visit to Japan itself. What makes this elevated and distinctive shopping experience stand out is the level of care and the miles traveled that go into determining which items will be available.

This year we’re excited to be showcasing items that will bring the ingenuity and beauty of Japanese design to your home. Come by and peruse our stunning collection, featuring furniture, lighting, and décor. You’ll be able to pick items like the handsome tansu, as seen in this collection of photos. From Portland-based antique retailer Shogun’s Gallery, these tansu are handcrafted wooden chests made in Japan during the nation’s Meiji period (1868-1912) and are a charming way to store your most valued items.

Behind the Shoji headlines a summer filled with many exciting opportunities, including:

• Tanabata, the Star Festival on Sunday, 7/6 | One of the five seasonal festivals celebrated in Japan since the eighth century, the Star Festival at Portland Japanese Garden will feature musical performances, storytelling of the Tanabata folk legend, and wish writing, in which visitors can write a wish and add it to the colorful display of tanzaku (wish strips) on bamboo in the Garden’s Crumpacker Bamboo Allee.
• Natural Patterns: Katazome Stencil Dyeing | Katazome is a method of using exquisitely cut paper stencils and resist paste to dye fabrics. Today, katazome-created designs can be stand-alone art pieces, or are often found on noren curtains, futon covers, and furoshiki gift wraps. Local Oregon artist, Karen Illman Miller, has practiced katazome for the past 30 years, infusing her designs with inspiration from the natural world and drawing from her background as a marine biologist. The Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery is hosting Miller’s extraordinary art through September 15.
• Beat the Heat of Summer | Situated at a higher elevation that much of its home city, Portland Japanese Garden is a great way to get outside and stay cooler than in other parts of the area. With shaded paths, bubbling streams, and frolicking koi, the Garden is the perfect place to get some time in nature away from higher temperatures.

More Information

Hours

• 10:00am-5:30pm (last entry at 5:30pm) | Wednesday – Monday, closed Tuesdays 
  • Behind the Shoji is open during Garden hours and is included with paid admission.
  • Tickets to the Garden can be purchased at tickets.japanesegarden.org 
• The event page for Behind the Shoji can be found here 

Admission

• Adult: $22.50
• Senior (65+): $19.50
• Student (with ID): $18.50
• Youth (6-17): $16.50
• Child (5 and under): Free
• Members: Free

Visual Assets 

Images can be found in this Dropbox folder. Photographer name is in the file name. Please stylize the credit as “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden, photo by [fill in name].”  If no photographer is listed, “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden” will suffice.

Media Contact 

Will Lerner, Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351 
wlerner@japanesegarden.org  

About Portland Japanese Garden   

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America. 

The post Authentic Japanese Wares Featured at Portland Japanese Garden’s Behind the Shoji Summer Marketplace appeared first on Portland Japanese Garden.

PORTLAND, Ore., United States—March 31, 2025—Families in search of activities and things to do during spring break should plan a visit to Portland, Oregon! Renowned for its immediate access to nature and vibrant culinary scene, Portland is also home to some of the nation’s best arts and culture institutions, including Portland Japanese Garden. The New York Times recently recommended the Garden as a spring break destination for parents, highlighting our “expansive city views and programming for families.” They also suggested taking a “tea and mochi break at [the] Umami Café.”

Portland Japanese Garden was founded more than 60 years ago when Portland civic leaders transformed the abandoned remains of an old zoo into an urban oasis. Opened to the public in 1967, the Garden has helped repair ties between Portland and Japan as well as provide Portlanders and visitors to the area a place to experience inner peace. Proclaimed as the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan, Portland Japanese Garden is also North America’s foremost Japanese cultural organization and provides a bevy of programming and events for all ages to enjoy.

The spring, Portland Japanese Garden is thrilled to share it is implementing new elements to the visitor experience specifically geared toward parents, including:

• Family Studio. This is a perfect space for visitors of all ages that invites families to sit down, pick an activity, and linger during their visit to the Garden on weekends.
• Tea and Light Bites from the Umami Café. Floating above a hillside like a treehouse, the Umami Café offers green teas and light bites both savory and sweet. Previously reservation-only, now all guests are welcome to come in, take a seat, or grab things to go for their Garden stroll.

Then there is the everlasting beauty of Portland Japanese Garden. Replete with meandering pathways, streams and waterfalls, and contemplative raked gravel gardens, spring is when some of the Garden’s most cherished flowers bloom including its cherry blossoms, azaleas, and rhododendrons.

Hours and Admission

• Hours: 10:00am – 5:30pm; Wednesday – Monday (closed Tuesdays)
• Adult admission (effective 4/1): $22.50
• Tickets can be purchased at tickets.japanesegarden.org

Visual Assets

Images can be found in this Dropbox folder. Photographer name is in the file name. Please stylize the credit as “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden, photo by [fill in name].” If no photographer name is included, “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden” will suffice.

Media Contact

Will Lerner
Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351 (desk)
wlerner@japanesegarden.org

About Portland Japanese Garden

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America.

The post Portland Japanese Garden Offers Excellent Spring Break Outing for Families Seeking Time in Nature and Cultural Immersion appeared first on Portland Japanese Garden.

PORTLAND, Ore., United States—February 3, 2025—Portland Japanese Garden is excited to present its first new art exhibition of 2025 with Earthen Elegance: The Ceramic Art of Bizen. Opening Saturday, February 8 and running through June 9 in the Pavilion Gallery, this exhibition celebrates contemporary ceramic art and vessels that preserve a time-honored collaboration of earth, fire, and the artist’s hand. Among the works are pieces by famous Bizen ceramicists, including Jun Isezaki, a Living National Treasure of Japan, and by Ryūichi Kakurezaki, one of Japan most innovative contemporary sculptors.

The city of Bizen is a ceramic center that has continued its unique form of pottery for over 900 years. Notable for their rustic, textured, and unglazed forms, the works featured in Earthen Elegance reveal the breadth of techniques that define Bizen pottery. Silken clay, dredged from the earth that sustains rice paddies, is combined with grittier clay pulled from mountainous surroundings. It is then expertly transformed through the process of firing in wood-fueled kilns. The resulting ceramics speak to humankind’s coexistence with nature.

Earthen Elegance features art on loan from the Collection of David Sneider and Naomi Pollock. Sneider, an international lawyer, and Pollock, an architect and author, lived and worked in Japan for 30 years. Deeply moved by the artistry and craftsmanship of Japanese pottery, they assembled an extensive collection which spans the full horizon of contemporary Japanese ceramics.  Within Bizen ceramics, they marvel at how a particularly large number of innovative artists are applying local materials and time-honored techniques to create work that respects tradition and yet is truly modern.  

Contemporary Bizen’s reverence for tradition, attention to their raw materials, and adherence to aesthetic simplicity informed by nature provides the ideal complement to the curated scenery at Portland Japanese Garden.

Event Information

Earthen Elegance: The Ceramic Art of Bizen
February 8 – June 9, 2025
Pavillion Gallery, Portland Japanese Garden
611 SW Kingston Ave. Portland, OR 97205
(503) 223-1321 (main)
Cost: Included with Daily Admission
Hours & Admission found here

Visual Assets

Images can be found in this Dropbox folder. The photographer’s name is in the file name. Please stylize the credit as “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden, photo by [fill in name].” If no photographer is listed, “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden” will suffice. Images of the exhibition will be included when available.

Media Contact

Will Lerner, Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351 (office)
wlerner@japanesegarden.org

About Portland Japanese Garden  

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America. 

About Japan Institute

Japan Institute was established in 2020 as a global cultural initiative of Portland Japanese Garden. This sibling organization is the programmatic arm of Portland Japanese Garden, allowing us to share and expand our cultural programs more broadly around the world, deepen international partnerships, and continue to engage diverse people in shared experiences and conversations about peace, beauty, and connection of nature.

Portland Japanese Garden & Japan Institute share the mission: Inspiring Harmony & Peace.

The post First Art Exhibition of 2025 at Portland Japanese Garden Features Contemporary Bizen Ceramics Based on 900-Year Tradition appeared first on Portland Japanese Garden.

PORTLAND, Ore., United States—January 20, 2025—On Sunday, January 19, Oregon State Representative Mari Watanabe (Washington County) was sworn in by Justice Aruna Masih of the Oregon Supreme Court to fill a vacant seat for House District 34 in front of crowd of family, friends, colleagues, and admirers at Portland Japanese Garden. Watanabe, who serves on the Garden’s Board of Trustees, is the granddaughter of Japanese immigrants and has been a Portland resident since 2000. Her appointment, certified by Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read at the ceremony, makes her the first Japanese American woman to serve in the Oregon legislature, a body that held its first regular session in 1860.

Watanabe had been unanimously voted to the role by a joint session of the Multnomah County and Washington County Boards of Commissioners on Wednesday, January 15. The seat became vacant when Senator Lisa Reynolds, MD (Portland) had been selected to fill a vacancy for Senate District 17, a district previously represented by Oregon Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner, MD.

In 2008, Watanabe was named the first Executive Director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon. In 2023, she retired after 11 years of serving as Executive Director for Partners in Diversity, an organization that helps employers build and strengthen diverse workforces. She has won numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oregon Commission for Women in 2023. In 2011, Watanabe was chosen by the U.S.-Japan Council to be among a 13-person delegation of Japanese Americans to help strengthen transpacific relations between the two nations.

“I want to thank Portland Japanese Garden and Lisa Christy, its Executive Director,” Watanabe shared in her remarks. “You and your staff are incredible. I am so grateful—this is the perfect place for me to be sworn in, in my opinion. …I am so proud to be the first Japanese American woman in the state legislature. I am a third generation Japanese American whose ancestors have been in America for over 120 years. This is historic.”

Lisa Christy, Executive Director for Portland Japanese Garden, remarks:

“Portland Japanese Garden is deeply honored to have been the site of Representative Mari Watanabe’s swearing-in ceremony. Mari joined our organization’s Board of Trustees in May of 2024 and has quickly made a positive impact through her experience in nonprofit leadership, passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and her intelligence and empathy. She brings an important voice, connection to heritage, and valuable perspective that is crucial to the identity of Portland Japanese Garden.”

“The Garden was founded in 1963 in a city still reeling from the cruel and illegal treatment of its Japanese and Japanese American community members during World War II. Our organization, catalyzed into existence by a fervent desire for cross-cultural understanding, has become a community treasure in large part due to the leadership and dedication of those in Portland’s Japanese American community. The Garden is thrilled for these same neighbors, friends, and advocates to see Representative Watanabe make history by becoming the first woman of Japanese ancestry to join the Oregon state legislature. We look forward to continuing to partner with her as we pursue our mission of Inspiring Harmony and Peace.”

Digital Assets

Photos available here. A document providing context for each photo within. Credit: “Photo by Portland Japanese Garden.”

Media Contact

Will Lerner
Communications Manager, Portland Japanese Garden
(503) 542-9351 (office)
wlerner@japanesegarden.org

About Portland Japanese Garden 

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America. The mission of Portland Japanese Garden is Inspiring Harmony and Peace.

The post Oregon State Representative Mari Watanabe Sworn into Office at Portland Japanese Garden, Becomes First Japanese American Woman to Join Oregon Legislature appeared first on Portland Japanese Garden.

PORTLAND, Ore., United States—November 18, 2024—This year has been a tumultuous one, where the stresses of everyday life sometimes became too strongly felt. Perhaps an important person in your life has been feeling anxiety or unrest more sharply than in years past. As you consider the presents you’ll be giving this holiday season, we encourage purchasing those you love a gift membership to Portland Japanese Garden to give them a space to find peace and connect with nature.  Portland Japanese Garden stands as a crown jewel of its home city and because it is in perpetual evolution, it is best enjoyed through multiple visits, something its members can attest to.

There is a growing amount of research that indicates that time spent in nature has a positive impact on physical and mental health. In the heart of a Pacific Northwest forest, alongside meandering streams and amid cool breezes, a stroll through Portland Japanese Garden relieves the pressures of everyday life. Even better, members can visit in the morning before the public arrives, allowing for a calmer forest bathing experience.  The nonprofit organization is also often referenced as “more than a garden.” Beyond the beauty and serenity of its spaces, the Garden is a cultural institution that offers festival celebrations, workshops in traditional Japanese creative endeavors and art exhibitions. Members of the Garden receive exclusive access to these culturally immersive opportunities that draw us together in a time of increased division. 

For many of its members, Portland Japanese Garden has become a second home — a comforting part of the city to frequent and a highlight on the itinerary of visiting friends and family. Aside from being able to enjoy the transformation of the seasons in Portland’s most beautiful urban oasis, members to the Garden enjoy unlimited free admission, daily member-only hours, enchanting art exhibitions, early access to register for hands-on workshops, and discounts to our Gift Shop. All of the benefits of a membership to Portland Japanese Garden can be found here.

Visual Assets

Images can be found in this Dropbox folder. Photographer name is in the file name. Please stylize the credit as “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden, photo by [fill in name].” If no photographer is listed, “Courtesy of Portland Japanese Garden” will suffice.

Media Contact

Will Lerner (he/him)
Communications Manager
(503) 542-9351 (office)
wlerner@japanesegarden.org

About Portland Japanese Garden 

Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America.

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