April 13, 2024
Written By: J.Couch
We had a free day to wander around Portland to see what was out there. In all the years living and growing up in the Portland area I have never been to the Portland Japanese Gardens up near the zoo in Washington park. We decided that today would be a good day to go up there and check it out. It was supposed to clear up and be a nice day but, in the end, it stayed mostly cloudy and cool. At least it was not raining.
We got to the gardens and found that this area can be very crowded and there is not a lot of room to park. We ended up getting very lucky and found a parking spot in the parking lot at the gardens. Which is not a very big lot and odds of getting something here can be challenging. Make sure that you remember to pay for parking. We got our tickets and took the short walk up the hill to the main part of the gardens that is called the Cultural Village. This is where the tea house, gift shop and bathrooms are located. From there you enter into the gardens and can spread out a little from the crowds of people that were exploring too.
They have a few loops that you can wander around, looking at all the trees, plants, water features and the toro. These are the stone lanterns that you will find around the gardens. These lanterns are traditional Japanese garden elements that symbolize enlightenment and are often used for lighting pathways or highlighting specific areas within the garden. It did not look like these were able to light up but maybe at times they did.
As you wander around this garden you will find a quiet, peaceful setting that gets you closer to nature and art. In the flat gardens section of the gardens, the pavilion gallery has an exhibit of Japanese photographers from the sister city of Sapporo, which is located on the northernmost island of Hokkaido. The front side of this gallery looks out across a very well-groomed rock garden with trees and bushes. It’s very relaxing and tranquil. If you enter the gallery from here and once you are finished viewing the photography, exit to the back you will be presented with a beautiful view of downtown Portland with Mount Hood in the background.
Today Mount Hood blended in with the gray skies and clouds making it hard to see in photos. On a clear sunny day this would be a great spot for iconic photos of the city and the Cascade mountains in the background. From there you can walk back around to the side of the pavilion to catch the loop around these flat gardens area. You can take many paths from here. You can go down to the Natural Garden or the Sand and Stone Garden. Both are worth checking out but this area you have to walk back down a way and then come back upstairs to the flat gardens area. You can also head towards the back of the gardens to the Strolling Pond Garden. Make sure you check out the Heavenly Falls and all the koi fish swimming around near the Zig Zag Bridge.
Over by the Tea Garden the moon bridge is a great place to get memorable photos. From there the path takes you back up towards the Nezu Gate where you enter the gardens.
It’s a beautiful place to visit and a great place to get some awesome pictures. It’s a peaceful and serene walk through the woods and well worth the time to check it out. We are glad that we explored that area.
Thanks for wandering with us,
The Wandering Couchs
