Portland’s Japanese Garden makes you rethink your own relationship to space.
(Pic #1) Fall colors at the world famous Laceleaf Maple Tree on a foggy autumn morning at the Portland Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Scott Smorra.)
Yes, it’s real. Typically known as “the Tree”— this stunner attracts thousands of fans from all over the world. Its most flamboyant show “opens” during the Fall months. But the joys of Japanese landscaping don’t end there.
It’s not just the lush rich greens and changing colors of the season, but the Japanese appreciation for the simplest (yet powerful) design, and a reverence for artful construction.
It’s what urged me into screaming, “I must become a minimalist!” to my friends (Portland residents) Brian and Geordie. Every plant, stream, water feature and pathway had a reason to be there, and nothing is ever overdone. Walking the grounds, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the unexpected, cleverly-patterned stone walkways that lead guests through in abstract, asymmetrical patterns. (Pic #2)
I want to throw everything I own into a dumpster. I’m just going to have to face the separation anxiety.
Stripping life down to the very most basic elements can be cathartic. 😊