Ultimate Japanese Garden Adventure

Last summer of 2017, I joined a couple of friends for a field trip to the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon. Those of us who were members of the bonsai club in our area were especially excited because we knew the gardens had recently undergone a major renovation/restoration project to expand the gardens into more land that had been allocated for expansion by the city.

This is going to be a long post, with many photos. You might want to save this post for later, as it will be more like a photo documentary, and not an ordinary steemit post you can breeze quickly through. Feel free to resteem this post, and you can find it easily on your blog feed later on.

Here in this post I will share some of the amazing sights we saw.

The Portland Japanese Garden is regarded as very authentic in the Japanese style of gardens, and is a favorite attraction for tourists and locals to visit. According to the former Ambassador of Japan to the United States, His Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga once proclaimed after his visit, it was "the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan."

According to their website, the gardens sit on twelve acres of land, and exhibits eight different garden styles. Each garden area casts light on a different focal element. As a visitor I often found myself experiencing pure thoughts and harmony with nature through unintentional meditation. To see beyond what you see, is an otherworldly phenomenon you can only experience in places like this one.

Is it a dog? A dragon? A lion? Or something more ancient time has forgotten?

The staff offices has a living green roof, covered in moss that grows in the full sun. The angles and materials used are very modern/clean in style. It fascinates me to see the clean lines of the walls blend into the warm wood panels, and into the soft, yet carefully manicured, moss roof. The architect clearly wanted the buildings to appear like the building is in unison with the old-growth trees it was built under.

This visitor center displays a gallery of fine art. There is also a gift shop area. Here in the courtyard, the building is transformable. Within a few minutes workers extended the walls and roof to create a shaded space where a special artist exhibit and seminar would occur.

Here is the artist exhibit. Known as #Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arrangements. The vase is just as much a part of the art design as the style and shapes chosen for the flower arrangements.

Traditional bonsai trees were on display. Many of these trees were donated, and are now taken care of by local experts who know how to maintain them.

Very unusual. I think this is a type of moss growing over a fern. I wasn't sure why this was on display in the bonsai area. Maybe it is lesser known style I am unaware of.

Throughout the garden, I was told there are many rare varieties of moss that are grown. Everything is chosen carefully for a specific garden design, with care for authentic artistic traditions.

The old gnarled trunk makes this tree look very proportional with its wide canopy. It gives the illusion of age and great size. Against towering trees behind it, they even appear the same size from this angle.

On a stone slab instead of a clay pot, it resembles a natural hilltop landscape.

This tree was breathtaking. I was truly humbled that I was even allowed to take a photo. The dead wood is part of the silhouette and movement/chi of the tree. It therefore is incorporated intentionally into the design of the tree to create a specific shape.

Casual photographers in the Japanese Garden are welcomed, as long as they try not be in the way of others attempting to walk through paths, or if they are trying to meditate or pray. Take photos, and move on is the general rule of respect.

I really appreciated that every bonsai on display was a different species, and shaped to exhibit a different style or technique.

A view of paradise over the tops of these various bushes. Azaleas were all in bloom today. Weeping and standard Japanese maple trees. Cloud pruned pines. Native Douglas Firs branching over from a distance. A hidden bridge waiting to be discovered.

Pathways in the gardens were rarely straight for more than thirty paces. Each path always forced you to explore, make decisions, and allow yourself to become lost in your surroundings. It was impossible to stay focused on reaching any particular destination, because you cannot see the goal until you first experience the journey.

In Europe, I know in the castles they sometimes made prayer gardens in the shape of maze. Here, these garden paths were a bit like a giant maze. However these paths did not have a confusing effect. They made me reconsider my goals.

Notice the clay tiled roof blends into the environment, and the concrete tiles tie back in towards the modern visitor center. The open path reminds you of the boundaries of the forest, and brings you softly back out of the dream.

The light was dancing all over the body of this gorgeous tree. I could not imagine a more perfect background for this focal point. Loved how the sun had a spotlight only for this tree on the hill edge.

Notice how this tree is pruned, so all of the leaves face up at the exact same angle. There is something pleasing about seeing the vivid leaf shapes repeated along the same proportional angles.

The long branches of this tree allow for viewing windows. Everything beyond you might look at is framed by the slender elegance of this tree.

Here the pathway is leading to some of the more formal garden designs. Notice the hard edges of the hedges and the cloud pruned #azalea in bloom. The tree softens the border as one garden zone blends into another.

New moss textures carpeting the ground.

By now, there is no mistaking. @creativetruth appreciates trees, if didn't already know that. Hope you are still enjoying the journey with me.

The symmetry of all materials forming this geometric building feeds my hunger for architecture with perfect lines. I love seeing every little block fitting together in the same exact away all along every junction. The colors are complementary and uniform. Not a single flaw to trigger #OCD tendencies.

Wooden details on the deck railing are crafted with custom accents.

Overlooking the #city, and #mountain. #mthood
The sweet fragrance distant wind blowing over the bushes here was extremely refreshing.

Now here is a style of fence you don't see every day. The woven effect looks handmade from bamboo and wood. There are no nails, staples, or ties visibly constricting the untreated wood with unnatural elements.

This fountain has a spillway, for the water to run into the stones, like a steam bed.

Gentle fountain water feature.

This rock garden is meant to mimic the look of a great pond, yet it clearly harnesses a lot of energy from the sun.

The raked lines in the rocks lead the eye to take in the entirety of the perimeter.

The strong spine of this tree leaps out under the full sunlight, and the tiny bristles turn transparent. The tree becomes a Gothic stained glass window.

Two different kinds of moss, not grass, mats around the smaller trees.

Not a single weed ever grows in these enchanted gardens.

The crafted garden stream runs over the rocks like a babbling brook on the mountain hillside.

Yew is one of the great ancient trees of the world. It is believed that under the right conditions, this tree can potentially live forever. There are many stories and myths based on the legendary yew.

This area is Buddhist, and the dim shadows of the canopy silence the surroundings so viewers can pray.

This tree lured me into its soul with an other-worldly light. How many centuries might this guardian be willfully imprisoned to this space?

These green shoots were the most vibrant colors in all of the garden. The remind me of the charming cattails that grow in streams I played near as a child.

#Koi #Pond. We arrived just as the local tour guide arrived to start answering questions about these golden fish.

Some of the fish would leap out of the water to greet visitors. They love to entertain and play.

They take good care of the fish here. The pond water is so clean, it is easy to find the healthy fish.

The scales of the fish are much more shiny than the copper metal coins in the water.

This was my favorite fence design. Imagine this in your garden holding up your grapes, tomatoes, beans, and peas instead of that ugly hoop and wire thing most people have.

Look at the use of the clay roof tiles into the rock border details around the pathway.

We finally found the hidden bridge on our way back around the loop.

How did this tree grow down here? Under the bridge on the rock?

At the end of the afternoon, we found the tea house and enjoyed an informal snack.

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Thank you for going on this journey with me.

Wishing you love, peace, and happiness.