Simple Style: The Subtle Appeal of Japanese Gardens

Japanese gardens provide visual compositions for contemplation, rather than spaces to be cultivated or enjoyed for leisure. Traditionally, natural stone was used, although many modern gardens feature concrete or stone with different finishes. Bamboo and wood are also popular materials.

The famous dry Zen gardens use fine gravel raked into fluid patterns, with minimal planting, often limited to mosses and lichens around the base of a group of rocks. Water is seen as a purifying element; small pools, often in stone containers, or streams, provide reflective details.