The gardens are beautifull, tranquil, inspiring and a highlight of our trip to Portland. The steps leading up to them are hard work but you can get the transport provided.

Liked it all. Lovely, quiet, colorful place to spend some time. The fee is reasonable and necessary to maintain the garden and buildings. When we were there we also were able to view an art show in the main building.

Our biggest surprise was the volunteer who gave a free guided tour, explaining much that we never knew about this type of garden. If we had been on our own, we would have missed 3/4 of the significance of each setting.

This is a fairly extensive garden (by Japanese standards) although it manages to capture the sense of many Japanese gardens. Although we were not there at the best time (which would have been a few weeks later) there were still many flowers in bloom. This garden makes extremely good use of "water features" - almost everywhere you walk there is... More

The relatively small garden is multi-leveled with great variety of flora. Take your camera and walk slowly. Perhaps the piece-de-resistance (on a clear day) is the view east over the city and out to Mt. Hood. We've been to Kyoto and Tokyo, and this is a nostalgic reminder of a more peaceful and beautiful path.

We almost turned around when we saw there was an admission fee, but we were so happy we decided to go in. It's only $9.50/person, but if you're not expecting it, I could see people turning away. You really need to go in! It was so quiet and peaceful. I loved just sitting and listening to the water and birds... More

Beuatiful gardens, but visit the rose gardens-- which are free, if you have more time head to th Japanese Gardens

The Japanese Garden has certain hours and there is a fee to visit so just check the times before you go. I got there at 9am on a Sunday, right when it opened and it was crowded even then. There was a line of folks, local and tourists, waiting to talk through. The entrance is up a steep path that... More

Such an amazing place to see. It was nice to wallk around and be part of the garden, nit just "view" it. Very peaceful.