One of our employees (let's just call him Jack) recently visited Japan for a high school excursion.

He was pretty excited about this trip. It was his whole reason for working for us on weekends and after school - to be able to save enough money to help him get to Japan.

We gave Jack a little side project for his trip and that was to take as many photographs as he could of "ordinary" Japanese gardens, of streetscapes and some public parks. We wanted to see what real Japanese gardens were like, not the gardens you see in glossy books that are hundreds of years old.

Jack came back with hundreds of photos (He's keen this kid) which we narrowed down to the few that follow. He agreed that they were fairly representive of all that he saw.

A Park simply full of sculptured Pine Trees and grass.

 

A city streetscape- neat and tidy

Small shrines were everywhere filling out of the way places.

The backyard of Jack's first host family home in the city - very cramped.

 

A garden that is more like what we would expect to see, shot out the window of a bus on the way to Mt. Fuji

 

Tokyo Streetscape.

 

Jack had lots of images like this one. Small gardens tucked wherever there was a strip of soil. Usually containing rocks, trimmed shrubs and conifers with bonsai-like form.

 

Japan has ugly carparks in the suburbs too - not a tree in sight. 

 

Another narrow footpath garden.

 

Hanging baskets in a shopping centre in Fujisawa.

A pretty rural scene- rice fields at Fujisawa.

 

Jack's second host family lived out of the city and had enough space for a garden. Much time is spent triming shrubs and trees to shape. Note there is no mulch used on any garden beds.

  We had to get in one tourist photo. This is a Tori Gate at Miyajima. Thanks for your efforts Jack in showing us some of the real Japan.