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  • Hachijin-no-Niwa Garden at Kishiwada Castle - this very unique karesansui garden is set in the courtyard of Kishiwada-jo and designed to be viewed from the windows of the castle. It is a very modern design of geometric, linear stones punctuated by groups of rocks in a field of pebbles. The garden was designed by Mirei Shigemori, a leading figure in the development of the modern Japanese garden. The garden was completed in 1953. Eight groups of rocks represent the "Battle Formation of the Eight Positions". Each of these eight groupings has a name: heaven, earth, bird/phoenix, dragon, cloud, serpent, tiger or wind.  The garden challenges our thinking about the usually calm effects of stone gardens. Based on the layout of a mythological battle conducted by Chinese General Zhuge Liang, the stone setting at the center of the design, named Central Camp, is the garden’s focal point.  Eight stone sub-camps:  Heaven, Earth, Wind, Cloud, Dragon, Tiger, Phoenix and Snake surround the main encampment.
    kishiwada-garden-1.jpg
  • Daikakuji Gosho Garden - Daikaku-ji is often called Sagan Gosho because of its connection with the imperial family as an imperial cloister. It is one of the largest and most important temples in Kyoto. Its Stone Stage, surrounded by a vast dry zen garden, is all that remains of the original Godai-do. Today the Stone Stage is occasionally used for performances of gagaku court music and court dances. Surrounding the garden and court stage, are a series of wooden corridors that are famous for their nightingale squeaksIng sounds, once used as early warning systems for unexpected danger approaching. The Corridor of Village Rain or Murasame-no-Roka- besides is squeaks, has a low ceiling that swords or spears could be swung and cause danger to passing noblemen.
    daikaku-ji-stone-stage-5.jpg
  • Hachijin-no-Niwa Garden at Kishiwada Castle - this very unique karesansui garden is set in the courtyard of Kishiwada-jo and designed to be viewed from the windows of the castle. It is a very modern design of geometric, linear stones punctuated by groups of rocks in a field of pebbles. The garden was designed by Mirei Shigemori, a leading figure in the development of the modern Japanese garden. The garden was completed in 1953. Eight groups of rocks represent the "Battle Formation of the Eight Positions". Each of these eight groupings has a name: heaven, earth, bird/phoenix, dragon, cloud, serpent, tiger or wind.  The garden challenges our thinking about the usually calm effects of stone gardens. Based on the layout of a mythological battle conducted by Chinese General Zhuge Liang, the stone setting at the center of the design, named Central Camp, is the garden’s focal point.  Eight stone sub-camps:  Heaven, Earth, Wind, Cloud, Dragon, Tiger, Phoenix and Snake surround the main encampment.
    kishiwada-garden-2.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-12.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-02.jpg
  • Canadian Embassy Garden Tokyo was designed by Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest and landscape architect at a Zen Buddhist temple in Yokohama.  Shunmyo Masumo is the only Buddhist cleric still practicing garden design in the tradition of the traditional stone-setting priests.  Indeed, part of the tradition of a Zen garden is the design, care, maintenance of such a garden as a form of meditation. In the Tokyo Canadian Embassy garden, stones in Japan were chosen to represent the geological character of the bedrock that forms the Canadian Shield and to embody harmony between Canada and Japan. The ruggedness of the Canadian terrain is suggested in the rough edges of the stone.  The vast expanse of land in Canada is also reflected in the design of the garden.
    canadian-embassy-garden-1.jpg
  • Canadian Embassy Garden Tokyo was designed by Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest and landscape architect at a Zen Buddhist temple in Yokohama.  Shunmyo Masumo is the only Buddhist cleric still practicing garden design in the tradition of the traditional stone-setting priests.  Indeed, part of the tradition of a Zen garden is the design, care, maintenance of such a garden as a form of meditation. In the Tokyo Canadian Embassy garden, stones in Japan were chosen to represent the geological character of the bedrock that forms the Canadian Shield and to embody harmony between Canada and Japan. The ruggedness of the Canadian terrain is suggested in the rough edges of the stone.  The vast expanse of land in Canada is also reflected in the design of the garden.
    canadian-embassy-garden-4.jpg
  • Canadian Embassy Garden Tokyo was designed by Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest and landscape architect at a Zen Buddhist temple in Yokohama.  Shunmyo Masumo is the only Buddhist cleric still practicing garden design in the tradition of the traditional stone-setting priests.  Indeed, part of the tradition of a Zen garden is the design, care, maintenance of such a garden as a form of meditation. In the Tokyo Canadian Embassy garden, stones in Japan were chosen to represent the geological character of the bedrock that forms the Canadian Shield and to embody harmony between Canada and Japan. The ruggedness of the Canadian terrain is suggested in the rough edges of the stone.  The vast expanse of land in Canada is also reflected in the design of the garden.
    canadian-embassy-garden-7.jpg
  • Canadian Embassy Garden Tokyo was designed by Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest and landscape architect at a Zen Buddhist temple in Yokohama.  Shunmyo Masumo is the only Buddhist cleric still practicing garden design in the tradition of the traditional stone-setting priests.  Indeed, part of the tradition of a Zen garden is the design, care, maintenance of such a garden as a form of meditation. In the Tokyo Canadian Embassy garden, stones in Japan were chosen to represent the geological character of the bedrock that forms the Canadian Shield and to embody harmony between Canada and Japan. The ruggedness of the Canadian terrain is suggested in the rough edges of the stone.  The vast expanse of land in Canada is also reflected in the design of the garden.
    canadian-embassy-garden-5.jpg
  • Canadian Embassy Garden Tokyo was designed by Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest and landscape architect at a Zen Buddhist temple in Yokohama.  Shunmyo Masumo is the only Buddhist cleric still practicing garden design in the tradition of the traditional stone-setting priests.  Indeed, part of the tradition of a Zen garden is the design, care, maintenance of such a garden as a form of meditation. In the Tokyo Canadian Embassy garden, stones in Japan were chosen to represent the geological character of the bedrock that forms the Canadian Shield and to embody harmony between Canada and Japan. The ruggedness of the Canadian terrain is suggested in the rough edges of the stone.  The vast expanse of land in Canada is also reflected in the design of the garden.
    canadian-embassy-garden-2.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-09.jpg
  • Waterfall at Naritasan Shinshoji Garden- Naritasan Shinshoji is one of the most important Buddhist temples in the Tokyo area, and the Head of the Chisan Shingon Buddhism sect.  Its Japanese garden, usually called Naritasan Park,is composed of wooded and landscaped greenery. Stone monuments and memorials bearing haiku poetry punctuate the landscape, making it one of the most unusual Japanese gardens in the country. Its centerpiece is a pond with a pagoda in the middle.  In addition there is a waterfall composed with a surrounding rock garden
    shinshoji-garden-19.jpg
  • The Hirakushi Denchu Art Museum Garden is both an unusual museum dedicated to one of Japan's masters of wood sculpture, Denchu Hirakushi.  The artworks are presented in his well preserved Japanese style home and garden where he lived in the last years of his life which provides insight into the harmony of his life and work that formed the background to his art. The gardens alone merits a visit, and are regularly used for tea ceremonies and other cultural activities. The front garden features the trunk of a camphor laurel tree, one of the largest and hardest varieties of wood.
    hirakush-denchu-museum-garden-2.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-2.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-19.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-1.jpg
  • Daizenji Japanese Garden - Daizenji Temple was built in Koshu by Buddhist priest Gyoki in 718.  It is sometimes called the “grape temple” as Gyoki was met by the presence of Yakushi Nyorai the Buddhist disciple of healing holding a cluster of grapes. As a result the temple has come to be called "the birthplace of the Koshu Grape.”  The temple even offers wine tasting, the only one in Japan to honor this custom, since it is at the heart of the Katsunuma wine district of Yamanashi.  Over the course of its long history, many of the temple structures have been destroyed by natural disaster - most of what remains is Yakushi Hall and the Sammon Gate.  Daizenji also has an impressive Japanese pond garden within its grounds, ideally viewed from the washitsu tatami room
    daizenji-garden-05.jpg
  • Kongobuji Temple's Banryutei rock garden is Japan's largest Zen Garden with 140 granite stones arranged to suggest dragons emerging from clouds to protect the temple. It is said to be the largest karesansui dry garden in Japan.
    banryutei-garden-7.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-11.jpg
  • Mio Shrine is a shrine in Takashima City and although its construction is unknown, it is an old shrine that has a record of existence from the year 765 in the Nara period.  There is a very unique three dimensional garden and double layer with two tiers, which occupies much of the domain, was completed in 1996.  It is called Mizuo Garden, though its designer is unclear.
    mio-shrine-garden-08-2.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-5.jpg
  • Mio Shrine is a shrine in Takashima City and although its construction is unknown, it is an old shrine that has a record of existence from the year 765 in the Nara period.  There is a very unique three dimensional garden and double layer with two tiers, which occupies much of the domain, was completed in 1996.  It is called Mizuo Garden, though its designer is unclear.
    mio-shrine-garden-04.jpg
  • The Japanese garden at the Grand Prince Takanawa Hotel is a must-see spot if you happen to be staying at one of the Prince hotels in Shinagawa or happen to be in the area as access is free to guests as well as non guest . At the time of the renovation of the former Takanawa Prince Hotel in 1971, the garden replaced an old swimming pool. This garden features seasonal beauty, maples in autumn, cherry blossoms in spring, as well as colorful carps swimming in the pond, and Japanese traditional structures and bridges as well as the Ean Tea House.
    takanawa-prince-garden-4.jpg
  • The Japanese garden at the Grand Prince Takanawa Hotel is a must-see spot if you happen to be staying at one of the Prince hotels in Shinagawa or happen to be in the area as access is free to guests as well as non guest . At the time of the renovation of the former Takanawa Prince Hotel in 1971, the garden replaced an old swimming pool. This garden features seasonal beauty, maples in autumn, cherry blossoms in spring, as well as colorful carps swimming in the pond, and Japanese traditional structures and bridges as well as the Ean Tea House.
    takanawa-prince-garden-13.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-4.jpg
  • Tenju-an is one of many sub temples at Nanzenji and was built in 1336 to commemorate the founding of Nanzenji in the previous century.  There are two gardens within the compound, though the more famous and impresive of the two is the zen rock garden or karesansui.
    tenju-an-garden-2.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-1.jpg
  • Nanshuji Temple in Sakai Osaka - Sen no Rikyu, tea ceremony master laid foundations that continue to influence Japanese arts and philosophy to the present day.  The legacy of Sen no Rikyu is honored at Nanshuji Temple where there is a teahouse in the simple, rustic style.  with a dry karesansui garden adjacent.  This beautiful dry landscape garden was created in the early Edo Period and is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty in Japan.
    nanshuji-garden-3.jpg
  • Banryutei Stone Garden - Kongobuji is the head temple of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, at Koyasan.  Its name means "Temple of the Diamond Mountain" and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple's modern Banryutei rock garden is Japan's largest Zen Garden with 140 granite stones arranged to suggest dragons emerging from clouds to protect the temple.
    banryutei-garden-6.jpg
  • Hachijin-no-Niwa Garden at Kishiwada Castle - this very unique karesansui garden is set in the courtyard of Kishiwada-jo and designed to be viewed from the windows of the castle. It is a very modern design of geometric, linear stones punctuated by groups of rocks in a field of pebbles. The garden was designed by Mirei Shigemori, a leading figure in the development of the modern Japanese garden. The garden was completed in 1953. Eight groups of rocks represent the "Battle Formation of the Eight Positions". Each of these eight groupings has a name: heaven, earth, bird/phoenix, dragon, cloud, serpent, tiger or wind.  The garden challenges our thinking about the usually calm effects of stone gardens. Based on the layout of a mythological battle conducted by Chinese General Zhuge Liang, the stone setting at the center of the design, named Central Camp, is the garden’s focal point.  Eight stone sub-camps:  Heaven, Earth, Wind, Cloud, Dragon, Tiger, Phoenix and Snake surround the main encampment.
    kishiwada-garden-3.jpg
  • Hachijin-no-Niwa Garden at Kishiwada Castle - this very unique karesansui garden is set in the courtyard of Kishiwada-jo and designed to be viewed from the windows of the castle. It is a very modern design of geometric, linear stones punctuated by groups of rocks in a field of pebbles. The garden was designed by Mirei Shigemori, a leading figure in the development of the modern Japanese garden. The garden was completed in 1953. Eight groups of rocks represent the "Battle Formation of the Eight Positions". Each of these eight groupings has a name: heaven, earth, bird/phoenix, dragon, cloud, serpent, tiger or wind.  The garden challenges our thinking about the usually calm effects of stone gardens. Based on the layout of a mythological battle conducted by Chinese General Zhuge Liang, the stone setting at the center of the design, named Central Camp, is the garden’s focal point.  Eight stone sub-camps:  Heaven, Earth, Wind, Cloud, Dragon, Tiger, Phoenix and Snake surround the main encampment.
    kishiwada-garden-5.jpg
  • Daikakuji Gosho Garden - Daikaku-ji is often called Sagan Gosho because of its connection with the imperial family as an imperial cloister. It is one of the largest and most important temples in Kyoto. Its Stone Stage, surrounded by a vast dry zen garden, is all that remains of the original Godai-do. Today the Stone Stage is occasionally used for performances of gagaku court music and court dances. Surrounding the garden and court stage, are a series of wooden corridors that are famous for their nightingale squeaksIng sounds, once used as early warning systems for unexpected danger approaching. The Corridor of Village Rain or Murasame-no-Roka- besides is squeaks, has a low ceiling that swords or spears could be swung and cause danger to passing noblemen.
    daikaku-ji-stone-stage-2.jpg
  • Daikakuji Gosho Garden - Daikaku-ji is often called Sagan Gosho because of its connection with the imperial family as an imperial cloister. It is one of the largest and most important temples in Kyoto. Its Stone Stage, surrounded by a vast dry zen garden, is all that remains of the original Godai-do. Today the Stone Stage is occasionally used for performances of gagaku court music and court dances. Surrounding the garden and court stage, are a series of wooden corridors that are famous for their nightingale squeaksIng sounds, once used as early warning systems for unexpected danger approaching. The Corridor of Village Rain or Murasame-no-Roka- besides is squeaks, has a low ceiling that swords or spears could be swung and cause danger to passing noblemen.
    daikaku-ji-stone-stage-6.jpg
  • Daikakuji Gosho Garden - Daikaku-ji is often called Sagan Gosho because of its connection with the imperial family as an imperial cloister. It is one of the largest and most important temples in Kyoto. Its Stone Stage, surrounded by a vast dry zen garden, is all that remains of the original Godai-do. Today the Stone Stage is occasionally used for performances of gagaku court music and court dances. Surrounding the garden and court stage, are a series of wooden corridors that are famous for their nightingale squeaksIng sounds, once used as early warning systems for unexpected danger approaching. The Corridor of Village Rain or Murasame-no-Roka- besides is squeaks, has a low ceiling that swords or spears could be swung and cause danger to passing noblemen.
    daikaku-ji-stone-stage-4.jpg
  • Daikakuji Gosho Garden - Daikaku-ji is often called Sagan Gosho because of its connection with the imperial family as an imperial cloister. It is one of the largest and most important temples in Kyoto. Its Stone Stage, surrounded by a vast dry zen garden, is all that remains of the original Godai-do. Today the Stone Stage is occasionally used for performances of gagaku court music and court dances. Surrounding the garden and court stage, are a series of wooden corridors that are famous for their nightingale squeaksIng sounds, once used as early warning systems for unexpected danger approaching. The Corridor of Village Rain or Murasame-no-Roka- besides is squeaks, has a low ceiling that swords or spears could be swung and cause danger to passing noblemen.
    daikaku-ji-stone-stage-1.jpg
  • Daikakuji Gosho Garden - Daikaku-ji is often called Sagan Gosho because of its connection with the imperial family as an imperial cloister. It is one of the largest and most important temples in Kyoto. Its Stone Stage, surrounded by a vast dry zen garden, is all that remains of the original Godai-do. Today the Stone Stage is occasionally used for performances of gagaku court music and court dances. Surrounding the garden and court stage, are a series of wooden corridors that are famous for their nightingale squeaksIng sounds, once used as early warning systems for unexpected danger approaching. The Corridor of Village Rain or Murasame-no-Roka- besides is squeaks, has a low ceiling that swords or spears could be swung and cause danger to passing noblemen.
    daikaku-ji-stone-stage-3.jpg
  • Hachijin-no-Niwa Garden at Kishiwada Castle - a very unique karesansui garden  set in the courtyard of Kishiwada-jo and designed to be viewed from the windows of the castle. It is a very modern design of geometric, linear stones punctuated by rocks in a field of pebbles. The garden was designed by Mirei Shigemori, a leading figure in the development of the modern Japanese garden. Eight groups of rocks represent the "Battle Formation of the Eight Positions". Each of these eight groupings has a name: heaven, earth, phoenix, dragon, cloud, serpent, tiger and wind.  The garden challenges our thinking about the usually calm effect of stone gardens. Based on the layout of a mythological battle conducted by Chinese General Zhuge Liang, the stone setting at the center of the design, named Central Camp, is the garden’s focal point.
    kishiwada-garden-4.jpg
  • Canadian Embassy Garden Tokyo was designed by Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest and landscape architect at a Zen Buddhist temple in Yokohama.  Shunmyo Masumo is the only Buddhist cleric still practicing garden design in the tradition of the traditional stone-setting priests.  Indeed, part of the tradition of a Zen garden is the design, care, maintenance of such a garden as a form of meditation. In the Tokyo Canadian Embassy garden, stones in Japan were chosen to represent the geological character of the bedrock that forms the Canadian Shield and to embody harmony between Canada and Japan. The ruggedness of the Canadian terrain is suggested in the rough edges of the stone.  The vast expanse of land in Canada is also reflected in the design of the garden.
    canadian-embassy-garden-6.jpg
  • Canadian Embassy Garden Tokyo was designed by Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest and landscape architect at a Zen Buddhist temple in Yokohama.  Shunmyo Masumo is the only Buddhist cleric still practicing garden design in the tradition of the traditional stone-setting priests.  Indeed, part of the tradition of a Zen garden is the design, care, maintenance of such a garden as a form of meditation. In the Tokyo Canadian Embassy garden, stones in Japan were chosen to represent the geological character of the bedrock that forms the Canadian Shield and to embody harmony between Canada and Japan. The ruggedness of the Canadian terrain is suggested in the rough edges of the stone.  The vast expanse of land in Canada is also reflected in the design of the garden.
    canadian-embassy-garden-3.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art is made up of the private collection of Zenko Adach who collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  He was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and  stone for the garden himself from all around Japan.  In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision. Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shoisai Project.
    adachi-garden-06.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-14.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-07.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-01.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-03.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-15.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-13.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-11.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-10.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-05.jpg
  • Waterfall at Naritasan Shinshoji Garden- Naritasan Shinshoji is one of the most important Buddhist temples in the Tokyo area, and the Head of the Chisan Shingon Buddhism sect.  Its Japanese garden, usually called Naritasan Park,is composed of wooded and landscaped greenery. Stone monuments and memorials bearing haiku poetry punctuate the landscape, making it one of the most unusual Japanese gardens in the country. Its centerpiece is a pond with a pagoda in the middle.  In addition there is a waterfall composed with a surrounding rock garden
    shinshoji-garden-16.jpg
  • Waterfall at Naritasan Shinshoji Garden- Naritasan Shinshoji is one of the most important Buddhist temples in the Tokyo area, and the Head of the Chisan Shingon Buddhism sect.  Its Japanese garden, usually called Naritasan Park,is composed of wooded and landscaped greenery. Stone monuments and memorials bearing haiku poetry punctuate the landscape, making it one of the most unusual Japanese gardens in the country. Its centerpiece is a pond with a pagoda in the middle.  In addition there is a waterfall composed with a surrounding rock garden
    shinshoji-garden-15.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-08.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art was based on the private collection of Zenko Adachi.  Adachi collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  Adachi himself was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and each stone for the garden himself from around Japan.   In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision and passion.  Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shisai Project.
    adachi-garden-04.jpg
  • Banryutei Stone Garden - Kongobuji is the head temple of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, at Koyasan.  Its name means "Temple of the Diamond Mountain" and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple's modern Banryutei rock garden is Japan's largest Zen Garden with 140 granite stones arranged to suggest dragons emerging from clouds to protect the temple.
    banryutei-garden-6.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-18.jpg
  • Gate at Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-14.jpg
  • Gate at Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-10.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-5.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-3.jpg
  • Gate at Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-12.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-6.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-7.jpg
  • Hinata-wada Riverside Garden - Ome City opened up this domain built by Tsukumo Teruyuki in the early Showa period as a riverside garden along the Tama River. Its tiny teahouse was built by local Ome craftsmen and designed by Kawarimaki Iriomoya.  Tsukumo had been involved in a member of the Japan House of Representatives during the Showa era, so many high-ranking government officials and famous people of the time have visited. One of the highlights of the teahouse is the delicate workmanship such as family crests and phoenix images.
    hinata-wada-garden-4.jpg
  • Yamazaki House in Kawagoe is an interesting mix of western and Japanese styles.  ThThe building was designed by Katsuya Yasuoka a famous architect in the 1920s in which Japanese buildings and homes, with western elements were incorporated and in vogue at the time. Stained glass windows were de rigeuer at the time and there are some designed by Shichiro Beppu and Sanchi Ogawa.  The gardens, however, are almost all Japanese style in flavor.  There is a small teahouse in the garden to complete the tableau.
    yamazaki-house-garden-11.jpg
  • Yamazaki House in Kawagoe is an interesting mix of western and Japanese styles.  ThThe building was designed by Katsuya Yasuoka a famous architect in the 1920s in which Japanese buildings and homes, with western elements were incorporated and in vogue at the time. Stained glass windows were de rigeuer at the time and there are some designed by Shichiro Beppu and Sanchi Ogawa.  The gardens, however, are almost all Japanese style in flavor.  There is a small teahouse in the garden to complete the tableau.
    yamazaki-house-garden-10.jpg
  • Banryutei rock garden is Japan's largest Zen Garden with 140 granite stones arranged to suggest dragons emerging from clouds to protect the temple.
    banryutei-garden-2.jpg
  • The Japanese garden at the Grand Prince Takanawa Hotel is a must-see spot if you happen to be staying at one of the Prince hotels in Shinagawa or happen to be in the area as access is free to guests as well as non guest . At the time of the renovation of the former Takanawa Prince Hotel in 1971, the garden replaced an old swimming pool. This garden features seasonal beauty, maples in autumn, cherry blossoms in spring, as well as colorful carps swimming in the pond, and Japanese traditional structures and bridges as well as the Ean Tea House.
    takanawa-prince-garden-2.jpg
  • Tenju-an is one of many sub temples at Nanzenji and was built in 1336 to commemorate the founding of Nanzenji in the previous century.  There are two gardens within the compound, though the more famous and impresive of the two is the zen rock garden or karesansui.
    tenju-an-garden-1.jpg
  • Mio Shrine is a shrine in Takashima City and although its construction is unknown, it is an old shrine that has a record of existence from the year 765 in the Nara period.  There is a very unique three dimensional garden and double layer with two tiers, which occupies much of the domain, was completed in 1996.  It is called Mizuo Garden, though its designer is unclear.
    mio-shrine-garden-09-2.jpg
  • Nikkei Centre Garden Vancouver - Nikkei Centre houses a Japanese Canadian cultural centre, the Nikkei National Museum, a community centre serving the neighbourhood, and a Japanese  garden. The purpose of Nikkei Centre  is to promote a better understanding and appreciation by all Canadians of Japanese Canadian culture and heritage through public programs, exhibits, services, publications, public use of the facilities and special events. The centre is run by volunteers, with a 22-member Board of Directors, with a small staff who work on the operations of the organization.  In the front coutyard of Nikkei Centre is a Japanese garden with a small waterfall and rock garden.
    nikkei-museum-garden-5.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-10.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-9.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-3.jpg
  • Banryutei rock garden at Kongobuji Temple is Japan's largest Zen Garden with one hundred and forty granite rocks arranged so as to suggest dragons emerging from clouds in order to protect the temple.
    banryutei-garden-1.jpg
  • Mio Shrine is a shrine in Takashima City and although its construction is unknown, it is an old shrine that has a record of existence from the year 765 in the Nara period.  There is a very unique three dimensional garden and double layer with two tiers, which occupies much of the domain, was completed in 1996.  It is called Mizuo Garden, though its designer is unclear.
    mio-shrine-garden-11.jpg
  • Mio Shrine is a shrine in Takashima City and although its construction is unknown, it is an old shrine that has a record of existence from the year 765 in the Nara period.  There is a very unique three dimensional garden and double layer with two tiers, which occupies much of the domain, was completed in 1996.  It is called Mizuo Garden, though its designer is unclear.
    mio-shrine-garden-03.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-7.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-6.jpg
  • Jodoji Temple Garden is a tsukiyama garden that uses the natural hillside and its waterfall as background scenery with the focal point a small pond at its foot. <br />
There is a tea room called Ruizudari which is mostly original though it was renovated and revived in 1999.
    jodoji-garden-onomichi-2.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-10.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-1.jpg
  • Nanshuji Temple in Sakai Osaka - The legacy of Sen no Rikyu is honored at Nanshuji Temple where there is a teahouse in the simple, rustic style. Sen no Rikyu, tea ceremony master laid foundations that continue to influence Japanese arts and philosophy to the present day.  This beautiful dry landscape garden was created in the early Edo Period and is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty in Japan.
    nanshuji-garden-5.jpg
  • Nanshuji Temple in Sakai Osaka - Sen no Rikyu, tea ceremony master laid foundations that continue to influence Japanese arts and philosophy to the present day.  The legacy of Sen no Rikyu is honored at Nanshuji Temple where there is a teahouse in the simple, rustic style.  with a dry karesansui garden adjacent.  This beautiful dry landscape garden was created in the early Edo Period and is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty in Japan.
    nanshuji-garden-4.jpg
  • Nanshuji Temple in Sakai Osaka - Sen no Rikyu, tea ceremony master laid foundations that continue to influence Japanese arts and philosophy to the present day.  The legacy of Sen no Rikyu is honored at Nanshuji Temple where there is a teahouse in the simple, rustic style.  with a dry karesansui garden adjacent.  This beautiful dry landscape garden was created in the early Edo Period and is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty in Japan.
    nanshuji-garden-2.jpg
  • Mio Shrine is a shrine in Takashima City and although its construction is unknown, it is an old shrine that has a record of existence from the year 765 in the Nara period.  There is a very unique three dimensional garden and double layer with two tiers, which occupies much of the domain, was completed in 1996.  It is called Mizuo Garden, though its designer is unclear.
    mio-shrine-garden-16-2.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-9.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-6.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-4.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-2.jpg
  • Nanshuji Temple in Sakai Osaka - Sen no Rikyu, tea ceremony master laid foundations that continue to influence Japanese arts and philosophy to the present day.  The legacy of Sen no Rikyu is honored at Nanshuji Temple where there is a teahouse in the simple, rustic style.  with a dry karesansui garden adjacent.  This beautiful dry landscape garden was created in the early Edo Period and is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty in Japan.
    nanshuji-garden-7.jpg
  • Nanshuji Temple in Sakai Osaka - Sen no Rikyu, tea ceremony master laid foundations that continue to influence Japanese arts and philosophy to the present day.  The legacy of Sen no Rikyu is honored at Nanshuji Temple where there is a teahouse in the simple, rustic style.  with a dry karesansui garden adjacent.  This beautiful dry landscape garden was created in the early Edo Period and is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty in Japan.
    nanshuji-garden-6.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-8.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-7.jpg
  • Todoroki Ravine Japanese Garden was built on a slope, with rocks and boulders providing the contours and shapes. Unlike the usual fussy manicured parks and Zen gardens, this gorge is wild and untamed with a jungle atmosphere - home to birds and other animals. Todoroki is only minutes from central Tokyo, but is a world away from the city with bamboo, trees, shrines and the sounds of the river to wash away urban sounds. The ravine was formed by the Yazawa River as it heads for theTama River, it is the only ravine and valley in Tokyo stretching along a one-kilometer course along a path viewing waterfalls along the way.  Todoroki Valley also has a natural water spring and is more of an adventure stroll than a typical Japanese garden, despite its name.
    todoroki-japanese-garden-3.jpg
  • Gyokurinji is a Rinzai Buddhist temple that was founded in the  Muromachi period 1339. The garden was created in the second half of the Heisei period. Its dry stone karesansui garden was created in recent years, and was designed in three straight lines:  an abstract representation of a treasure boat heading to the shore anchored in the pool of night. The highlights are Hiyama and a stone bridge made of natural stone. The stone bridge at the intersection of two other stones, when viewed from a different angle, the balance is maintained by slightly cutting the stone. This makes it look like a stone bridge with an exquisite balance when viewed from the front. There is a second dry mountain garden behind the zen garden, covered and surrounded with cedar moss on a gentle slope.
    gyokurinji-itsukaiichi-2.jpg
  • Gyokurinji is a Rinzai Buddhist temple that was founded in the  Muromachi period 1339. The garden was created in the second half of the Heisei period. Its dry stone karesansui garden was created in recent years, and was designed in three straight lines:  an abstract representation of a treasure boat heading to the shore anchored in the pool of night. The highlights are Hiyama and a stone bridge made of natural stone. The stone bridge at the intersection of two other stones, when viewed from a different angle, the balance is maintained by slightly cutting the stone. This makes it look like a stone bridge with an exquisite balance when viewed from the front. There is a second dry mountain garden behind the zen garden, covered and surrounded with cedar moss on a gentle slope.
    gyokurinji-itsukaiichi-1.jpg
  • There are two gardens at Tenneiji.  The main garden is in the courtyard of the main hall and the Rakan-do and its Rakan Stone Garden. From the main hall where the Buddha is and the Rakan-do where the 16 Arhats are, the only white stone in the center expresses the Buddha and the 16 stones surrounding it express the 16 Arhats. The 16 statues of Rakan in the precincts are said to have been given by daimyo lords from 16 parts of the country.  It is a stone garden that you can enjoy from a 360-degree angle.  The other garden is the Sekishu-ryu garden which is not open to the public.
    tenneiji-07.jpg
  • Nanzenji Hojo Garden - Nanzenji Temple is one of the most important Zen temples in Japan and the head temple of one of the schools within the Rinzai sect of Japanese Zen Buddhism. The Hojo is the former head priest's residence and Nanzenji's main hall. The Hojo is most famous for its dry rock karesansui garden whose rocks are said to resemble tigers and cubs crossing through water. Hojo Garden is a typical rock and sand garden built in the early Edo era. It features a wide, open space in front of a corner of green. It is said to be designed by Kobori Enshu, who was an expert at weaving perspective into his stone arrangements.  Besides its renowned karesansui garden, the hojo is in fact surrounded by smaller gardens.
    nanzenji-hojo-4.jpg
  • Daikakuji Gosho Garden - Daikaku-ji is often called Sagan Gosho because of its connection with the imperial family as an imperial cloister. It is one of the largest and most important temples in Kyoto. Its Stone Stage, surrounded by a vast dry zen garden, is all that remains of the original Godai-do. Today the Stone Stage is occasionally used for performances of gagaku court music and court dances. Surrounding the garden and court stage, are a series of wooden corridors that are famous for their nightingale squeaksIng sounds, once used as early warning systems for unexpected danger approaching. The Corridor of Village Rain or Murasame-no-Roka- besides is squeaks, has a low ceiling that swords or spears could be swung and cause danger to passing noblemen.
    daikaku-ji-zen.jpg
  • Zuisenji Temple Stone Garden - Zuisenji Temple Garden was laid out by renowned garden designer and Zen Buddhist monk Muso Kokushi, founder of the temple.  Zuisen-ji is located in a valley called Momijigayatsu surrounded by hills which serve as natural background for the garden.  Beyond the small pond Tennyodo cave is a hall used for meditation and appreciating the moon reflected on the surface of Choseichi Pond.  Zuisenji Temple Garden uses these natural rocks and caves as elements of the garden. Bridges are built across the western side of the pond.  The garden is the only remaining one of the gardens in Kamakura that were constructed during the Kamakura Era.  Must Kobushi believed that understanding landscapes and gardens led to the cultivation of the human mind.  The temple is also known for its flowers and trees in other parts of the temple grounds, particularly plum trees and hydrangeas.
    zuisenji-1.jpg
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