Japan
Review: Sakuraco Box
This month we got the amazing opportunity to test one of TokyoTreat’s subscription boxes. Maybe you have already heard of these kind of boxes? If not, let me explain in few words. Over the last years, boxes with treats from Japan became quite popular. Most of them come as subscription boxes where you receive one […]
Review: The Book of Japanese Tea
By Per Oscar BrekellBilingual Edition In spring of this year I started to taste different teas. Not only Matcha but also Japanese green tea. A small local tea shop recommended me a book about tea because it is beginner friendly. And so it really is! Oscar Brekell was no new name to me. As […]
Osmanthus fragrans – キンモクセイ – 金木犀
Plant Profile: Osmanthus fragrans Ancient Greek: osmḗ = fragrance, ánthos = flower Latin: fragrans = fragrance English: Sweet olive, tea olive, fragrant olive Flower period in Japan: middle of September – end of October Color of flowers: Orange Soil: rich fertile soil, well drained garden soil Exposition: from sun to shade. Harsh afternoon sun in […]
Stone Lanterns in the Japanese garden
The next garden element on my list is the stone lantern. Everyone knows the beautiful withered lanterns made of natural or hewn rocks. Today I want to talk about their origin and use in the Japanese garden. Origin Lanterns weren‘t always a garden element. They were invented in a religious context during the Tang Dynasty […]
Chozubachi – Hachimae – Tsukubai: Water basins
The next garden element on my list is the water basin! I guess, the best-known examples for these water basins are the ones in front of Japanese shrines but also the ones in Japanese tea gardens. Both are meant to symbolically purify oneself before entering a special place. To fulfill this, we are washing our […]
Treasure Ship – 宝船 ・ Ship Stone – 船石 explained
What I always tried to find out was the relationship between the Treasure Ship (takarabune) with the Seven Lucky Gods (shichifukujin), and the Ship Stone (funaishi). Now that I stuck at home, I have time to investigate! Let’s start with a more or less short explanation of these three: Treasure Ship – takarabune – 宝船 This […]
Have you heard of 「Kimon」?
I did a lot of research about auspicious plants and places in connection to Japanese gardens and one term that always appeared was 「Kimon」. But what is this Kimon? Kimon (鬼門) can be translated as “Demon Gate”. This term, at least, dates back to the Heian period. It is the place where demons will most […]
[New eBook] Ryugon – a Ryokan in Niigata
You may remember my blog post about this Ryokan from back in early 2019. Now, one year later, I finally finished the eBook about this wonderful place and its gardens! Actually, I hoped for an opportunity to visit it after the renovations which took place until summer last year but it didn’t happen and I […]
The Use of Light in a Dry Landscape Garden
Sometimes I stumble upon phrases in texts about Japanese gardens. These phrases are actually common knowledge in the Japanese garden scene, yet, although it is widely spread and you can read about it in every book (or so it seems), in this one situation it always hits me as if I have never heard of […]
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 […]