Japanese Garden

Dang, this scene could be right out of our trip to Nikkou or Okutama. We visited the Portland Japanese Garden, which claims to be the truest Japanese garden outside of Japan itself. Apparently the area has a pretty significant Japanese population, so there’s a lot of stuff like this garden, the Kinokuniya bookstore, and lots of sushi joints. It’s the kind of place where we could get a taste of Japan whenever we want it. That’s pretty huge, considering I’ve longed to return to Tokyo every single day since I left it. Hiroko, wanting to stay in the USA for its livability, suggested visiting Japan every year or so, but never moving back there. That way we could stay connected to it while avoiding the difficulty (expense) of living there, and it would stay magical for us. Portland seems like a place that could keep us content while we can’t be in Tokyo.