Portland, Oregon

The lower entrance features a 100-year-old authentic temple gate, a 1976 gift of the Japanese Ancestral Society of Oregon. It is located at far end of the parking lot at the base of the hill. It was shipped from Japan and, after sitting in boxes for years, finally reassembled in 1976. Most visitors make the short but steep hike on the 500-ft. footpath to the main entrance at the top.

The Stag lantern in the Flat Garden. This is a classic pedestal lantern named after the Kasuga shrine where this type of lantern was first used. The design dates back to the 8th century.

The stone well in the Outer Tea Garden. Notice the traditional pulley apparatus and the bamboo cover. The pulley would have been used to haul water from the well, to be used for the tea ceremony.

Gate between the inner and outer section of the Tea Garden.

A Japanese garden seeks to realize a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquillity and to experience the feeling of being a part of nature. Three of the essential elements used to create the garden are stone, the "bones" of the landscape; water, the life-giving force; and plants, the tapestry of the four seasons. Japanese garden designers feel that good stone composition is one of the most important elements in creating a well-designed garden. Japanese gardens are asymmetrical in design and reflect nature in idealized form. Traditionally, human scale is maintained throughout so that one always feels part of the environment and not overpowered by it.