Embracing Safety and Tradition in Japanese Home Design
As someone originally from Japan—a “Quake Country”—I find myself looking at the increasingly slender, impossibly tall skyscrapers of the New York City skyline with a distinct unease. To me, these structures possess incredible, almost unbelievable proportions. While the United States is not defined by earthquakes in the same way Japan is, major seismic events do […]
Reflections on the World Japanese Garden Conference
The World Japanese Garden Conference I attended in Japan this past September was incredibly stimulating. Furthermore, meeting individuals involved in Japanese gardens across the United States, Mexico, China, and Japan is a valuable asset to me. The High Quality of Japanese Garden Creation and Maintenance Ueyakato Landscape in Kyoto is one of Japan’s top-tier landscape […]
The Greatness of Tree Shade
I’m heading back to Japan temporarily this month, and my only worry is the extreme heat. When I went back at the same time last year, I thought it was unbearably hot, but this year I hear it’s at a disaster level. It’s frightening. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan recorded the hottest summer […]
Woodlawn Cemetery: A Garden of Grand Mausoleums & Literary Legacies
Beginning with Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, there are several cemeteries in the United States that offer beautiful and peaceful landscapes. This past weekend, I visited one of them, Woodlawn Cemetery in New York. Established in 1863, this vast 400-acre cemetery feels like an exquisitely maintained garden. It also resembles a botanical garden, featuring many […]
Deep Mountains and secluded valleys on Japanese gardens
When I design Japanese gardens, the image of “deep mountains and secluded valleys” (深山幽谷 – shinzan-yūkoku) particularly serves as a basis for my ideas, especially when considering stone arrangements. This evokes the scenery of remote mountain recesses and deep ravines, far from human habitation. This is not unique to me; it’s a design principle seen […]
