Japanese Garden Inspiration

How to Build a Japanese Garden

Japanese gardens spell tranquility, beauty and most importantly, stand for the balance found in nature. If you wish to recreate a space where you can meditate and rewind after a hard day's work, transforming your garden, keeping in mind the Japanese theme, will do wonders for you and your spirit.

One doesn't need an introduction to a garden; nevertheless, I will begin with a quote by William Kent, "A garden is to be a world unto itself, it had better make room for the darker shades of feeling as well as the sunny ones." A garden, thus, understood is a place that distills harmony and comfort while adding to the aesthetic pleasure. Japanese gardens for that matter, are traditional gardens that create miniature landscapes and if you have been to a Japanese garden, then the first thing that you would notice is the simplicity of the layout. The entire area distills in you, a soothing peace, while the rocks and the flowing stream take away all negation and successfully purge your spirit.

Recreating a Japanese garden is an arduous yet satisfactory task. For those of you who have a sprawling backyard, transforming it into a majestic Japanese garden won't pose much of a problem; and for those of you facing a space crunch, you can go in for the indoor Japanese garden

Japanese are known to appreciate the elements of nature, and their gardens respect the basic rule of nature, that is, of change. Japanese gardens are known to soothe the soul with their timeless beauty. Given below are simple knickknacks that will help you transform your backyard into a tranquil Japanese garden.

A Japanese garden reflects the perfect balance found in nature. In order to recreate the natural surroundings, you would need rocks and stones to represent individual islands, hills and mountains. A few trees and shrubs will represent nature in abundance. A water feature will represent purity, serenity and flow that is a part of nature. A wooden or stone bridge will represent immortality, and an escape to paradise is an absolute must for a Japanese garden. Pathways and stairs represent a journey of the soul, and lanterns or religious artifacts that represent the elements of Buddhist cosmology form the basic elements of a Zen garden.

Prior Planning

Owning a sprawling lawn will definitely benefit you, as it will offer you maximum space to experiment with the layout. However, if you have a relatively smaller backyard, you would have to meticulously plan the arrangement of the garden. Depending on the space available, you would have to decide on how formal you want your garden to be. You wouldn't want your garden to look too dressy, as the resultant garden should reflect the Japanese culture. Purchase the materials and decorations as per the garden size. Remember, minimalistic is the key word in a Japanese garden.

Lay the Stones

The first step to create a Japanese garden is to design the walkway or paths using the stepping stones. Ideally, the stones should be clubbed in groups of odd digits (i.e., in groups of 3, 5, 7, 9, etc.). A safe bet is to make triangular arrangements of the rocks. Stepping stones add beauty to a walkway; moreover, large stones interspersed in the pathway is indicative of rest and stillness just so that you can take in the beauty of the garden. When creating the pathway, use at least two stones of the same shape and size. You can even create stone sculptures or simple mounds made of three stones with varying sizes.