Japan
Best Wisteria (Fuji) Spots in Tokyo and Japan
Wisteria Splendor at Ashikaga Flower Park When it comes to experiencing the breathtaking beauty of Wisteria floribunda, commonly known as “Fuji” in Japanese, Ashikaga Flower Park stands out as a premier destination. Nestled in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, this park has undergone a transformation, becoming synonymous with the enchanting allure of Wisteria thanks to the visionary […]
Hōraijima of Rikugien
The Rikugien garden was initially built by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu from 1695 until 1702. In 1868 it was purchased by Iwasaki Yataro who remodeled the garden to his needs but kept the heart of the garden – the theme of Waka poetry. However, he added many elements. So also the Hōraijima in the pond. Jima is […]
Walking through the Imperial Palace
Hi there! You’re in Tokyo? Maybe staying at Tokyo Family Stay’s Conoe Sanbancho’s Apartment?And you would like to see a park or garden? Then let’s go for a walk! A walk around and through the Tokyo Imperial Palace! Of course, you can start on any side of the Imperial Palace but since we are collaborating […]
The turtle and crane island of Konchi-in
Today, we want to explore two popular elements in Japanese gardens. The picture of the turtle and the crane. For this, we will take the garden of Koichi-in in Kyoto as an example, where we have both elements as a rock setting (island) in one garden. However, these pictures can be found in many other […]
The manifold interpretations of Ryoan-ji – an excerpt
虎の子渡し – Tiger family crossing a river 碧巌録に示された臥龍 – Sleeping dragon 星座カシオペヤ – The constellation Cassiopeia 心の字 – Heart character 京都盆地を囲む五山 – Five mountains surrounding Kyoto 光の反射板 – Reflecting of Light 満月を巡る – The moon phases around the full moon Today I want to dig deeper into the manifold interpretations of Ryoan-jis zen garden. Surely, […]
Bridges in the Japanese garden
Bridges are an element in the Japanese garden, that is often neglected in the literature. After the main elements, water, rocks, and plants, the stone lanterns follow as the next most often mentioned element. Or so it seems. Today, I would like to put the focus on bridges. What types exist, and how they are […]
Building ponds in the Japanese gardens
The way how ponds were built in Japan changed massively over time. In this article I want to introduce the ancient way and the more recent methods. Let’s begin when rich people wanted to build private gardens in the outskirts of Kyoto in as early as the Heian period (794-1185). There were still no electric […]
Zen Garden Design by Mira Locher
By Mira LocherForeword by Terunobu Fujimori In comparison with Zen Gardens, the complete works of Shunmyo Masuno. Is it worth to buy both books or do I favor one over the other? You can read my detailed review about Zen Gardens, the complete works of Shunmyo Masuno here. Zen Garden Design is again […]
Pine pruning – Sukashi, Niban me, Ha mushiri, Mekiri, Mitsubushi
A lot of words connected to pine pruning we want to explore today! While midoritsumi みどり摘み and momiage 揉み上げ are already well known when it comes to pine pruning, there is still so much more to explore, even beyond the terms I will explain today. All techniques and examples I am showing, are applying either for Pinus […]
Ponds in the Japanese Garden
Water is one of the three important elements in the Japanese garden. Today we want to explore how water is integrated into the garden design in form of ponds. Ponds in the Japanese garden differ, depending on the type of the garden, in size and shape. History of ponds in Japanese gardens We have a […]