Japanese Garden Notes: A Visual Guide to Elements and Design

by Marc Peter Keane

"The undisputed American master of Japanese garden scholars.”— New York Times , Dominique Browning Matching some 400 color photographs to brief, informed observations, renowned garden designer Marc Peter Keane walks us through 100 Japanese gardens, stopping along the way to note essential elements of design, technique, and culture. Covering everything from large-scale aspects of space and balance to subtle elements that are often overlooked, this is an innovative, stunningly visual guide for planning and inspiration. Landscape architect and author Marc Peter Keane lived in Kyoto, Japan, for nearly 20 years and specializes in Japanese garden design. He lives in Ithaca, New York.

Genres: Gardening, Japan

296 pages, Hardcover

Published April 3, 2017

Reviews

[Saman Usman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book, each pictures stirs something inside you and makes you want to escape into the Japanese Gardens shown in the book. It is a very easy to read book that explains some of the ideologies and theories that shape the artistic nature of Japanese Gardens. The way the concepts are explained are easy to grasp because each one will come with 3-4 pictures as examples. I learnt the significance of stone lanterns in Japapnese Gardening, how stepping stones can change the pace of the person walking on them, and how tiny pebbles can be used to resemble a waterfall or riverbed. I needed inspiration for my front yard and from this book I got plenty.

[Catherine Pawasarat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lived in Kyoto for 20 years and studied the famous gardens while there. I found Marc Keane's book a treasury of all the philosophy behind the gardens' creation, and the wonderful details that make them magical. It's a fine learning tool as well as a reference for those who already know about Japanese gardens. Books on Japanese culture can often get burdensome in their history and detail, but this is very pleasant to read through, visually delightful, and full of information yet light at the same time. Kudos to the author/designer. I'm using it now as a reference to create a Japanese garden in the B.C. Rocky Mountains, and grateful for it.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds a walk in a garden. Slowly turning the pages you have the opportunity to look at several garden features or landscapes, and read short text passages that let you focus on specific details.
As soon as I finished reading it, I wanted to start from the beginning, and read it again.
This is my second book on Japanese Garden design. It is quiet different from other books I browsed on this topic. It doesn't replace them, but at the same time it could be the only book I would like to have on my garden book shelf.

[Stela Idrizi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. I loved that it wasn't a guide on how to do it yourself but rather a gallery of different characteristics that you can find. I learned a lot and want to add this book to my library to re-read it occasionally.