As I mentioned in the previous blog about borrowed scenery, we cannot control the scenery beyond gardens. Your neighbor’s big house might block a nice view. Therefore, this garden technique may not be versatile. We can use borrowed scenery under some limited conditions only. In Kyoto city, there are a
Borrowed scenery, shakkei, is one of the techniques of garden design. It integrates the scenery beyond the backside of the gardens with the actual gardens. In most cases, borrowed scenery can be easily done when the garden site is near mountains. As a Japanese garden designer, I categorize two types
“From the outside in” is our company’s motto. When we design a house, we always think about achieving an intimate relationship with its garden. Not to mention designing a garden. This idea is rooted in Japanese culture. It is natural for us. There are many houses shut to the outside.
“Meditative walk” is a way to ease stress and achieve mindfulness. Usually, normal walking makes us feel refreshed and relaxed. When we keep strides, our heart rates increase. But in the meditative walk, we move slowly to pay attention to every step. Such an intentional movement causes our heart rate
Historically, no matter where it is, some gardens have been the place where people materialize their ideal world. Gardens in Japan are no exception. Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the sixth century. Then, it made people visualize the image of the place where they wanted to be after death.
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
Although Japanese gardens were influenced by Buddhism significantly, there is some controversy that Christianity also influenced Japanese gardens to some extent. I am interested in this topic because Japanese people have been open to adapting to something new. The first encounter of Christianity for Japanese people was with the Portuguese
As I mentioned in the previous blog about borrowed scenery, we cannot control the scenery beyond gardens. Your neighbor’s big house might block a nice view. Therefore, this garden technique may not be versatile. We can use borrowed scenery under some limited conditions only. In Kyoto city, there are a
Borrowed scenery, shakkei, is one of the techniques of garden design. It integrates the scenery beyond the backside of the gardens with the actual gardens. In most cases, borrowed scenery can be easily done when the garden site is near mountains. As a Japanese garden designer, I categorize two types
I read the interesting book, “The Japanese House Since 1945”, written by Naomi Pollock. It introduces lots of houses designed by architects. In addition to the chronological explanation of the architectural history, unlike other architecture design books, Her book focused on the families who lived in the houses. That made
