Each Japanese garden is unique in its design, and most Japanese gardens are designed in a very singular way, but using common elements that are traditional in Japanese design. The most common elements that are considered for Japanese garden design are rock, water, plants and ornaments. In Japanese garden design, each of these serves a specific purpose.
Rock is considered the foundation of the garden. In Japanese garden design, great care is taken in laying out the stones and the rest of the garden will follow this form. Tall, vertical stones may be used, or long stones may be laid on their sides, arching stone pillars and reclining rocks are all used to contribute to the design. Then stepping stones and rock pathways are formed. Since these rocks have meaning in traditional Japanese garden design, the placement of each stone and rock is crucial. But we may just place them where they look best.
Water is another critical element of the design of the garden. It may really be water, such as a pond or a waterfall, or it may just be suggestive of water, such as stones raked in such a way as to resembel a stream. If you use real water running the water over surfaces such as stone, will add a peaceful sound, and create serenity. The Japanese view water as symbolic of time passing, so it is an important feature of a contemplative garden.
The actual plants in a Japanese garden are secondary to the importance of stone in the garden. But they are crucial to the design and must complement it. They must harmonize with the stone and their placement must be well thought out to do so. Bamboo and Japanese maples are often used, but the kind of plant you use is not as critical as the harmonious placement. Some easy to use and place plants are ornamental grasses, evergreens and many deciduous trees.
The next element is ornamentation. Ornaments are not focal points, but merely serve to enhance the critical elements of the garden such as rock and water. Therefore, they are strategically placed to accent a bridge, a stream or a stone in the garden. You will find lanterns, shallow basins or small sculptures in the garden. A Japanese garden will be situated as to take advantage of surrounding features. For instance, an opening in a gate may frame a distant tree or mountain, or a stone stream may be placed to appear as if it is meandering off into a faraway shore.
By: Andrew Caxton
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Filed under Home And Family by on Nov 14th, 2010. 
If you grow roses you’ve probably seen Japanese beetles. These beautiful but destructive bugs are found across the US and beyond, and some gardeners have to go to great lengths to protect their cherished roses from these persistent creatures.
Japanese beetles are small, shiny insects with coppery brown bodies, white tufts of hair on their undersides, and green heads. Japanese beetle grubs can be found under grass by slicing through the turf with a shovel and lifting the sod up. Look around the roots of the grass for greyish white “C”s with brown heads. If you haven’t guessed already, the juvenile grubs can do pretty bad damage to your lawn while the adults are busy munching on your roses.
Though they are beautiful creatures in their own right, Japanese beetles spell disaster for roses. Adult beetles fly in and first eat flower buds and flowers, then the leaves. They can ruin an otherwise perfect bunch of rose blooms within a day of their arrival. They are mainly attracted to yellow and pastel-colored roses, but they will eat any rose they find.
If any children or pets play in the area where your roses are planted, use only organic methods of removal. Do this by applying Milky Spore Disease to your lawn (where grubs feed) over a course of three years. Milky Spore Disease is widely available at garden centers. It is a bacteria that primarily kills the beetle grubs, and it can minimize the damage from all kinds of grubs, not just Japanese beetles. It will not harm pets or humans and is a good way to knock out a lot of beetles without doing too much harm to the beneficial bugs in your garden.
Another preventative measure is to dig up the soil around your plants as deeply as possible in the fall. To rid your bush of adults, place a tarp around the base of your bush early in the morning when the beetles are lethargic, and shake vigorously. You can also pluck them off by hand. Kill the removed beetles by dropping them in soapy or salty water. You may also try planting geraniums nearby — the beetles are attracted to the flowers but will die when they eat the leaves. Do not use pheromone-laced traps to try to control your beetle population; the traps will only attract more beetles to your garden.
For chemical Japanese beetle control, use Diazinon in early spring and/or Merit mid-summer to kill nearly all the grubs. Sevin will kill adult beetles. Time the use of insecticides carefully and follow all the instructions on the labels. This is definitely a case where more is not better. If you do not get all the beetles on your first dose you can usually apply a second treatment about ten days later, but only if the insecticide’s instructions say it is okay.
Some gardeners have had good luck skipping the insecticides entirely, and just hire a few children and pay them a quarter or so for every Japanese beetle they kill. Depending on the group of children, this can be either wildly effective or nearly as hard on the roses as the beetles would have been.
By: Katie Hoffman
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Filed under Home And Family by on Nov 13th, 2010.
Japanese porcelain and pottery have been loved ever since the early days of the 1600’s when their popularity started to stretch out far beyond eastern Japan’s kilns. Soon after battles in the region of China, Korea, and Japan, lots of Korean pottery experts had been relocated to southeastern Japan and the invention of fine porcelain was made.
A white clay called Kaolin was first discovered there and was used in slip to design pottery that had several superior properties. The richness of the white coloring and it’s durability made this a very sought product that was intended for ceremonial tea services, statues, dinnerware, and decorative vases of all shapes and sizes.
Just before 1650, more than just conventional blue and white pottery began to be created. Colors such as green, purples, red, and bright yellow were added along with enhancements of precious metals including gold. The adding of enamel became a stunning addition to the stark white colored porcelain that has been the hallmark of the porcelains beauty.
Due to travel and trading, Europe became very captivated for just about all things from Japan and China. Animals and birds or beautiful painted scenes of the Asian landscape were sold to Europe. The palaces of queens and kings housed many items of the amazingly decorated porcelain and also the general public grew to become every bit as fascinated with the oriental region that they had seen via it’s pottery.
With regards to age, the most ancient Japanese Imari is known as Sometsuke. The subsequent, and much more bright colored items, are called Iroe. There was a major difference in painting and the method employed between the two types. Sometsuke was a Cobalt blue style decorated straight on to bisque, glazed, and then fired as an underglaze design. Iroe pieces are glazed porcelain decorated after this firing technique then fired again for over glazes. Golden gilding usage made extra firing essential simply because gold has a lower melting temperature. Great superior porcelain pieces had been, and continue to be, valued possibly due to age, the application of paint, or the two, in some instances.
Knowing several Kanji marks to get familiarized with time frames the pottery has been produced can help to find genuine items from copies. Handling the real thing and holding them can give you a good sense for the weight, depth of colors, and different textures. The bottom part on the items might not simply include maker’s marks if they has been stilted when it was fired. Most pottery pieces have legs or even a base without glaze to them, so stilting ended up being not needed. This may make a far more precious item or piece.
Japanese exporting of such a stunning porcelain grew to become very fashionable that inferior quality pieces and copies have also been made practically since the start. Experience about the qualities, colorations, and elaborate designs, would let anyone to have better choice on the authenticity about Imari porcelain and pottery.
By: Tao Schencks
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Filed under Home And Family by on Nov 12th, 2010.
Japanese gardens are becoming popular and more gardens in the States are trying to have one part of them turned into a Japanese garden. In this Japanese gardening article, you are going to learn 3 types of Japanese garden styles which is very important for the planning of such gardens.
You should know about the meaning of each types of garden because you would not want to spoil the theme of your whole garden. Let me get down and dirty to explain three of them to you.
When people talk about Japanese garden styles, people will start imagining about small gardens without much flowers. Yes, this is the most popular style but the truth is, true Japanese gardens take up a lot of space. The small one that we always hear of will be the courtyard garden.
Courtyard gardens have only a few features but to be simple is the key here. The purpose of having little features is to promote serenity and peace when you walk into the area. It does not aim to cause confusion and thus, a small water feature. a miniature tree and a few plants will be enough for a courtyard garden.
Japanese gardening also includes a style of garden called tea garden. Again, flowers should be nowhere to be seen in this garden style. It usually consists of an outer and an inner garden. The inner garden will be the place where you find a small hut designated for tea ceremonies. You do need to keep in mind that the term “tea garden” does not mean that you need to have tea plants planted in the garden. It is only named that way because the garden is used for tea ceremonies.
Another style of Japanese garden that is popular in Japan itself is the pond and island garden. Yes, it does require a lot of place to create such a breathtaking masterpiece. You may not have the space for it but you can always incorporate the style into your garden. If you can accommodate a pond in your garden, try planting some water lilies and rear some Japanese Koi fish the pond.
For the plants, you can have some perennials and some decorating features just to turn your visitors’ attention to the pond. It is always nice to plant a big tree beside a pond because I am sure living creatures in there require a shade. The flows of water and the chirping of birds from the pond and island garden will definitely mix into your own relaxation tune.
By: Ricky Paulson
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Filed under Home And Family by on Sep 14th, 2010.
I find Japanese gardens fascinating, I have visited Japan twice once in 1998 and again in 2002. Japanese gardens are simple yet amazing, I particularly like the small Japanese gardens and this is what I am going to be writing about here.
There are a few basic ideas that you need to follow. Japanese gardens are very much about nature and a natural looking garden is considered to be the ‘ideal’ garden. Would you see a square pond in nature? I don’t think so! So don’t add one to your small Japanese garden. You should never create or add something to your garden that nature its self cannot.
Rocks are one of the most common things used in Japanese gardens especially the smaller ones. They are simple, natural and can be really effective. Sand is also commonly used along with a range of wild plants.
I love how the Japanese feel that they have to separate there small garden from the outside world. I don’t know why but this concept really fascinates me.
There are basically 5 types of components that should be included in small Japanese gardens.
Rock or Ishi – As I said above rocks are the foundations of Japanese gardens. Stones used are often tall, wide or arched in a natural looking way, this gives depth to the garden.
Water or Mizu – Water is calming and is a great way to make the garden look natural. The Japanese say water is supposed to remind us of the relentless passage of time.
Plants or Shokobutsu – Plants do play a secondary role to rocks and water in Japanese gardens unlike gardens from other cultures. Like water plants are said to have a meaning in Japanese gardens which is to remind us of each and every season passing away.
Ornaments or Tenkebutsu – lanterns are often used in Japanese gardens particularly smaller Japanese gardens. These ornaments add an added interest to traditional Japanese gardens.
Borrowed or Shakkei – This is usually something from outside the garden. The Japanese say it can be things from far, near, high or low.
That is the basic concepts that the Japanese use to create there small Japanese gardens. If you have a small garden which is in a sunny location I highly recommend that you look into making a Japanese garden. They are something really different!
By: Simon Newman
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Filed under Home And Family by on Sep 2nd, 2010.
Japanese porcelain dolls are available in a wide range of sizes, ages, and dress. Although some antique Japanese porcelain dolls are created of fine crushed oyster shells, each one holds a unique and fascinating story.
Japanese Porcelain Doll Styles
Geisha porcelain dolls are typically found in traditional dress and makeup, wearing brightly colored silk kimonos, often with accessories like a traditional fan. Small child porcelain dolls can be found wearing short sets, or more traditional clothing. There are porcelain dolls representing every age, and time period of Japanese history. With the wide variety of Japanese porcelain dolls available, it is impossible to have one of every type. Many Japanese porcelain dolls are completed with real hair to authenticate their look, and provide for a more realistic appearance. The realistic appearance and the attention to detail in the crafting of the Japanese porcelain doll is a tribute to the people of Japan.
Japanese Geisha Porcelain Dolls
The ancient Geisha was known as a performer, an entertainer and was held in very high esteem. She traditionally received many years of training, sometimes beginning at birth. The Geisha porcelain doll is often found posed in a move from one of the traditional dances. Other Japanese porcelain Geisha dolls can be found seated or standing. She demonstrates the grace and beauty of ancient Geisha. The Japanese porcelain Geisha doll often comes with accessories such as a traditional fan, small musical instrument, or flowers to demonstrate the elegance and esteem of these women. The popularity of the Japanese porcelain Geisha doll can also be linked to her colorful dress. The clothing of the Japanese porcelain geisha doll is typically a silk kimono adorned with a floral or dragon print. Her hair and makeup are crafted to complete the look of the traditional Geisha.
Japanese Samurai Porcelain Dolls
The Japanese Samurai also are portrayed as porcelain dolls. This Japanese Samurai porcelain doll is as true to tradition as is the porcelain Geisha. He is dressed in a detailed silk costume, and may come with a range of accessories from a shield for personal protection, to a traditional samurai sword, to protect his family.
Friendship Dolls
In 1929, the United States sent over 12,000 blue eyed dolls to Japan in gesture of good will. These dolls were even sent with a special passport. Japan, in return, sent 58 hand-made Japanese porcelain dolls to the United States. These dolls became known as Friendship dolls. While some of the friendship dolls have been lost over the years, most still exist and can be found on display around the country. The Japanese porcelain doll is collected by adults and children, by boys and girls.
Displaying Japanese Porcelain Dolls
The wealthiest families only display their dolls on festival days. Children are not allowed to touch them, only to look because Japanese porcelain dolls are considered works of art, like a sculpture. Many attribute the Japanese porcelain doll with thoughts and feelings, almost a life of their own. The Japanese porcelain doll is best displayed in a glass case to protect her from dust, dirt, and grime. She needs to have a calm background, such as a piece of brown, black or tan cloth. The Japanese porcelain doll’s clothing is very striking and colorful and will stand out to perfection with a calm background. Placing the Japanese porcelain doll on a background busy with other things will diminish the beauty of her traditional dress.
The wide variety of Japanese porcelain dolls available makes any collection incomplete without one. They are made with such a fine attention to detail and come in such a wide variety of shapes and sizes you could collect Japanese porcelain dolls for years and never find the same one twice.
By: Patrick Cannon
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Filed under Home And Family by on Sep 2nd, 2010.
If you’ve grown a container garden or two but want to advance your gardening and decorating skills, Japanese garden design is the way to go. This ancient form of garden design was created to promote peace and tranquility. You can be relaxing in your own paradise in no time by including these 5 key ingredients in your garden.
Moss. Adding plants like tufted moss to your garden makes the space look like a retreat, and allows you to focus on relaxing and renewing your strength. You can put the moss at the entryway and throughout the sides of the garden for a welcoming but secluded feel.
Stone lantern. A Japanese stone lantern will make a space look mysterious and alluring. You may even want to put a few hanging baskets around the lantern to bring more attention to the plants. A container herb garden would look nice around the lantern as well. The lantern not only helps to conserve energy, but gives your Japanese garden design a warm, exotic look.
‘Planting’ other gardens. Even though your container garden or organic seed plants may be the focus of your garden, you can also include other gardens in the scenery to make your Japanese garden design complete. A sand garden is great if you’ve planting things like cactus or bonsai trees and a Zen stone garden goes well with any plants in your garden. These gardens offer special places within your new space for reflection and meditation.
A tea house. This can be a small house or building within your garden where you can go to spend time alone or to interact with loved ones in a peaceful environment. The windows in your tea house should be facing other peaceful scenes in the garden, such as the Japanese lantern or the Zen rock garden, so that even while you are inside you can experience the tranquility of the entire garden. You can even bring some of your container plants into the teahouse-things like lavender flowers and aloe vera plants will add to the atmosphere nicely and you can use these plants for medicinal purposes as well.
A bamboo fountain.
Read more on Japanese Garden Design – 5 Simple Steps to Create a Magnificent Japanese Garden!…
Filed under Home And Family by on Aug 26th, 2010.
Amigurumi sounds like the title of a foreign movie, yet in reality, this type of entertainment has nothing to do with the film industry. Composed from the Japanese words ‘ami’ (crochet, knit or braid) and ‘nuigurumi’ (sew and wrap), Amigurumi is a pastime many crafters worldwide enjoy.
Although it is unclear when Amigurumi was first practiced, the technique has been around for many centuries. Was it invented in China or Japan, nobody exactly knows. The only thing that can really be confirmed is that these cute knitted or crocheted dolls suddenly became a smash hit in the 1970s. Almost overnight, characters like ‘Hello Kitty’ popped, up and stirred up a craze that has lasted till this day.
While first only popular in Japan, the passion for these delightful miniatures has now taken over the world. Almost daily, new Amigurumi designs are being created and bundled into many pattern books. Children love to play with these small dolls, which, by the way, also make great gifts, while adults tend to collect them. To them, it is a challenge to create their own designs, mix up the colors, and add more detail to existing patterns. They will even try to imitate the models they found in foreign books or on websites with instructions written in a language they don’t even understand. It is a passion they just cannot resist.
The Japanese art of crocheting small animals or collectibles is a bit different from the way Western cultures make their toys. In Amigurumi the dolls are crocheted in rounds, spiraling up and never joining. Once the body part has been finished, embellishments are made. All the parts are stuffed and meticulously sewn together.
While there are many crocheted playthings on the market, it is easy to distinguish which ones are Amigurumi, and which ones are not. Just look for an over-sized round head, a funky cylindrical body, adorable limbs, nose, ears, and imaginative embellishments. Some even have a tail. Decorations are usually made in felt, but other materials can also be used. What you use will be a matter of taste, but remember, do not stray off too far from the typical characteristics. If you do, your work may not be recognized as real Amigurumi, and that would be a shame!
By: Irida Sangemino
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Filed under Home And Family by on Aug 12th, 2010.
When you think of a Koi pond, what comes to mind? For many, it is a serene Japanese water garden full of large Koi fish swimming lazily through the water. If this is your idea of the perfect pond, keep reading. Below you will find tips and tricks to building a Japanese water garden, and making the Koi pond of your dreams.
Silence is Golden
One of the most important elements to a Japanese water garden is the noise level. You want your pond and surrounding areas to be as quiet and tranquil as possible. Building your pond away from noisy neighbors, busy streets, and playing children is usually a good idea. If you don’t have the acreage to create such a space, you can use natural elements such as plants and boulders to create an intimate space that blocks out the noisy surroundings.
Choose the right Decorations
Japanese water gardens are known for their decorative elements. Spend some time searching for pictures of these gardens, so that you can have a better idea of what you want for your own space. There are many pond supply stores that specialize in Japanese water garden design, so you should have no trouble finding items to fit your theme. Items like bamboo, dwarf pines, stone lanterns, boulders, stepping stones, etc., will all help create the feeling of being in Japan.
High stone walls, bamboo screens, and weathered wood are all great building elements. You can use them to design walkways, bridges, and seating areas.
Getting Started
Once you have a good idea of what you want in your Japanese water garden, it’s time to create a plan of action. You will want to begin by sketching out the general layout for your pond. If you plan to raise Koi, there are certain elements that must be present in order to sustain your fish. Many of the elements, such as waterfalls and drainage can be designed to fit the Japanese water garden theme.
Designing a small island in the middle of the pond in which to house a lantern is a classic Japanese water garden design trick that has a lot of impact. A shelter of some sort is also common place, and provides homeowners with a sanctuary in which to enjoy their garden. Lastly, you will want to decide where you want to plan bushes and other plants. Chances are, this will continue to grow and evolve over the life of your pond, but it is important to decide early on what you want it to “eventually” look like.
By: Michele Miller
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Read more on Japanese Water Gardens – Tips For Building a Japanese Water Garden…
Filed under Home And Family by on Jul 23rd, 2010.
If you are a seasoned gardener, you may have already heard, or maybe even using, Japanese gardening tools. To those who do not know what Japanese gardening tools are, these are equipment used to grow beautiful plants and other produce.
As Japanese gardening is significantly different from your regular gardening, you will need a special set of tools to manage a Japanese garden. Before you go ahead and start digging the soil in your backyard to grow this type of garden, you must know get familiar with the various tools that you need and where to get them.
Since it is not your average kind of gardening, only a few retailers sell Japanese gardening tools. We have here a couple of companies that aim to provide every gardener with a wide selection of equipment needed to tend a Japanese garden.
Dieter Schmid
A trusted retailer of Japanese gardening tools is Dieter Schmid. You can choose from a vast selection of equipment, from Japanese pruning shears, Ikebana shears, bonsai shears, and hedge shears to garden choppers, knob cutters, leather sheaths, and many more.
Stone Lantern
Another great company to check out for Japanese gardening tools is Stone Lantern. They have a complete set of equipment needed to grow a Japanese garden. Their products are high in quality but low in price. One set of products that separate Stone Lantern’s products from the rest is their ergonomic gardening tools. These items
are carefully designed to be easy on the hands.
Stone Lantern’s shelves are also filled with a long array of books, magazines, and journals about how managing a Japanese garden.
Useful Tips
You must be aware that traditional Japanese equipment are not stainless, therefore they require extra care to make them last. It does not matter where you purchase your Japanese gardening tools so long as they are authentic ones, you just have to make sure that you take good care of your possessions so that they can serve your for many years to come.
By: Yap Shirley
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Filed under Home And Family by on Jul 23rd, 2010.