strolling garden

Hamarikyu Garden by Real Japanese Gardens
The teahouse on the middle island

Yukizuri – 雪吊り

Hamarikyu garden When visiting Japanese gardens in winter, one will recognize some strange ropes and mats around the pine trees and some other plants. These are called Yukizuri 雪吊り and Fuyugakui 冬囲い. Both are meant to protect the trees from the weight of snow. In Tokyo there is seldom so much snow, that the trees need […]

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Real Japanese Gardens: Japan Garden Travel Guide - Planning a Trip to Japan

Japan Garden Travel Guide: Planning a Trip to Japan

Planning a Trip to Japan: A Guide for Garden Enthusiast Planning a trip to Japan is an exciting journey, especially if you’re passionate about gardens. Here’s a comprehensive Japan garden travel guide to help you design the perfect itinerary, focusing on the best seasons, destinations, and accommodations for your garden-themed trip. Best Time to Visit […]

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Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens by Real Japanese Gardens
A very scenic time to visit is in May

The Ninomaru Garden of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo

It’s already been a week since I am back to work and it passed too fast! However, now I had time to finish and publish our new eBook about the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. HOW TO ENTER When I first visited the Imperial Palace, I was quite confused by the entrance procedure… Although there is […]

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Nonin-ji Temple by Real Japanese Gardens

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 […]

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Kyu Asakura House by Real Japanese Gardens

Tokyo’s Admirable Gardens

You might think, real Japanese gardens can be found within Kyoto alone. Today I want to convince you that this is not true. There are also admirable gardens in Japan’s modern capital Tokyo. If you are already on my side, please read anyhow, you will see beautiful garden pictures and might discover the one or […]

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Midoritsumi and Momiage - Pine Pruning in May
Midoritsumi and Momiage - Pine Pruning in May

Midoritsumi and Momiage – Pruning Pines

Pines in Japanese gardens are pruned twice a year. In my company in Germany, where we hadn’t so much time, we only did all the tasks together once in early summer, which is possible too, but not desirable. Here in Japan, my first company did both, Midoritsumi in early summer, and Momiage in late autumn. The […]

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The Tokyo National Museum

[New eBook] The Teahouses of the Tokyo National Museum

Finally I finished the last book in our “Gardens in Tokyo” series! I am very happy and also a little bit proud. The last book features the secret garden of the Tokyo National Museum, which is only open for the public in spring and autumn. I visited the garden three times, twice in autumn and […]

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Japanese Lawn

Some tips for creating a real Japanese garden at your home.

I won’t show “bad example” pictures and link to bad articles here! If you search via Google, I am sure you will find a lot by yourself. When I see links promising me to teach me how to built a Japanese garden in only a few steps, I just can’t withstand and have to follow […]

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New eBook! The Kyu-Asakura House

It’s finally time for a new eBook! This time it will be again about a garden – but also about an old traditional Japanese house! I am actually surprised how many old houses survived in Tokyo until now and how many of them are open to the public to visit!   The former Asakura Residence […]

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