Japanese garden...

Japanese Gardens: Japanese gardens are very significant in the traditional Japanese lifestyle. The purpose of these gardens is to flaunt the flora and fauna with a touch of creativity. The Japanese gardens have an ancient history, influenced by Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist teachings. These teachings used in the designing of the Japanese Gardens invoke a spiritual feeling to the whole experience. The Buddhist influence is one that carries the mysticism, allowing people to look back and reflect or meditate.

The necessary elements to a Japanese garden are flowing water, the carefully chosen plants, stones, waterfalls, trees and bridges. The designer has to follow the ancient Japanese symbolism, however, he is free to express his originality through the design.

The Japanese Tea Garden: The Japanese Tea Garden comprises of two parts, an outer garden and the inner one. There is also the traditional teahouse, stones, stone lanterns and the traditional stone water basins. They are symbolic and even their positioning is direction specific.

The inner Japanese garden is a private garden, surrounding the Teahouse and it can be observed only from the Tea House. The outer garden or ‘soto roji’ serves as the parlor area for guests. The host greets the guests as they relax on wooden benches, with straw cushions. If the weather is cold, a teaburi, a kind of heat radiator is used, to keep guests warm. As a sign of ritual purification, the guests are requested to wash their hands and rinse their mouths, before they enter the garden.

The Japanese Garden Design: The design of a Japanese garden is enhanced by the many direction specific and symbolic elements used. The stone lantern is flaunted all over the garden and each one is designed differently. Initially, they used to be placed in the garden as sources of light. The lanterns are now used for decorative purpose.

The Pagoda is usually five stories tall, with each story representing the natural elements, earth, water, fire and wind.

The moon-bridge is a common sight at the San Francisco Japanese Garden. It goes over the special ‘ Strolling Pond’. These bridges are delicate creations of exquisite workmanship.

There are stone lions positioned at the entrance of the garden, to protect the garden from intruders. The gardens are designed on the Zen philosophy. The male lion has his foot on a ball, to signify power. The two statues represent the yin and the yang, the two opposing forces of fire and water.

The water basin is also referred to as the ‘Deer Chaser’. The sound emitted by a bamboo stick that fills with water and strikes the basin is supposed to chase away the negative ‘chi’ and keep the water level from receding.

The fish called ‘koi’ are used as decorations in the ponds within the Japanese Gardens.

The Japanese Garden Of Portland: The Japanese Garden Of Portland was planned by Professor Takuma Tono in 1963. The garden opened to the public in 1967. The garden flaunts five theme gardens, all symbolic and direction specific. The Strolling Pond Garden is said to be the largest and it includes a pathway with rocks arranged to resemble the Big Dipper constellation.

Another garden flaunts an antique multi-storied pagoda lantern, which was gifted by Sapporo a sister city of Portland's. There are ornamental rocks positioned in the form of the Hokkaido Island and a red stone for Sapporo.

There are stones shaped like tortoise and cranes that symbolize longevity in the lower pond, amidst dozens of Koi. The Natural Garden features numerous waterfalls, streams and ponds. There is an abundance of shrubs, ferns, trees and moss, all over the gardens. The only human form is the statue of Jizo or Ksitigarbha, who is believed to protect humans, since the death of Buddha.

The Sand and Stone Garden has weathered stones, which are seen rising from rippled sand, evocating the ocean. The calm rake patterns are frequently spotted in authentic Zen garden monasteries. A Flat Garden is part of the urban garden plan. The Japanese Tea Garden has two portions, with every portion being created to enhance the traditional tea ceremony.