04/02/2017

— Portland Japanese Garden—

The Portland Japanese Garden, celebrated as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside Japan, will on April 2 open its $33.5M Cultural Village expansion. Designed by world renowned architect Kengo Kuma, who is also spearheading the National Stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Garden’s new Cultural Village will not only provide additional space to accommodate its rapid visitor growth, but also – and most importantly – enhance its ability to immerse visitors in traditional Japanese arts and culture.

Together with the Portland Japanese Garden’s Curator, third generation master garden craftsman Sadafumi Uchiyama, Kuma designed the new Cultural Village, his first public commission in the U.S., to honor the singular experience of each visitor and ensure the serenity is protected for future generations.

With this expansion, Kuma and Uchiyama reused and optimized existing land – adding 3.4 acres of usable space to the 9.1 acre property – to create an immersive, fluid journey from beginning to end. To better welcome visitors, the entrance to the Garden at Washington Park features a water garden with cascading ponds, introducing the transition from city to tranquility. To protect the peaceful environment, the Village emulates Japan’s monzenmachi, the gate-front towns that surround sacred shrines and temples.

New Gardens

While the existing Garden has stayed intact and unchanged, the Cultural Village expansion introduces three new gardens designed to demonstrate a wider array of Japanese garden styles and techniques, including:

• Entry garden with cascading ponds and a water terrace at the entry in Washington Park.
• Tsubo-niwa (tiny urban garden) in the Tateuchi Courtyard.
• Bonsai terrace.

The Bill de Weese Chabana Research Garden will grow flowers for tea ceremony, furthering the Garden’s education focus. A private space, the chabana garden is the first of its kind in North America.