| | |  | More Books from Amazon | Home » » Creating Your Own Japanese Garden | | | | | | | Description: | | The strong horizontals of bamboo reflected in a dark circle of water; the rhythmic clap of the deer scarer; the contemplative beauty of waves created in sand: combinations of nature and art that soothe and uplift the spirit. Your vision of a Japanese garden need not be confined to Japan. Here is a fully comprehensive guiide which will enable you to capture in your home or office environment the elusive spirit of the Japanese garden-no matter where you live.
The author, a Japanese landscape architect who has been living and designing Japanese gardens in the West for many years, will show you step by-step how to accomplish this ideal utilizing your own special environment and using materials which are readily available in the West. Since moving to the UK in 1974, the author has designed and created many Japanese gardens, from small private gardens to large public spaces of over two acres. It is from this direct experience that he draws the material for this book. The step-by-step instructions are easy-to-follow, and also included are many drawings and photographs to illustrate the points that are made.
"Many books on Japanese gardens can be found in bookstores and libraries, but most do not take into account the different environments found outside Japan nor the diverse materials available worldwide. They tend either to be translations of books written by Japanese landscape architects and gardeners living and working in Japan, or books written by those who visit Japan to research the gardens, with the intention of introducing them to the rest of the world... These books are ideal for learning about the history and appearance of Japanese gardens, but lack the practical advice necessary for constructing your own garden.. .I believe that as the interest in and understanding of Japanese culture continues to spread, so will the popularity of and desire for Japanese gardens. I hope that this book will give pleasure to all those of you who, like me, are captivated by the gardens of Japan, and that it will help you to create a garden of your own that you can enjoy day after day." | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Takashi Sawano | | Hardcover:
| 120 pages | | Publisher:
| Japan Publications Trading | | Publication Date:
| December 01, 1999 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 087040962X | | Product Width:
| 217.0 centimeters | | Product Height:
| 257.0 centimeters | | Product Weight:
| 1.51 pounds | | Package Length:
| 10.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 8.6 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.25 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 10 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 10 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
240 of 245 found the following review helpful:
 The easy way to have your own Japanese garden!Jan 26, 2000
By Saskia Lichtenstern
I've always wanted to have my own Japanese garden but whenever I bought a book on the subject it was just too complicated and complex to understand. Takashi Sawano has managed to write a book for those of us who aren't born gardeners! It's easy to understand and now I have a fabulous Japanese garden that all my friends rave about. I really can't recommend this book enough. If you want an authentic Japanese garden that looks like it's straight out of Japan then buy this book and you can do it all on your own!
39 of 39 found the following review helpful:
Interesting, even for non-gardenersApr 11, 2005
By Tony Hughes
"stellarossa, From Fear to Flattery author"
I think of this book as Japanese Gardening for Dummies. I'm not a particularly experienced gardender however I was able to follow how and what I should do to create my Japanese garden and, just as importantly for me, why I should do this.
Other books may provide more history but if your aim is to build a Japanese garden, this may be the book for you.
25 of 26 found the following review helpful:
A practical yet beautiful guide. Indispensable.May 14, 2006
By Frances Crawford
Like many others I have long craved the simplistic beauty & calming ambience of japanese garden design thinking I could neither afford bringing in professionals nor summon the skill to execute one myself........then i bought this book. Using Mr Sawano's expert guidance & exquisite knowledge to easily lead me through my own design project i have created my very own dream garden. I have loved every minute of the process -so much so that I have even volunteered to make over my friends garden for him!! The books still sits proudly on my coffee table, but even better is that through my window I have the real thing to enjoy. I am so looking forward to my first summer with it.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Informative, specific, but ultimately not what I was looking forSep 17, 2007
By Julie C.
I think this a good book for someone ready to start digging now to create their Japanese garden, someone who knows exactly what they want to do. The beginning of the book was interesting, and provided good information about and reasons for the different elements of a Japanese garden - such as water, stone lanterns, bridges, and plantings.
I was hoping for a little more inspiration through photographs and seeing more examples of gardens people have created. This book gets down to the step-by-step details of building fences and dry riverbeds for example.
The book does have a nice materials/plant/planting guide in the back which I took a few notes from. But I'm in a brainstorming phase with my garden not the brass tacks phase, so I did return the book and will look into a book that is more photography-based and example-based, than how-to.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Good book to get good ideasAug 16, 2007
By Michael Lynch
"Mykel"
After reading this book most of the way through, I thought it provided a lot of good information. My intention was not necessarily to design a true Japanese garden but wanted to create a garden and atmosphere that reflects the feeling and general appearance of a Japanese garden while still maintaining my herb and vegetable garden. The book gave a lot of pictures that were helpful to create that atmosphere in an American environment. Most if not all of the design elements were explained as to why and how they help to create the desired effect. Additionally there was a full chapter that described the history behind Japanese gardens, and I found that very helpful. Since reading that chapter I have picked up and English translation of the books described in that chapter. I felt this book was really helpful and plan to use it to landscape my backyard.
One thing to keep in mind, is this is not a step by step how to book. It is designed mostly to give you an overview and an understanding of what elements to use, and how to use them.
See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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