Exploring Japanese Gardens: A Visual Tour

Japanese gardens are unlike any other gardens in the world. They are not simply collections of plants arranged for beauty — they are intentional, philosophical spaces designed to evoke emotion, invite contemplation, and reflect the natural world in miniature. To walk through a Japanese garden is to step outside of time.

I have been fascinated by Japanese gardens since I first visited Japan in 2005, and they have informed the world of the Miso Cozy Mysteries in ways both large and small. Chikata, the fictional town where Mei Shirogane lives, has its own small local garden — a place where she walks when she needs to think, and where more than one important conversation happens over the course of the series.

The Major Styles of Japanese Garden

There are several distinct traditions of Japanese garden design, each with its own philosophy and aesthetic:

Karesansui (Dry Landscape Gardens) — Perhaps the most famous style in the west, these gardens use carefully raked gravel or sand to represent water, with rocks and minimal plantings. The most celebrated example is Ryoan-ji in Kyoto, where fifteen rocks are arranged in a sea of raked gravel. The garden is designed so that you can never see all fifteen rocks at once from any single viewpoint — a reminder that perception is always incomplete.

Stroll Gardens (Kaiyūshiki) — Large gardens designed to be explored on foot, with carefully composed views that reveal themselves as you walk. Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, considered one of the three greatest gardens in Japan, exemplifies this style. Each step brings a new scene — a stone lantern reflected in a still pond, a grove of ancient pine trees, a waterfall heard before it is seen.

Tea Gardens (Roji) — These intimate gardens serve as the approach to a tea house. They are deliberately simple, designed to quiet the mind and prepare guests for the meditative ritual of the tea ceremony. Every stone, every moss-covered step, every arrangement of water and light is intentional.

What Makes a Japanese Garden Special

I have been to gardens around the world, but nothing moves me quite like a Japanese garden. Part of it is the scale — a great Japanese garden can make you feel both very small and very present at the same time. Part of it is the intention — every element has a meaning. The asymmetry is deliberate. The placement of a single rock is not accidental. The moss took decades to grow, and someone tended it.

The other thing that strikes me is the sound. Japanese gardens are designed to include the sound of water — trickling streams, the drip of bamboo water features, the soft rustle of wind through pine needles. These sounds serve as a kind of meditation, drawing you into the moment.

A Few Gardens Worth Visiting

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Japan, I cannot recommend these gardens highly enough:

• Ryoan-ji (Kyoto) — The most famous dry garden in the world. Allow yourself to sit and simply look.
• Kenroku-en (Kanazawa) — Especially beautiful in snow or autumn color.
• Shinjuku Gyoen (Tokyo) — A vast garden that blends Japanese, French formal, and English landscape styles. Perfect for cherry blossom season.
• Kokedera (Moss Temple, Kyoto) — Over 120 types of moss covering an entire landscape. Reservations required, but absolutely worth it.
• Adachi Museum of Art (Shimane) — A private garden that has been voted the most beautiful garden in Japan for decades. The garden is viewed as a living painting, framed by the windows of the museum.

Japanese gardens have given me so much as a writer and as a person. They remind me to slow down, to pay attention to the small things, and to find beauty in simplicity. I hope they inspire you too.