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Two in Tow & On The Go | Nori Kimura’s skybridge mural is a ‘serene portal’ through Tacoma

Posted on May 15th, 2026 By: Tonya Strickland

Quite a few people over the last two weeks have told me how much they enjoyed “my” piece about all the cool murals in Tacoma. And while I do appreciate the support, each time it happened I had to tell them that it was actually Gig Harbor Now columnist Mary Williams who wrote the mural story for her popular series on local day trips.

But, get this: at the very same time Ms. Williams was flexing her journalism skills in the research wonderland of the South Sound art scene, I, too, was preparing a little art-centered column of my own — not even knowing she was doing the same thing. And in what city was I planning to feature my chosen artwork? You guessed it — Tacoma! So now it looks like I get to confuse our reading audience even more by writing about more or less the same thing.

But, you know, still totally worth reading. Here’s the story of how seeking a less stressful theater drop-off routine helped us find hidden critters and calm in Nori Kimura’s Tacoma skybridge mural.

Theater rehearsal

It all started last year when Bowen and I were carting Wyatt, our now-10-year-old, to and from Tacoma’s downtown Theatre District from Gig Harbor.

Wyatt has been in a number of musicals with a local children’s theater group over the years. We love it. Clara even joined him in one. But by the time opening weekend rolls around, it’s a 30-mile round-trip chaos-fest from Casa de Two in Tow to the backstage entrance of Theater on the Square. We’re talkin’ twice-a-day drop offs for rehearsals, call times, showtimes (and, unfortunately, a serious lack of nap times).

On perhaps my fifth drive there in 48 hours, I’d had just about enough of the curbside Hunger Games that is downtown theater drop-off: near-misses, rushed hugs and some pretty optimistic interpretations of just how long one can double-park if they have their hazards on at Broadway and Ninth Street. Alternatives had to be found.

Which brings us to the skybridge. * The clouds part. A choir sings. *

Park Plaza North Garage at 923 Commerce St. has a pedestrian skybridge over Commerce Street. Photo by Tonya Strickland.

Park Plaza North Garage

The Park Plaza North Garage at 923 Commerce St. was built with federal urban renewal funds in the early 1970s, a time when news reports said civic leaders worried about declining downtown revenue and thought more parking could boost foot traffic. The garage has a fifth-floor pedestrian skybridge over Commerce Street that stretches to the open courtyard just outside Theater on the Square. We now consider it basically a secret passageway for theater kids, farmer’s market peeps and anyone trying to avoid downtown traffic. You do have to pay to park there (daily rates are listed here). But kiosks and phone apps make it easy. Just remember to take a picture of your license plate before you walk away from your car because you’ll need that number later.

Plus … not only does this walkway have convenience and utility — it also brings calm.

View over Commerce Street.

In 2024, Tacoma artist Nori Kimura transformed the skybridge into “Koi Pond in the Sky,” a serene public art installation featuring hand-painted koi fish, leafy wisps of green and nature scenes along the lower walls. Later in the two-part project, Kimura’s printed digital art designs were added to the existing upper glass panels that enclose the skybridge.

On his Instagram page, the artist posted a photo of regular-sized pieces of paper lined up on a table as Kimura tried to sort out his vision, marveling that the finished mural would be 87 feet long when it was installed. The effect is dreamy, especially with the ways light plays with the panels at sunset. The artist made the whole stretch feel surprisingly peaceful for a popular box of concrete. (Public art is fun like that.)

According to Spaceworks Tacoma, a creative nonprofit that helped coordinate the piece, Kimura created his artwork “as a serene portal, a way to weave nature and calming greenery into our urban landscape … a moment of peace suspended above the city.”

Families

Kimura creates everything from fun family greeting cards to family-friendly murals, often painted with the help of kids says he’s inspired by moments of joy, nature and everyday life in Tacoma. His work can also be found on cards for sale at the Washington State History Museum gift shop; a kiosk mural at South 13th and Market streets about Tacoma’s former Old Town Japan he painted with students from his Japanese language class in 2018; a “Let’s Go to the Library” mural on a city of Kent utility box at W. Smith Street and Second Avenue S; and animal scenes on large shop walls at 809 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. In January, Kimura spoke at Tacoma’s TRIPOD, a community presentation night where local speakers share fast-paced visual talks. He showcased a slideshow of his murals around town along with other artwork, including his work with students at S. 13th and Market streets:

Tripod Arts Video – Tacoma, WA – YouTube

“His subjects are always focused on loving and caring for children, families, communities and nature,” according to a spaceworkstacoma.com article on Kimura’s work.

Spot the critters

Back at the parking garage, I especially appreciated that he turned something practical for commuters into something memorable for families. Because, soon, the kids and I were noticing something different every time we passed through. Little frogs hidden behind lily pads, the black and white masks of curious raccoons peeking out from behind rocks — and even a PNW Sasquatch.

peek-a-boo. Photo by Tonya Strickland.

The kids also pointed out how all the koi fish have shadows — and so do the birds in flight. Not only that, but the birds in the pond (at least one of which is protecting a duckling under her wing) each have reflections looking back up at them from the water.

Wyatt spots a koi shadow.

Bird shadow.

Bird reflections.

Mom and two kids standing with water and boats in the background.

Tonya Strickland is a Gig Harbor mom-of-two and longtime journalist. Now in the travel and family niche, her blog, Two in Tow & On the Go, was named among the 10 Seattle-Area Instagram Accounts to Follow by ParentMap magazine. Tonya and her husband Bowen moved to Gig Harbor from California with their two kids, Clara (12) and Wyatt (10) in 2021. Find them on Facebook for all the kid-friendly places in and around town.