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The opportunity to go to Japan to study gardening is the penultimate dream of many horticulture professionals. This past November, I had the honor of joining a dozen peers from across the United States and Australia on a whirlwind tour of the gardens of Tokyo and Kyoto organized by the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) with support from the Chanticleer Foundation. The garden tours were led by leading experts Dr. Makoto Suzuki during our time exploring Tokyo and Reiko Yasul Reavis in Kyoto. 

 

Our immersive experience included opportunities to meet with the gardeners and horticulturists that are responsible for maintaining and preserving the design intent of some of the most influential gardens in Japan. The overall commitment to craftsmanship was universal during our visit. Watching gardeners make their own rakes using split bamboo, creating elaborate snow and ice barriers for evergreens from handmade rope, and spending countless hours meticulously removing needles from high in the canopies of black and red pines were only a few of the awe-inspiring techniques we witnessed firsthand.

 

During the formal tour, we visited nearly 20 gardens and cultural institutions. We traversed some of the historic gardens of Tokyo including Koishikawa Korakuen, Rikugein, Hama-rikyu Gardens, and the Imperial Palace grounds. We were visiting at the tail end of the Chrysanthemum bloom and caught the early stages of fall color in Tokyo. One of the signatures of these gardens was the commitment to structural pruning where larger specimens of pines were sculpted by the manual reduction of needles and the training of every branch. Our guide, Dr. Makoto Suzuki, Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture at the Tokyo NODAI, shared the history of each garden, how its design has evolved, and introduced us to the teams of landscape and nursery professionals that are responsible for maintaining its integrity. Making landscape decisions that build upon the legacy of gardens and parks that have been enjoyed for and endured for centuries is an incredible honor and challenge. The teams of professionals conducting this work are to be commended for their tireless efforts and commitment.

 

Moving from Tokyo to Kyoto we felt an immediate change of pace and scale. While many of the gardens we visited in Tokyo were surrounded by skyscrapers and modern architecture creating a surreal juxtaposition, Kyoto felt more like traversing back in time. While it is an incredibly modern city in terms of its infrastructure and transportation, the scale is much more approachable. From the moment we visited our first garden, Murin-an, a hermitage for Yamagata Aritomo in the heart of the historic district, through traversing the inner temple gardens of Kennin-ji, the sense of peace and tranquility was ubiquitous. What set many of these gardens apart during this portion of our tour was the strong Buddhist influence in the organization of planting, the refined and restrained plant palette, and the reverence for nature. Reiko, our guide, is a NAJGA Board Member and was the former Director of the Phoenix Friendship Garden. She provided a contextual understanding of how craftsmanship and the commitment to the preservation of the garden arts was remaining relevant in the new millennium. I was nearly brought to tears while getting a chance to sit at the arcade at the world renowned Royanji Temple. To see the patina in the walls that surround the gravel gardens glisten with dew and witness the pride of their caretakers painstakingly remove fallen foliage using extended versions of landscape chopsticks was a profound experience. The garden tour culminated in a reception with professionals from the Nursery and Landscape Industry, where we had the honor of meeting with many of the top landscape design/build firms that are working internationally to share their knowledge of traditional techniques. Despite being half a world away, we share many of the same challenges which were shared over sushi, pizza, and a bit of sake too!

 

The study experience has dramatically influenced my career aspirations and deepened my appreciation for our profession. The best part of the NAJGA Tour was being able to have a shared experience with professionals from our industry and I encourage any of you interested in Japanese Garden Design and Techniques to look into future workshops, tours, and conferences.