stone lions
Gardens in Portland picture - In 1988, His Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, Ambassador from Japan to the United States, visited the Portland Japanese Garden and proclaimed it to be "the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan." Ten years later, His Excellency Ambassador Kunihiko Saito exclaimed over the beauty of the Garden and also agreed to its authenticity stating, "I believe this garden to be the most authentic Japanese garden, including those in Japan."