Travel Tuesday: Visiting the Portland Japanese Garden

The Portland Japanese Garden finished a more then $30 million dollar expansion that now includes a Cultural Crossing Village, “castle” wall, and the new Umami cafe offering Japanese tea and snacks. Located in the West Hills of Portland, you can easily combine a visit to the Japanese Garden ($14.95 admission) with a visit to the free International Rose Test Garden as well. Parking is extremely limited and the best bet is to take public transit via the Red or Blue line MAX train to the Washington Park stop (aka, the Zoo) and then take a free Explore Washington Park shuttle to both gardens.

Here’s a little Travel Tuesday Portland Japanese Garden photo trip to give you a glimpse of what a visit could include.

Visiting the Portland Japanese Garden

The new Cultural Crossing Village that can now offer more events such as tea presentations or sake tastings or other cultural demonstrations. This new area is listed as Tsubo Niwa on the map, which means Courtyard Garden.

  

Also in this area is the Ellie M Hill Bonsai Terrace, which is almost a little hidden away before the garden entrance gates. My recommended plan is to save the Bonsai Terrace for your way back, after you put your name into the Umami Cafe to have some tea as there will probably be a wait at this small cafe, and so while you are waiting visit the Bonsai Terrace then. So go ahead and head now past the Cultural Crossing Village which was built in an area right before the original gates that you used to enter into the Japanese Gardens.

If you go straight/slightly to the left, you will approach the Flat Garden and Pavilion Gallery. Don’t miss also walking along the back of the Pavilion Gallery for a look at the city and Mt Hood if the sky is clear.

During our visit the Pavilion Gallery was showcasing some kabuki costumes until September 3. Below you see the costume of the characters from Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo, a play that debuted in Edo in 1713. Hige no Ikyu is a wealthy and powerful samurai wooing the beautiful courtesan Agemaki, though she prefers another despite Ikyu’s decadance and money. Hige no Ikyu’s jacket and kimono has grids with dragons, tigers, and turtles, symbols of his power and high position. The first ceremonial robe you see here is from Agemaki, one of five different costumes she wears during the play, each decorated with symbols of the five seasonal festivals. This one is for the Hina Matsuri Doll Festival in March with huge cherry blossoms.

Here is another grand costume from Shibaraku, this is the costume for the character Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa, with a billowing out robe symbolizing his superhuman powers to triumph over evil with one swipe of his giant sword. The wide sleeved robe is emblazoned with a white square within a square pattern that is the family crest of actor Ichikawa Danjuro.

Afterwards, I like to head down and do a counter clock wise circle by heading to the right and visit the Strolling Pond Gardens. I cross the Moon Bridge from above by the Upper Pond with its crane sculptures which sometimes also are visited by real cranes.

Then take the pathway down towards the Tea Garden. This will give you a nice view of the Moon Bridge from the side on your way. A lot of people take a photo from standing on the Moon Bridge with the Upper Pond as a background, but you can also have someone finish crossing the bridge and take a quick left to take this shot from below.

The Tea Garden is small, with a rocky path that leads through simple gates and seems to echo the flow of water but with rocks.

Follow the path out towards the pond with mini waterfall and koi fish, they have so many and they are huge and such beautiful markings…

and then the to the Lower Pond with the waterfall, to complete your visit to the Strolling Pond Gardens portion of the Portland Japanese Gardens.

Next, journey through the small intimate pathways that zig and zag through the Natural Garden with lots of small hidden seatings in the shade. The narrow pathways with many curving steps slow down your walking so force you to stop and consider the details around you. A small creek with a few ponds provide moments of reflection while the shady trees provide interesting shadows.

The Sand and Stone Garden always seems to be a transition back to the courtyard and open spaces now that you’ve walked most of the Portland Japanese Garden with its open space after those paths. The way the rocks are facing and seem to be heading towards the center like children to a mother feel like a call for returning home.

Umami Cafe

Finish up after your wait to get in at Umami Cafe with a Tea Set. There are a few individual snacks and other beverages you can also order. We went with the

• Matcha with Mochi Ice Cream Set with a bowl of hand whisked matcha paired with premium chocolate ice cream wrapped in sweet rice dough
• Genmaicha with Manju set with Genmaicha tea with its roasted rice and earthy flavor partnered with manju with bean paste’s nutty flavors
• Hojicha with Anpan set, a pastry with flavored red bean paste that highlights the aromatic sweetness of Hojicha tea, which is a roasted green tea

Have you been to any Japanese Garden yet, what did you like? Have you been to the Portland Japanese Garden, and if so was it before or since the update and expansion?