Japanese gardens – The best gardens from my trip to Japan

Japanese gardens are one of the world’s most beautiful garden traditions. When I traveled to Japan in September 2025, I visited some gardens in Kyoto and Tokyo. The gardens had hardly any flowers at all, but the important elements were conifers, stones, water and small paths. They created a calm, meditative atmosphere.

In this article, I tell about the main principles of Japanese gardens, their plants and ornaments, as well as tips on how to create Japanese atmosphere in your own garden even in the Nordics, and I want to share the best memories from Japan’s gardens from my trip there in September.

Japanese gardens are based on ideas of harmony, naturalness and asymmetry. The garden is not filled too much, but empty space is given as much value as plants and stones. The landscape opens up gradually – the path leads the visitor calmly from one view to another.

Stones are the garden’s “skeleton”. They are placed asymmetrically to create a natural and calm whole.

Water symbolizes life, but if there is no space or possibility, a gravel surface can replace the water. The dry stone garden is one of the most well-known forms of Japanese style.

Stepping stones and paths create rhythm in walking and create interesting viewing angles.

Stone lanterns are one of the style’s most iconic elements. They bring peace and a focal point to the garden, and fit well in Nordic gardens too.

In Japanese gardens, plants are preferred that bring calm and seasonal changes to the landscape.

Pine, juniper and cypress are typical. In the Nordics, for example, the following work well:

• pine
• juniper
• thuja
• dwarf conifers

• Japanese maple
• azaleas and rhododendrons
• cherry trees

Not all can be grown in the Nordics, but many varieties thrive well in sheltered locations.

Moss brings softness and silence – perfect for Japanese atmosphere.

Japanese atmosphere doesn’t need to be created in a large garden. A small garden corner or balcony is enough, when you choose a few key elements:

1. One shaped conifer
2. 2–3 beautifully placed stones
3. Gravel or sand for path effect
4. Stone lantern or small water bowl
5. Moss or ground covers

Minimalism is the key – Japanese gardens are calm, not abundant.

When I visited Japan, the gardens’ peace and silence made a strong impression on me. The greenness of moss gardens, the simplicity of stone gardens and the calm of water elements are things I want to bring to my own garden – on a small scale. I visited in late summer-early autumn, so the gardens were full of green and even some autumn color.

Maruyama Park is Kyoto’s oldest public park, and it is particularly known for its large weeping cherry tree. In September, however, the park shows its calmer and greener side. The ponds reflect the early autumn’s mild light, and the paths go through conifers, stone arrangements and quiet garden corners. The maple leaves begin to get the first autumn colors, which gives the landscape a subtle autumn mood. Maruyama is significantly quieter in September than in spring, which makes it a perfect place for a calm walk in a beautiful Japanese environment.

Kyoto Gyoen National Garden surrounds the Imperial Palace and represents Japanese garden heritage in a more nature-oriented form. The area has hundreds of years old trees, extensive lawns and quiet ponds that form an open landscape that differs from Kyoto’s more carefully constructed temple gardens. In September, Gyoen is still summer green, but individual trees already show light autumn color. The garden is excellent for long, calm walks, and its spaciousness emerges especially during warm September days when tourist flows have decreased. It offers an excellent opportunity to see a Japanese garden in a less formal, naturally relaxed environment.

Ōkōchi Sansō is one of Kyoto’s most beautiful private gardens, and it was created in the early 1900s by the famous actor Okochi Denjiro. The garden is located on the slopes of Arashiyama, which gives it exceptionally beautiful views over the mountains and Kyoto city. The path goes past mossy trees, the bamboo forest and the traditional tea pavilion, and the environment is designed to utilize the shakkei principle, that is, “borrowed landscape”. In September, the garden is particularly green and vibrant, but since the area is located somewhat higher, autumn colors begin to show subtly earlier than in the city center. The silence, the soft light and the mountain atmosphere make Ōkōchi Sansō one of Kyoto’s most impressive garden experiences.

Kiyosumi Garden is one of Tokyo’s most impressive strolling gardens from the daimyo period, and its design emphasizes a calm circular path around a large pond. The garden is particularly known for its carefully selected ornamental stones collected from different parts of Japan based on their shape, color and symbolism. In September, the garden is at its greenest, and the season’s warm light highlights the surfaces of the stones and the water’s reflections. Stepping stones by the water and stone lanterns along the paths give the garden traditional Japanese aesthetics. Kiyosumi feels like a small oasis in the middle of the big city, and it is a particularly pleasant destination during late summer’s and early autumn’s calm days.

• Prefer hardy conifers and ground covers
• Use natural stone and gravel
• Place the lantern in a shaded or semi-visible location
• Create a path that guides movement
• Leave space – the Japanese garden breathes

Japanese gardens teach us that beauty arises from simplicity and thoughtful composition. With a few right choices, one can create a calm whole in one’s own garden, inspired by Japanese aesthetics – even in the Nordics.