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 […]
Plant profile: Lotus
Nelumbo nucifera Hasu – ハス – 蓮 Indian Lotus Originally from India. Height: ~2m Bloom: July Normally, Lotus is frost-resistant as long as the rhizome […]
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 […]
The Slippery Slope to Concrete
Since I started working as a gardener in Japan, I saw one frightening trend in exterior design in Tokyo. Today I would like to talk about the slippery slope to […]
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 […]
[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! […]
Wisteria in the Ashikaga Flower Park
The Ashikaga Flower Park is one of the top locations to enjoy the flowers of Wisteria floribunda or “Fuji” in Japanese. This park wasn’t famous for Wisteria until Tsukamoto Konami […]
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 […]
Top Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) in Japanese Gardens
Of course the cherry blossom is very much better known than the plum blossom I mentioned in a previous blog post. And yes, it is really great to stand under […]
Real Japanese Gardens – Original Calendar 2020
Last year I found the perfect format for our Real Japanese Gardens calendar. It’s a format for the desk with a beautiful wooden stand. Of course, I created a new […]
