(Portland, Ore.) – Portland Japanese Garden will reopen to the public June 11, the first of the cultural organizations in Portland to do so. According to Garden leaders, reopening could not come at a more important time.
Founded shortly after the end of World War II, the organization is dedicated to ideals of peace and cultural understanding. “We were established specifically to cultivate inner peace as well as peace between peoples and cultures” said CEO, Steve Bloom. “Between the coronavirus, the economy, and the heightened awareness around pervasive racial injustice, there are a lot of personal and social challenges everyone is working through. We stand with Black Lives Matter because we recognize that people of color have borne a disproportionate share of these hardships and we reaffirm our organization’s values of inclusivity, anti-racism, and cultural understanding. We stand as a place where every single person in our community is welcome and our role is to be a place where anyone can come to center, reset, and heal.” A more detailed Black Lives Matter statement from the organization is forthcoming.
Using guidelines for outdoor recreation areas issued by federal and state health authorities, Portland Japanese Garden leadership says it is ready to reopen in a way that follows best practices for guest and employee safety. Among the new safety adjustments are timed entry admissions, one-way routes through the Garden, and limiting the number of people in spaces.
The Garden closed to the public March 19 just before Governor Kate Brown issued stay-at-home orders. Since then, the nonprofit organization temporarily laid off nearly 90% of its staff while they were unable to earn revenue from ticket sales. Through the closure, they continued to post “One Minute of Serenity” videos as a way to share some much needed calm during an uneasy time. Now with the reopening, the Garden hopes that those who are able to leave home will come back to the Garden early and often to support and sustain it. “Portland is an incredible city and places like Portland Japanese Garden are what make it so special” says Bloom. “We are here for the community and because of the community. It’s community support that makes our existence possible.”
Portland Japanese Garden will welcome back members on Wednesday, June 10 and the general public on Thursday, June 11.
Details about Visiting
- Member Hours: 8:00am-10:00am Tuesday-Sunday
- Public Hours: 10:00am-7:00pm Tuesday-Sunday, 12:00pm-7:00pm Mondays
- Adult Admission: $18.95
- For information on returning to Portland Japanese Garden, visit: japanesegarden.org/reopening.
- To reserve a time & purchase a ticket, visit: tickets.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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