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Japan Gallery

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Private tea garden in Dazaifu.
Camphor trees (Cinnamomum camphora) at Dazaifu Tenmangu.
Prunus mume and Prunus serrulata at Dazaifu Tenmangu.
Hamamelis x intermedia at Dazaifu Tenmangu.
Eurya japonica, one of the sacred plants of shintoist Japan.
A stately Cinnamomum camphora at Dazaifu Tenmangu.
Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto.
The Golden Pavilion.
Bamboo gate at Kinkaku-ji.
Sasa veitchii.
Daphne odora f. alba.
Pieris japonica 'Rosea'.
The lake at Tenryu-ji Garden.
Vernacular labelling on moss at Tenryu-ji.
Gardeners at work at Tenryu-ji.
Traditional bamboo fence in Kyoto.
Chaenomeles speciosa.
Rhododendron, Magnolia and Hamamelis welcome the spring.
Karesansui (dry landscape garden) at Ryoan-ji.
Kiyomizu Dera.
Kiyomizu Dera, detail of the balustrade.
Edgeworthia chrysantha along the Philosopher's Walk, Kyoto.
Edgeworthia chrysantha, close-up on the inflorescence.
Wooden poles are used to support and maintain old trees. Gyoen Garden, Kyoto.
Native Rhododendron sp. in northern Kyushu.
Aralia japonica leafing out at the end of the winter.
Weigela florida, an old Victorian favourite.
Chionanthus retusus, the Chinese fringe tree, should be seen more often.
Bletilla striata, an useful hardy orchid.
Fuji-dana, the traditional wisteria pergola (here at Yanagawa).
A colossal specimen of Wisteria floribunda (Yanagawa).
Cycas revoluta bed at Yanagawa.
Aesculus turbinata as a street tree in Fukuoka.
Rhododendron kaemperi by the Manga Museum, Kyoto.
Entrance ticket of Kyoto Botanical Garden.
Echium wildpretii at Kyoto Botanical Gardens.
Pinus thunbergii, male pollen cones.
Pinus thunbergii, immature female seed cones.
Trunk of Pinus thunbergii carefully protected from the elements.
This is me at the famous karesansui (dry landscape garden) of Ryoan-ji.
Serissa japonica 'Variegated Pink', a Japanese specialty in the Rubiaceae family.
Iris pseudacorus, a popular cosmopolitan marginal plant.
Skillful thinning on Pinus densiflora.
Podocarpus macrophyllus, just about developing the young male cones.
Houttonia cordata is one interesting native wildflower.
Cornus hongkongensis, a very popular evergreen dogwood in Japan.
Attractive bracteate inflorescences of Cornus hongkongensis.
Ikebana arragement in the Acros Building, Fukuoka.
A Japanese gardener at work (with an hand-made mosquito smoker).
A fruiting branch of Mallotus japonicus.
Rhapis excelsa, a palm vastly used for domestic gardening.
Rhapis excelsa, fibrous sheaths.
Vaccinium virgatum (the rabbiteye blueberry), showing the characteristic successional stages of fruiting.
Rice planting in Chikushino.
Canna indica, naturalised in the Japanese landscape.
Zelkova serrata pruned in the tamazukuri style.
Mahonia confusa, a relatively recent introduction to Japanese horticulture.
Podocarpus macrophyllus pruned in the kaizukuri style.
Clethra barbinervis.
Buxus microphylla var. japonica.
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Hydrangea macrophylla is one of the quintessentially Japanese plants.
The complex inflorescence of Hydrangea macrophylla.
Native Sedum species carpeting an ancient stone wall at Fukuoka Castle.
Shibataea kumasaca is a very useful groundcover.
Nature is notoriously not forgiving in Japan. Large parks are often designated shelter areas in case of calamity.
Ginkgo female seeds (ginnan) are used in the Japanese cuisine.
The elements of a Japanese gardens: structural trees (niwaki), stones, topiary (karikomi), water and a borrowed scenery (shakkei).
Japanese gardener at work (equipped with his mosquito smoker).
Toro lanterns are utilitarian, as well as decorative features.
Shibataea kumasaca adorning a Henry Moore's statue just out of Hakata train station.
Rice paddy fields in Kyushu, southern Japan.
Old venerable trees are protected from the elements.
Epiphytic ferns on Pinus thunbergii.
Pueraria montana var. lobata is one of the most aggressive climbers. Educated here.
Ophiopogon japonicus used as an edge plant.
Pinus Densiflora is the aka matsu, the Japanese red pine.
Cherry trees and their supporting structures at Heian Jingu Shrine, Kyoto.
Saururus chinensis is among the few marginal plants permitted within the Japanese gardens.
Saururus chinensis, close-up.
Sculptural bark of Lagerstroemia indica. So wabi-sabi!
Pond stepping stones are playful elements in the Japanese stroll gardens (here Heian Jingu Shrine).
The beautiful bark of Acer palmatum var. sanguineum.
Campsis grandiflora flowers during elections' time.
Acer palmantum var. sanguineum Is one of the first maples to colour in summer.
A well-tended specimen of Pinus thunbergii.
Splints, supports and guy ropes training a young Pinus thunbergiii.
Osmanthus insularis... Unfortunately I didn't get the flowers this time!
Nelumbo nucifera and koi carps are among the sacred living things in the Japanese gardens.
Phyllostachis bambusoides in its natural and artificial appearence.
Cleyera japonica is a sacred plant in the shinto religion.
Gnarled wood, bends, supports: all very wabi-sabi.
Moss is fragile and has to be left undisturbed.
Only the gardeners are allowed to step in and carry on the fiddly weeding on moss.
Dry gardening and Pinus parviflora at Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto.
The ever-present Cryptomeria japonica.
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora was introduced in the Meiji Era and is now naturalised.
Rhododendron makinoi, named after the famous Japanese botanist.
Characteristic indumentum on Rhododendron makinoi.
A lovely specimen of Sarcandra glabra, in a buddist cemetery.
Equisetum hyemale is used in both traditional courtyard gardens (tsuboniwa) and modern domestic spaces.
Phyllostachys nigra is a favourite plant of landscape architects.
Zoysia japonica is the lawn grass of choice in central and southern Japan.
Tapestry of lights and shades on moss (Polytrichum commune).
Polytrichum commune, the most used moss in the Japanese gardens.
Venerable specimen of Cleyera japonica.
Cleyera japonica, bark.
Cleyera japonica, a stage between flower and fruit.
Karesansui Hojo Garden at Tofuku-ji.
Karesansui Hojo Garden at Tofuku-ji.
Tsutenkyo bridge at Tofuku-ji, Kyoto.
Minimalist zen garden at Tofuku-ji, Kyoto.
Dimorphic foliage in Dendropanax trifidus.
Iris pond and the sanmon gate at Tofuku-ji, Kyoto.
Platycodon grandiflorus at Tenkuin Temple, Kyoto.
Chamaecyparis obtusa pruned in the tamazukuri style at Tenkuin Temple, Kyoto.
Hibiscus mutabilis, flower and pollinator.
Myrica rubra (syn. Morella rubra) is the Japanese counterpart of the European Arbutus unedo.
Gardeners pinching out the new buds on Pinus thunbergii. Midoritsumi technique, early- to mid-summer.
Bonsai display at Yusentei Garden.
Lemmaphyllum microphyllum covering a small tree at Yusentei Garden.
Moss, gravel and foliage. A miniaturised landscape
A beautiful specimen of Aralia Japonica in leaf
Ferns, stones, gravel and water.
This small fellow can bite painfully (and does damage on maples).
My friend and
Lycoris aurea bursts briefly in mid to late September.
Annual needle thinning (midoritsumi technique) in progress on Pinus thunbergii.
Liriope muscari is an important matrix plant in the traditional tea gardens of Japan.
Callicarpa Japonica 'Leucocarpa' at Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine.
The entrance pathway of a traditional Japanese garden in Chikushino (Fukuoka).
Lemmaphyllum microphyllum revealing its ferny nature.
Celosia argentea (syn. C. cristata). Al secolo
A rustic scene of modern Japan.
Calliandra tweedii giving a touch of exotic in a domestic garden nearby Dazaifu.
A view of a tsubo-niwa, the traditional courtyard garden in Japan (here by Dazaifu).
Branches of Podocarpus macrophyllus pruned in the monkaburi style on a private gate.
Equisetum hyemale used at the entrance of a Starbucks Coffee Shop In Dazaifu.
View of Suizenji Jojuen, a famous Japanese stroll garden in Kumamoto.
The sculptural use of stones and Pinus thunbergii at Suizenji Jojuen in Kumamoto.
This is me, in a rainy afternoon at the Tsuzuki Gakuen English Garden (Fukuoka, Japan).
Learning on traditional Japanese pruning on maple trees. Sendai, with the
Ixora chinensis at Disney Land gardens in Hong-Kong.
Aucuba japonica growing wild in a mountainous forest in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Bahunia x blakeana is known as the camel foot tree and is floral emblem of Hong-Kong.
The Asian timber bamboo, Phyllostachys bambusoides, used for scaffolding work among the steel and glass giants in Hong-Kong.
Detail of bamboo scaffolding (Phyllostachys bambusoides).
Ixora chinensis in full bloom in early October, In Hong-Kong.
Flowers and fruits of Ficus racemosa, the
Impressive adventitious roots of Ficus microcarpa in a urban park in Hong-Kong.
Ficus microcarpa anchored on a brick wall in Hong-Kong.
Wabi-sabi touch: a pine, a camellia and an azalea all struggling together.
Cryptomeria japonica var. radicans coppiced in the traditional daisugi style.
Daibutsu (Great Buddha) framed by Cryptomeria japonica at Tanjo-ji, Kumamoto Prefecture.
Orthosiphon aristatus,
A branch loaded with persimmons in the remote hills of Amakusa.
Ripening Citrus grandis
Rural landscape in Amakusa, early autumn: rice paddies, vernacular houses, and a majestic persimmon tree.
Lespedeza bicolor almost spent by the summer rain in Amakusa, southern Japan.
Golf is a national passtime in Japan. Ilex integra pays the consequences.
Dahlia imperialis, the tree dahlia.
The poisoned tinge of Toxicodendron succedaneum.
Momiji -gari, a.k.a. Japanese maples hunting.
Branching of the maples trees in the woodland dazzle.
The bamboo grove bows to a stately Ginkgo biloba.
Acer palmatum, the symbol of the Japanese autumn.
Acer palmatum, the symbol of the Japanese autumn.
The architectural pose of Dahlia imperialis, the tree dahlia.
Interesting topiary on Pinus parviflora, the Japanese white pine.
Traditional Japanese house in the mountainous landscape (Yabakei, Oita Prefecture).
Euscaphis japonica, the sweetheart tree (Yabakei Mountains, 1058 mt. asl).
Cornus florida reddening in early November at Kumamoto city park.
Autumn illumination at Komado jinja, outskirts of Dazaifu.
Persicaria capitata hanging from the crevices of a stone wall, near Dazaifu.
Toro lantern at the grounds of Tenmangu shrine.
Autumn colours in the interior gardens of Komyozen-ji, near Tenmangu Shrine.
Autumn colours in the interior gardens of Komyozen-ji, near Tenmangu Shrine.
Autumn colours in the interior gardens of Komyozen-ji, near Tenmangu Shrine.
Autumn colours in the interior gardens of Komyozen-ji, near Tenmangu Shrine.
Autumn colours in the interior gardens of Komyozen-ji, near Tenmangu Shrine.
The beautiful Japanese coral berry, Aridisia crenata. Eisho-ji temple, outskirts of Kurume.
Red berries of Ardisia crenata and Sarcandra glabra, respectively the 10.000 and 1.000 yen plants in Japanese. Eisho-ji, outskirts of Kurume.
Buddist bonsho bell and vernacular gardening tools at Eisho-ji, outskirts of Kurume.
Ficus repens growing in the graveyeards of Sofuku-ji, Nagasaki.
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