James Card:

A Visit to Kyoto by Jim Card
Sometimes a place may turn out to be more than
you thought it would be. That is what actuallyhappened to me during our recent visit to Kyoto inOctober 2017.
For years I have talked to people that have been toKyoto. I have read a number of books and seen
hundreds of picture. I have followed Kyoto on
Pintrest and the Journal of Japanese Gardens.
Nothing was like actually experiencing the realthing. It was better than what I imagined.
The streets lined with cherry trees are unimaginableuntil you get the effect of walking among themand see how they complement the street and thebusinesses and/or homes around them.
There are temples everywhere you go. They canbe next to a convenience store, through a gate in
the center of a very narrow street or on someacreage in the suburbs. Some are inconspicuousand others are bright orange/red or yellow. Somehave exquisite gardens and others are quite plain.

Editor

The Japanese gardens we visited were gardens
associated with a temple or castle of an emperor orshogun. 600-700 years ago the garden was a
symbol of power and wealth.
I have to struggle to imagine these buildings andgardens being 300 to 700 years old. Not just the factthat they are still there but how they look after time
has passed. Many of the gardens were beyond
mature. Everything was old and graceful, big andspreading, little and precise. Moss, grasses, pines
and azaleas are most popular in our culture for aterrific Japanese garden. That that what I observedin these ancient gardens.
What I saw in Kyoto was the accumulation of many
cultural entities over many centuries. Including
techniques for joining wood, for finishing wood,styles of art and how it was used, plant propagationand garden design with techniques that wereapplied. A garden unlike a house or furniture, nevergets outdated, if maintained and kept to theintended scale, will look as good after 700 years as it
did the year it was put in.

Katey and I visited a temple close to our hotel andvisible for blocks. It was a Shinto Shrine whichcontained many small temples after entering thegate. We saw some with very well kept plantmaterials and lots of very large granite lanterns
placed in front of the shrine.

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The Plaza
For several months discussions have taken placeabout the area in front of the Resourse Center.
One of the challenges has been the emergency
lane that runs through this area. Expanding thepaved area would include the fire lane and part of
the grass area. The addition of cherry trees would
also add to our cultural goal for Tsuru Island. As
seen in the Japanese culture, hundreds of cherrytrees are planted in and around Kyoto. These trees
signal to the people that spring is coming which isa new beginning. The site is beautiful when they
are in bloom and when they are in leaf they
provide a shaded environment that invites sittingand enjoying the area.
12 Akebono cherry trees have been graciously
donated by our friends at J. Frank Schmidt Nursery,
to fill the area around the pavement and thebenches. Just imagine coming through the park or
walking along the Springwater Trail and seeing thissite.
The project will require more pavers than those leftby other city projects. A grant is in the works toprovide the pavers and hopeful the installation ofthe paver foundation with the volunteers providing
the labor. Now that there is a plan, the drawing,
the OK to proceed, the trees and the pavers, there
are still additional items such as benches, plantmaterials, soils, boulders and mulch to dress theplanting areas.

Volunteer Position Available
Bicycle Repair Person
The community of volunteers at Main City Park wish
to establish a bicycle workshop program. The day
and time is flexible as long as it is consistent. Space
is available at Main City Park provided by the Cityof Gresham and the Gresham Japanese Garden.
Volunteer requirements include basic knowledge ofbicycles, parts, bike functions, wheels, braking
systems and safety.
The concept of the program is to include time forworkshops to teach others about bicycles. A basic
knowledge should be made available to thecommunity to make emergency repairs, tools tocarry, tire and tube repairs.
Workshops will be presented at the Tsuru Island
Resource Center, actual repairs can be made atthe "City Maintenance Facility" located at the park.

The benches will be made from the old bridge
wood. The plan/drawing of the dimensions andprocedures to make these Asian style benches areavailable and the process will be started soon. Thesoil, mulch and boulders will be moved from otherCity locations. The plantings have been donatedand currently in the greenhouse. This will becompleted within 1 year.
This area is considered a plaza. Since visiting
Ebestu it seemed fitting to establish the nameEbetsu Puraza which is a modern Japanese wordfor plaza. It is an acknowledgment of the 40 yearsof association with Ebetus.
In November, Gresham’s sister city, Ebetsu issending a delegation to Gresham to celebrate the40th anniversary. After giving a tour of Tsuru Island,
they will be escorted to the puraza area. A tree
planting ceremony will take place and adedication plaque will be given to the two mayors.
For more information contact
gresham.japanese.garden@gmail.com.

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Just When You Think by Jim CardFeedback is so important. The realization thatsometimes what you say or do really does have aneffect. A recent event is one of those times that "justwhen you think" nobody is paying attention, I got aletter that made me think again.
While in Ebetsu, we were invited to an event called
the World Fest. A woman named Makiko Numata
specifically sought me out and handed me anenvelope. She had given a speech the day before
at the foreign student exchange luncheon. A copyof the speech was in the envelope along with alittle red envelope containing two small iron onpatches to be placed on a shirt pocket You shouldhave seen me smiling
Just a few days ago I opened the envelope
containing the copy of the speech and found a
letter to me telling me that she had been toGresham in 2015. She was part of the group tour ofTsuru Island. She remembered everything I said
about the Garden. The letter went on to tell methat several years ago she had been an exchange
student herself and the experience had confirmed
the kindness and caring of her host family. She also
expressed her confidence in our exchange
program and how grateful she was to have beena part of it.
But wait, there is more, she also had a daughterthat was recently part of the exchange program.
She had wanted her daughter to experience thesame things that she had when coming toGresham.
The Gresham Ebetsu Sister City
Association and host family went out of their way
to make the daughter’s visit a wonderfulexperience.
The take away is that you never know who is payingattention. Makiko is one of the chosen few thatwent out of her way to let us know how she felt andhow we made their lives memorable
JUST WHEN YOU THINIK no one is paying attention
remember this story.

ISSUE 22Greeter
Looking for approximately 5 individuals for a
volunteer greeter position at Tsuru Island garden.
One person to manage a shift from 2pm until dusk
when the weather is pleasing. There is no need tobe onsite during inclement weather.
The garden is a public place with no admission.
Individuals and groups are present most every day.
Guidelines for visitors are posted but sometimes
they need to be reminded to stay on the path andadhere to the posted requests.
There are no other duties expected.
Volunteer positions are coordinated with theGarden Director and/or the Volunteer Coordinator.
The Gresham Japanese Garden, Tsuru Island, islocated in Main City Park and is part of theGresham-Ebetsu Sister City Association.
The Garden is operated and maintained byvolunteers in the community. All projects,maintenance and programs are undertaken by thevolunteers and donors that dedicate themselves tothe Garden.

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