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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;

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Landscape Design as a Tool for Disaster Prevention: Lessons from Japan

The recent wildfires in Los Angeles have sparked important conversations about how we can better prepare our communities for natural disasters. As a landscape designer with experience in Japan, I believe there are valuable lessons we can learn from their approach to fire safety through landscape design. In Japan, earthquakes

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Gardens as Semantic Landscapes: A Reflection on Design and Spirituality

Far from being mere horticultural spaces, gardens often serve as semantic landscapes. Much like religious paintings, they offer tangible representations of abstract concepts, allowing us to visualize the unseen. A striking example is the rock garden at Chion-in Temple in Kyoto. Amidst a sea of vibrant azaleas, the carefully arranged

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Tsubo-niwa and The Tale of Genji

I have not read The Tale of Genji because I am not a big fan of love stories although it is a famous classic novel. But now, I feel ashamed of myself after I knew that the source of the character’s names was gardens. It is because their names came

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Penguin Environmental Design
56 Lynmoor Place, Hamden, CT 06517
info@pedarch.com

Blog

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;

Read More »
Landscape Design as a Tool for Disaster Prevention: Lessons from Japan

The recent wildfires in Los Angeles have sparked important conversations about how we can better prepare our communities for natural disasters. As a landscape designer with experience in Japan, I believe there are valuable lessons we can learn from their approach to fire safety through landscape design. In Japan, earthquakes

Read More »
Gardens as Semantic Landscapes: A Reflection on Design and Spirituality

Far from being mere horticultural spaces, gardens often serve as semantic landscapes. Much like religious paintings, they offer tangible representations of abstract concepts, allowing us to visualize the unseen. A striking example is the rock garden at Chion-in Temple in Kyoto. Amidst a sea of vibrant azaleas, the carefully arranged

Read More »
Tsubo-niwa and The Tale of Genji

I have not read The Tale of Genji because I am not a big fan of love stories although it is a famous classic novel. But now, I feel ashamed of myself after I knew that the source of the character’s names was gardens. It is because their names came

Read More »

Follow us

Contact us

Penguin Environmental Design
56 Lynmoor Place, Hamden, CT 06517
info@pedarch.com

Japanese + Modern

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