Visiting Tsuru Island
The four decade-old 3/4 of an acre Japanese garden was rebirthed in 2011 by Jim Card, Tomiko Takeuchi, and countless volunteers. Tsuru Island is free and open to the public sunrise to sunset.
Broadleaf evergreens, aesthetically pruned pines, vivid colored azaleas, a dry streambed are contained on an island created by the convergence of Davis Creek and Johnson Creek. The Japanese garden sits inside 21 acres of Main City Park.
After enjoying Tsuru Island, stroll to the south end of the park to the other spaces developed and maintained by the Friends of Gresham Japanese Garden.
Many enjoy using Tsuru Island for their photo shoot. If your party is larger than 5, we request a reservation.
Garden In Color
Plants, trees, shrubs, groundcover show their optimum character at different times of the year. Garden In Color takes you on a monthly journey featuring the plants that really stand out amongst the others in Gresham’s Japanese Garden.
Interactive Garden
The Interactive Garden, or endearingly named “Jim’s Garden Notes” allows viewers to view the garden from 26 different view points. Each viewpoint documents the plant material, date and time of day, along with a description of what you’re viewing. You can download the PDFs and take them with you the next time you visit the Japanese Garden.
Hours of Operation
Main City Park and Tsuru Island are FREE and open daily from sunrise to sunset. This is a public garden created and maintained by dedicated volunteers. We ask that all visitors to follow our rules so everyone can continue to enjoy our treasure.
- Stay on the path
- Do not ride your bike onto the island
- No smoking
- No sitting on the ropes
- Respect the barriers that controls access
- Please be respectful of others enjoyment of the garden
- Strollers are allowed
- Dogs must be on leash and clean up after your dog
- Food is allowed in the garden
Directions
Finding Tsuru Island is quite simple. Head to Historic Downtown Gresham and enter through Main City Park off of Powell Blvd and Main Avenue.
124 S. Main Avenue
Gresham, OR 97030
Tsuru Island
Garden Tours
Garden tours are typically given by the Japanese Garden’s Garden Director, Jim Card. Tours are available for groups larger than five people and are by appointment only. Donations are appreciated.