When His Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, the former Ambassador of Japan to the United States, visited the Portland Japanese Garden, he proclaimed it to be "the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan."The Garden sits nestled in the West Hills of Washington Park overlooking the city and providing a tranquil, urban oasis for locals and travelers alike. Designed in 1963, it encompasses 12 acres with eight separate garden styles, and includes an authentic Japanese Tea House, meandering streams, intimate walkways, and a spectacular view of Mt. Hood.Japanese gardens have an ancient history influenced by Shinto, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies. Upon entering a Japanese garden the hope is to realize a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquility. Three primary elements are used in every Japanese garden design: stone, the "bones" of the landscape; water, the life-giving force; and plants, the tapestry of the four seasons.The gardens are each asymmetrical in design and reflect nature in idealized form. Human scale is maintained throughout so that the visitor always feels part of the environment rather than being overpowered by it. This is a place to discard worldly thoughts and concerns and see oneself as a small but integral part of the universe.