Major renovations begin at Gresham Japenese Garden’s Tsuru Island

Published 5:00 am Thursday, September 4, 2025

Major renovations have begun on the Gresham Japanese Garden’s Tsuru Island, that once complete will add new foliage, amenities and accessibility to the popular green sanctuary.

The Gresham Japanese Garden nonprofit organization hosted an open house on Tsuru Island, in Main City Park, 219 S. Main Ave., to both raise funds for the renovation and let folks get a look at the updates coming.

The work, which began last month and will continue through October 2026, will cause a “bit of a mess” at the garden. While Tsuru Island will largely remain open, there may be some times where sections are cordoned off so work can happen. While donations have supported the project, a large portion of funds came from a Travel Oregon grant.

Planned Renovations

Covered entrance gate: The approach to the entrance gate will be wider and will automatically open and close at set times. That will better allow Tsuru Island to manage folks trying to get in after hours (at times the garden has suffered overnight vandalism and litter).
Path stones: All of the pathway stones have been removed. In early 2026 the same bluestone will be reinstalled while better adhering to American’s with Disabilities Act specifications. That will have more flush paving joints, no wider than 10 mm, allowing for a smoother way to get around.
New path: A new walking path will be added to the left of the bridge, creating an alternate route through the garden and allowing a true loop around the island.
Water basin: The water feature will get a major upgrade, and the placement will change slightly. Inspiration comes from the Oregon State Penitentiary’s water basin — Large boulders will flank the new feature, and there will be a more substantial pool of water (unfortunately no koi fish will be added).
Island center: The main central area of the Japanese garden is getting a major upgrade. The lodgepole pine tree is being removed due to declining health. In its place will be a much larger planting area, reducing the “plaza-like” feel. Instead folks will stroll through the plantings or sit in the azumaya (Japanese gazebo) and look out at a more interesting mix of foliage.
New bridges: Rotting wooden bridges on the island will be replaced.
Covered seating area: The new amenity will be added at the far-end of the garden, close to Johnson Creek. Traditional Japanese craftsmanship will be used. The design is inspired by the machiai at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
Bamboo fencing: Yotsumi-gaki bamboo fencing will surround Tsuru Island. A teppo-gaki bamboo fence will connect the entrance gate to the bridge.
Seating area: A new seating area will replace the karesansui dry garden to the right of the main entrance bridge. That will be built in 2027.

Tsuru Island history

Tsuru Island has long been the centerpiece of the Gresham Japanese Garden, and it is no stranger to sweeping redesigns.

In the early 1970s a group of local farmers and members of the Japanese-American Citizens League Gresham-Troutdale chapter created a garden with “peace, tranquility and longevity” as the theme.

The island was officially dedicated on Sept. 2, 1975. But decades later it went into disarray. The original founders could not keep up with maintenance, and the Japanese Garden had become something of a laughing stock filled with litter and overgrown weeds.

In 2011 efforts to reclaim it began. Tamiko Takeuchi invited her landscaper, Jim Card, to Tsuru Island with the goal of “cleaning it up.” What began as cutting trees, pruning and removing blackberries uncovered the need for something more concrete. So Card and Takeuchi partnered with the Gresham-Ebetsu Sister City Association.

A major redesign of the Japanese Garden took place in 2013 with approval from the city and other stakeholders. They did irrigation, dug trenches, had electrical systems installed, found and placed boulders, and created new drainage. Then there was the planting, lighting, and laying of the blue stone pathway. More than 8,000 volunteer hours later the garden had its rebirth in the spring of 2014.

A year later the new bridge was completed. Card was inspired by the bridge at the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden in Spokane. The bridge at Tsuru Island was made from purple heart wood.

In 2016 volunteers constructed the Azumaya.

Other Japanese Garden amenities

Tsuru Island isn’t the only thing to enjoy during a trip to the Japanese Garden.

There is Ebetsu Plaza, named in honor of Gresham’s Japanese sister city. That space has plenty of seating, plants, and 12 akebono cherry trees that are illuminated every spring to showcase their blossoms.

Adjacent to the plaza is the Kyoudou Center, a remodeled gathering place that serves as an event hall and headquarters for the Gresham Japanese Garden nonprofit organization. Behind is a more private plaza for events as well as a greenhouse that hosts local adult learners with special needs for weekly classes and job skills training.

A large barn that houses equipment had a mural painted on it that celebrates Gresham’s Japanese-American agriculture history. Madison Hughes painted the mural.

There is the Hiroshima Peace Garden that features a ginkgo biloba sapling cultivated from a tree that survived the nuclear bomb during World War II.

Support the renovations

An upcoming workshop at the Kyoudou Center is a great way to support the renovations at Tsuru Island. Mark Meehan, with American Bamboo Company, will teach how to build a traditional yotsume-gaki fence (the same that will be used on the island).

The workshop is from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21. It is $45 to participate or free with the commitment of 8 hours of volunteer time. The date will be determined, and it will be to help make the garden’s fencing. All materials supplied.