[Delve into Japanese Culture at I-House]
The Japanese Garden Speaks to Your Heart

  • *This lecture has finished.
  • Lecturer: Uchiyama Sadafumi (Garden Curator of the Portland Japanese Garden)
  • Date: Thursday, November 27, 2014, 10:00-11:30 am
  • Place: Garden/Kabayama-Matsumoto Room, International House of Japan
  • Language: English (without Japanese interpretation)
  • Admission: 2,000 yen (1,500 yen on advance payment; Free for guests staying at I-House on November 26 or 27)
  • Seating: 80 (reservations required)
I-House and KISAKO Intercultural Institute are proudly launching a new program on Japanese culture. In this series, we will introduce aspects of Japanese culture which can lead to new awareness both for non-Japanese and Japanese. The first of the series will invite Mr. Uchiyama Sadafumi, Garden Curator at the Portland Japanese Garden*. Mr. Uchiyama will introduce the charms of Japanese gardens, including the I-House garden.
*Portland Japanese Garden: Established in 1967, Portland Japanese Garden is considered one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan. It is a leading garden among the member gardens of the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) which was established in 2012. The garden is known not just for the quality of its maintenance and management, but also for its Japan-related seasonal, cultural and artistic events. The garden was designed in 1963 by Tono Takuma, who was then a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture. The number of visitors in 2014 is estimated to exceed 280,000.

Uchiyama Sadafumi
(Garden Curator of the Portland Japanese Garden)

Photo:Uchiyama SadafumiUchiyama Sadafumi, the Garden Curator of the Portland (Ore.) Japanese Garden, comes from a family that has been involved in gardening since 1909 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Trained from an early age by his family elders, he holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees (with high honors) in landscape architecture from the University of Illinois. Combining his traditional apprenticeship in Japanese gardening with his formal education in Western landscape architecture, he has designed and built a wide range of projects including the renovation of Osaka Garden (the Japanese government exhibition site at the 1893 Columbian Exposition). He has also taught at several U.S. colleges and contributed articles to the Journal of Japanese Gardening and other publications.