Designs
Groundcover as substitute for moss
Almost every Japanese garden in Kyoto hosts one part which is covered in nice, fluffy moss. When building a Japanese garden outside of Japan or even in another area in Japan, there might be some problems when it comes to establishing moss in it. Although moss doesn’t need much to grow, there can be too […]
Exploring private gardens in Tokyo
When I first came to Japan, I had very little money and always tried to save some by walking long distances within the city. This was when I found all these different garden styles which I didn’t see during my work as a gardener in Japan. Private gardens can’t usually be visited except when the […]
Auspicious plants in Japanese garden design
A lot of gardening companies have their signature style, may it be the use of a special plant combination or the use of special materials. My company is using a lot of different materials and plants, and while Mr. Hayano has his very own style, he often becomes a design-chamaeleon to fit the customer’s preferences. […]
5 Bulbs for your Japanese garden
Summer is in full swing, we only want to sit somewhere doing nothing, but the garden is calling already. It’s time for planting bulbs! Today I would like to introduce what kind of bulbs or rhizome-building plants are going well with a Japanese garden. Some people think that flowers don’t belong in a Japanese […]
The Edible Japanese Garden
On my way to work, I found this tiny little garden. Some usual green in front of an apartment house was what I thought. But then I came closer and realized something… The border was planted with Satsuki azaleas but inside were almost only edible plants! I want to believe that the family which moved […]
Takasho Garden & Exterior Fair 2017
I got the opportunity to visit this fair of one of Japan’s biggest suppliers for garden and exterior “stuff”. On Friday July 28 I just stopped at the office for a short time to prepare some work and then set off for Daimon, where I wanted to change to the Tokyo Monorail to get to […]
Exterior Design Studies
In my neighborhood used to be a wonderful huge field full of Japanese “kuri” trees (Castanea crenata – Japanese chestnut). One day, some works began around the field and my nightmare became true.. One more green oasis gone and 14 houses grew out of the ground, crouched together, stealing each other the light. This precinct […]
Japanese exterior design
Last week Anika and Aliya participated in Japanese exterior design lesson. The lesson was hold by Furuhashi Norimasa – very talented designer and exterior architect. He is a teacher of Japanese garden design courses in E&P Academy and he also runs his own exterior building company (here is the link: E&P Academy). We have learnt many […]
On the relationship of traditional Japanese gardens to nature. Is a balance between the gardener and nature important and is equilibrium sought within their creation?
Man and Nature: The Early Philosophy of Japanese Gardens Through the act of creating a garden, there is an inherent manipulation of nature. However, in the early forms of Japanese gardening, this was undertaken in order to serve nature and the deities that lived within the ‘garden objects’, such as rocks. It is true that […]
Reasons for traditional Japanese gardens, in consideration of religious beliefs and recreation over time
The Origins and Evolution of Traditional Japanese Gardens The first thing that must be appreciated when referring to the ‘traditional Japanese garden’ is that this spans a great history of many different eras, possibly to the origins of tangible culture upon this island. Thus, the history of gardens incorporates many evolutionary forms from their simplistic […]