so it's delightful to be back here at
the Japanese garden I'm here with Eric
and Erica it was not so long ago that we
were talking to Lisa about this
beautiful new wall that was being
installed and there was nothing really
here yet to see it firsthand what I
created in my mind about how it would
look is it real this is breathtaking
super impressive and you know you can
even hear some of the workers working
behind us still so while the wall may be
done the rest of the construction won't
be complete and open to the public until
April 1st 2017 but the castle wall is
done it's 20 feet tall and 185 feet long
and it's just so impressive when you see
it in person it is and and there is
there's a rich history about this wall
from Japan tell me about that so it's we
found a 15th generation stonemason who
has been doing this his entire life and
and his family and many generations
before that obviously 15 generations and
the uniqueness of this wall is that no
cement is used when it's built so each
stone goes in and it's strategically
placed and then the smaller stones I'm
gonna reach down and get one so
something like this you know this
smaller stone is placed in here to stack
the rocks like building blocks and to
hold it in place and to withstand
earthquakes and lasts for many more
generations and I know I am not the only
adult male who is gonna try this I
thought I'll just pull one of them they
don't pull yeah you asked me that you're
like climb this yeah but yeah it is it
looks I mean it's just so impressive in
it and they're just in there and they
used the specialty tools and put it
together and the stones were picked from
Eastern Oregon and they have sort of a
blue hue to them and that's called Baker
blue and from Baker City Oregon and kind
of shimmers and you can see it closer up
it you get a better view but the stones
were picked and hand selected by sada
our you know our main the head of our
garden here and then we've got you know
art the stonemason came out from Japan
and they worked
and picked out the stones and from the
time the stones were picked to when they
were placed six months oh my Santi got
to me once you look at it and you see it
wasn't done by machinery you go wow that
that was really a lot of fast work to
have you finished
but you know there's so much other
things still happening so let's take a
walk over here and we'll go to the right
place yeah so now Erica we're still
close to the place that we were but this
is really where the the whole crux of
all of the big changes are happening and
still occurring right right and we have
this inside look which is super cool
because a lot of the guests that come
visit the garden so you know we're gonna
have a tea house this is going to be
home to a library and gallery spaces and
much larger spaces compared to what's
there now right on a much larger scale
opportunities and a chance for the
public to really experience all of
Japanese culture and learn we'll have a
library and you know gallery spaces and
lots of interpretive stuff happening and
just a really neat expansion that allows
sort of the tradition the Japanese
tradition to be passed on and people to
learn a lot well you know I've always
kind of thought that nature itself
teaches us especially if we allow it to
and what a great opportunity for people
to learn about a whole other nation with
such a rich history about how nature has
taught them and what they do with it you
know and Japanese gardening is you know
it's not easy to be trained in that it's
not something that a lot of people know
and are familiar with necessarily here
in the United States especially so what
a cool thing to be able to share with
the public and our visitors who come to
the gardens and although people cannot
see into this part yet right the entire
rest of the garden is open as well for
business as usual right our five gardens
are open and you know we have
information on our website Japanese
garden calm about the cultural crossing
project but you know it's really the
gardens are untouched and we you know
encourage people to come still visit but
once they come on April 1st 2017 that's
our grand unveiling of this part the
expansion part so we're still looking at
not not quite a year anymore but just
several months still in advance before
we can really come up here and enjoy
this place when it's finished right and
it's gonna be so nice we actually have
living roof that we're gonna be talking
about too and maybe we can talk about
that in the future but it's like
succulents that will be growing on the
rooftop and the gardeners will be mainly
water features right water features and
just such everything you think about but
but in a lead space so environmentally
sound and just great in this space and
that's important to say too because this
is lead all of this will be lead to yep
a highly get certified and and really a
leader and you know and just work so
well with our space and what we already
have going on here at the garden well
you know those of us who love Portland
love it for so many reasons one of the
reasons I love it the most is I'm
standing in it right here at the
Japanese garden so for more information
on everything that is still currently
happening in the rest of the garden and
for what is going to happen in the
future go to garden time TV will click
you over to a couple websites you can
visit get all that information Erica
thank you so much thanks
you