Living Traditions 2025: The Future of Social Resiliency and Natural Environment

Join Japan Institute of Portland Japanese Garden at the World Forestry Center in our shared home of Washington Park for the second in-person installment of Living Traditions, a series of conversations and talks that explore some of the most iconic facets of Japanese culture.

“The Future of Social Resiliency and Natural Environment” will explore new frontiers in the cultural fusion of American ingenuity, technology, and craftsmanship with Japanese aesthetics. Keynote speaker Hitoshi Abe is a leader in diverse architectural projects bridging Japan and the U.S. and will be among those who speak to how multi-culturalism can foster resiliency in the international community. Joining Abe in this forum will be a panel discussion featuring luminary speakers including Sadafumi Uchiyama, landscape architect and Curator Emeritus of Portland Japanese Garden. Frank Feltens (Curator of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art) will moderate this dialogue on how social infrastructure such as art, gardens, and other public spaces can create a safer environment and creative civic discourse.