A Guide to the Gardens of Kyoto

by Marc Treib, Ron Herman

Designed for the layman as well as the professional, this concise yet comprehensive guide provides both practical information and theoretical insights into the design of the Japanese garden. Kyoto, the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, possesses a richness of garden art without
equal as a living chronicle of Japanese cultural history and environmental design. Following the introductory essays are individual entries for more than fifty temple and palace gardens. The text is augmented by an excellent selection of photographs, historical prints, maps and color plates.

202 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2003

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was well laid out and useful.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Encyclopedic if a trifle dry -- just about every garden in Kyoto has an entry with all the pertinent information, layout, opening hours, etc. One feature that I did like was that fact that the gardens are grouped by region so that it's easier to put together a tour of several places fairly easily using this book. I would have liked more discussion of the underlying aesthetic -- there's an introductory chapter that lays the groundwork, but it's a little theoretical. I didn't feel I really had an understanding of what I was seeing at times and wished for more guidance in that respect. Perhaps that's an unreasonable expectation, however, given the subtlety of Japanese philosophy/aesthetics and the depth and complexity of historical development.