Portland Japanese Garden - Frequently Asked Questions

Have an unanswered question? Reach us through the contact information page.

Planning a Visit

When is the best time of year to visit?

Any time of year is a good time to visit the Portland Japanese Garden. Japanese gardens are created with imagination and designed to display nature's beauty in all seasons.

Spring is the time for fresh greenery and subtle blossoms. Cherry blossoms appear briefly in late February, while late spring flowers include azalea, camellia, and wisteria.

Summer's sunlit shades of green yield an unbroken, calming visual experience.

The vibrant colors of fall make autumn a popular visiting time. Autumn is a celebration of nature's gift of life in the past year, and a transition to the peacefulness of winter.

Winter reveals the pure essence of the garden, when all has been stripped away to expose its fundamental structure, spirit, and quiet beauty.

How much time should I allow to visit the Garden?

Depending on your pace, it usually takes most visitors 45 minutes to one hour to tour all five gardens within the Portland Japanese Garden. The Garden is also a place to linger, reflect, and meditate, so we encourage you to take your time and enjoy.

How do I get to the Garden?

There are routes by both public transportation and car. Please visit our directions page for more information.

May I have a wedding, commitment ceremony or reception at the Garden?

To protect the Garden's tranquility, authenticity, and environment, we do not allow weddings, commitment ceremonies, or receptions at the Garden. We refer those interested in a garden setting to the Lan Su Chinese Garden.

May I bring my pet if it's on a leash or if I'm carrying it?

Only trained animals assisting people with disabilities are allowed in the Garden. It is required to show appropriate service animal papers to admission staff before entry.

May I bring a picnic?

No food or drink (except water) is allowed in the Garden. There are picnic areas nearby in Washington Park.

Do you serve food or tea?

No food or drink is served in the Garden. Drinking fountains are available. There are nearby concession stands in Washington Park.

Our teahouse is a traditional part of the Japanese tea ceremony, used for demonstrations and special occasions. It is not a restaurant.

What are your photography policies?

All photographers, whether amateur or professional, must protect the Garden environment. Portrait and wedding photography are not allowed at the Garden. Please see our photography policy.

Are there any free days or events?

Every year, at least one day is designated as Free Admission Day. The date of this free day varies per year. Please check our calendar of events for updates.

The Portland Japanese Garden offers a full calendar of events every year, including traditional festivals, ikebana exhibits, art shows, and workshops. Please note that some events are included with admission to the Garden, while for others there is a small fee. Members receive significant discounts to events with a fee—please see the membership page for a list of the many benefits of membership and to become a member.

When are your tours? Do I need a reservation?

We offer public tours three times a day during summer. These tours are offered at no additional charge with paid admission, no reservations required. See details about public tours on the visitor information page.

Group rates for private tours and school groups are available with a reservation. Please see the tours page for more information.

How can I get a group rate?

We ask that groups of ten or more be arranged at least two weeks in advance. You can place a reservation from our web site, or call (503) 223-9233. Please see the tours page for more information. Group rate eligibility is determined by the Tour Coordinator.

May I rent the Garden's Pavilion for a personal event?

Pavilion rental is not available to the general public. We rent the Pavilion only to corporate members of the Portland Japanese Garden for off-site retreats or meetings. See details on Corporate Membership.

Why do you open at 12pm on Mondays and 10am the rest of the week?

The Garden receives its heaviest traffic on weekends. Each Monday morning, our gardeners require a full six hours to care for the Garden.

How is the Portland Japanese Garden different from the Chinese Garden?

Both are gardens in a historical style from East Asia, designed on principles of harmony and respect for nature. But the differences—in style and geography—are as noticeable as the similarities.

The Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland's Chinatown is an urban garden, fit for a scholar-poet in Ming dynasty China. It occupies one square city block, containing elaborate architecture, paved courtyards, and a central pond. Painterly compositions of rugged rock and exotic plant species are poetic and inspiring.

The Portland Japanese Garden evokes the surroundings of an estate in pre-modern Japan. It occupies over five acres of wooded land, surrounded by an additional five acres of protected forest. Its architectural features—including the Antique Gate, Pavilion, Tea House, Moonbridge, and Zig Zag Bridge—fit harmoniously into an outdoor garden setting that reveres the basic elements of nature: plants, stones, and water. Vistas, landscapes, and winding pathways are leisurely and meditative. Five traditional Japanese garden styles seamlessly unfold, from a very formal style into a rustic or natural style.

Our Organization

Is the Garden run by the City of Portland? Do you receive tax dollars to help with operations?

The Japanese Garden Society of Oregon is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. We rely on gate admissions, membership dues, and donations for our annual financial health. We do not receive city, county, state, or federal tax dollars. As a local not-for-profit organization, we are not financially supported by any entity in Japan.

How many Japanese gardens are there in the United States?

There are nearly 60 public Japanese gardens in the United States. Most are connected to city park systems or botanical garden societies. By contrast, our independent, not-for-profit organization is devoted solely to the Portland Japanese Garden and operates year-round through admissions, membership dues, and donations.

Who runs the Garden?

The Japanese Garden Society of Oregon's Board of Directors hire an Executive Director to operate the Garden. The Executive Director is supported by department heads as well as office, gift store, gardening, and gate staff. The number of employees is approximately 30.

How can I get a job at the Garden?

Applications for seasonal staff positions can be obtained at the admissions gate or can be downloaded from our employment page when positions are available.

Can I volunteer as a gardener?

Because maintaining a traditional Japanese garden requires great attention to detail, we currently work with just a small number of volunteers in our Horticultural Support Program. These volunteers trim off spent flowers (deadheading), clean the ground underneath azaleas, cut back ivy, skim waterways, remove weeds, and more. Please check the volunteer page for more information.

Gardening

Why doesn't the Garden post the names of plant material throughout the Garden?

This was not normally done in traditional Japanese gardens, which emphasize natural, abstract beauty. To minimize signage and to help those with an interest in horticulture, we offer an inexpensive guide to plant material.

How do you keep the Garden free of weeds?

Hand weeding is done regularly—it takes a lot of patience, good knees, and a good back!

How can I encourage moss to grow in my garden and on stones and artifacts?

Try growing moss with a moss spore package, available at many garden nurseries. To grow moss on stone, try first spraying or painting the area with a buttermilk solution. (Transplanting a patch of moss to a new surface is problematic, because each moss is best adapted to the surface where its spores choose to take root.)

Where does the Garden get the white sand used in the Flat Garden?

Originally, shirakawa sand from Japan was imported for use in the Garden. The rounded edges of this sand are ideal for holding raked patterns. However, Japan rarely exports this precious resource. Currently, the Garden uses sand from a source in Canada which nearly replicates the sand from Japan. Our supplier, Oregon Decorative Rock, now carries this in grades #3 and #4.

How do you rake the sand?

Our gardener plans the pattern in advance to leave no footprints. After weeding by hand, they use an aluminum landscape rake to smooth the surface flat. A second, custom-made rake is used to create wave patterns. Consisting of a heavy wooden block with triangular notches made about 3 inches apart, this specialized rake is not commonly available. Other gardeners often use only one rake—the aluminum style or traditional bamboo—to produce different effects.

Where can I find lanterns and other stone artifacts?

Many of the Garden's treasured old lanterns were handcrafted in Japan and generously donated. Granite, which can be rather expensive, is the preferred material because it will not crack in harsh, cold weather. Stone or concrete is a good substitute and can be found at nurseries or birdbath stores. Asian-style boutiques and stores are often a good place to find a lantern. Japanese gardeners highly value the appearance of age in garden artifacts, so they have developed unique methods to add age to a new lantern: for example, covering it with snail secretions or bird droppings, then keeping it dampened in the shade, so lichen and moss will take hold.

How can I create a Japanese Garden at home?

The basic purpose of a Japanese garden is to create tranquility and suggest universal harmony. This is achieved by using the basic elements of stone, water, and plants.

Stones give a garden its strength and endurance, sometimes symbolizing mountains and islands. A stone in its natural state has an ancient, spiritual quality. Water is the heart of a garden and connotes purity in Japanese culture. Consider constructing water features such as waterfalls, streams, or ponds. The "dry" water counterpart is sand, often raked in patterns. Plant material graces the Garden with subtle color and texture. Plants are chosen and cared for to fit a human scale, and often evoke familiar landscapes.

Other features to consider are walls, fences, and gates; paths, steps, and bridges; lanterns, water basins, the "deer chaser" and koi fish. Books on all these topics can be found at the Garden's Gift Store, including historical and expert texts.

Do you have a question to add? Email japanesegarden@japanesegarden.com