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Japanese Gardens: a journey
SHORTLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANFORD PHOTOGRAPHY TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A fabulous, bonsai-filled book' Daily MailThe complement to the BBC2 series, Japanese written by the nation's favourite gardener Monty Don, and beautifully produced with over 200 original photographs from Derry Moore. Traditional Japanese gardens combine aesthetics with ethics in a perfectly curated celebration of nature. A Japanese garden is the natural world made rocks represent mountains, ponds represent seas. In this personal and lyrical exploration of both the traditional and the modern aspects of Japanese gardening, Monty Don takes a look at the traditions and culture which inform some of the most beautiful gardens from all over Japan, from Kenroku-en to the Zen gardens of Tokyo and the historic beauty of Kyoto.Monty Don and Derry Moore guide us through the history and spectacular seasons of Japanese gardens, from the famous cherry blossom celebration hanami to the autumnal crimson magnificence of momijigari. Monty Don also explores the creative forms uniquely associated with Japanese gardens, from stone-masonry and ikebana to the intricate skill of bonsai. Stunningly photographed by Derry Moore, Japanese Gardens is a fascinating exploration of a unique relationship with gardens.'An illuminating insight not only into the history and horticulture of some remarkable gardens but also into the Japanese culture and psyche' Gardens IllustratedALSO BY MONTY DON & DERRY MOOREPARADISE THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAMIC GARDENSAs seen on the highly acclaimed BBC2 series, a glorious celebration of the richness of Islamic culture through some of the most beautiful gardens on earth.'Sun-filled escapism' Country Life 'Simply breathtaking' Love it!
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2019
34 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Montagu Don
41 books293 followersMontagu 'Monty' Denis Wyatt Don is a German-born British television presenter, writer and speaker on horticulture, known for presenting the BBC television series Gardeners' World.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 6, 2021
I’m probably not the target audience for this book, and I didn’t really like it. I love gardening and am fascinated with Japanese culture, so it was a reasonable guess that it would suit me for a Christmas present. (Hope they didn’t pay the cover price of £40 – sharp intake of breath.) I think it’s aimed at fans of Monty Don, who would buy anything he does coz they like him on the telly. I’ve never seen him, so have no pre-formed favourable opinion to bring to the book. To me, it read like a rather lazy cash-in on the TV series.
Some of the pictures are really beautiful, a few seem blurry without any focus of the shot (perhaps it’s a photographic technique?), and many were just a bit dull because of heavy cloud, so the scene doesn’t come to life. If you’re gonna do it properly, you come back when the light is good to get the shot that the garden deserves, right? But it’s obvious from the writing that they had a tight pre-booked schedule, so they took what they had on the day.
The text is a very mixed bag. Sometimes he waxes lyrical about how beautiful a place is, which is really engaging. Often there’s a description of the garden’s layout which is rather dry and difficult to follow without the right pictures to match. This is probably my biggest problem with the book. Despite snapshots of certain views in the gardens and the descriptions, most of the time I didn’t actually get a clear idea of what each place is really like to go round, or look at if it’s not the type of garden that you walk in. The book needed more imagination in how it was done. A few drone shots, or even an old fashioned pencil drawn garden plan would have been so much better. The descriptions and photos would then be in context and make sense. Instead it ends up repetitive. Blurby, blurby, there were some rocks and pine trees; with a photo of some gravel or moss or whatever to go with it. On to the next, and same again.
In places, the book’s really good, like the description of pine trees trained to be tiny close up and bigger further away at Adachi Museum to create perspective and blend the garden into the landscape, with a photo to illustrate it. But this doesn’t happen very often.
It wasn’t really about anything in any useful depth. Not the design or layout, or the life of the people and why they garden that way. It feels more like a descriptive travel story based around garden visits, but Monty Don doesn’t have the charm and personality to pull that style off as the likes of Michael Palin would have done. He seems to get in an argument at most places he visits, because the planning, schedule and their attitude obviously didn’t take into account the cultural values and expectations of the country.
There’s quite a lot of repetition, with some things described several times in the text and again in the photo captions. Like the posts to train pine trees, or the moth-catching straw mats. It doesn’t read like a fully thought-out book, taking the reader on a journey of discovery to greater understanding of Japanese gardening and the philosophy behind it. Which would have worked really well as a metaphor of the way the gardens are designed. But it’s more like ‘we went here and it looked like that, and then we went there and it looked kinda the same, but a bit different’. He tried to put in a few bits of philosophy, but it seems very shallow, like he’d picked up a few words here and there, or scrounged a few ideas from a wiki about Japan and kept repeating them. Ma and mu, three rocks for the three mountains, etc.
What bothered me most is the underlying tone of negativity about Japan, its culture and gardening style. Yes, sometimes he raves about how wonderful a garden is. But, more often, he comes across to me as thinking the obsessively manicured and controlled nature of Japanese gardens is rather weird and artificial. Which I completely agree with. But, then again, I’m not writing a book about it, am I? And if I want to read a book about this style of gardening, wouldn’t it be so much better coming from someone who truly loves and understands it and the underlying philosophy, and spends enough time in each garden to do the place justice?
They seemed to offend quite a lot of people, often by being late, despite knowing that this is very insulting to the hosts. Many people showing them round are ‘gruff’ or apparently pleased to get rid of them. I wonder why? From how he writes, I felt like Don just wanted to say ‘Japanese people are a bit weird and uptight, aren’t they?’ The tea ceremony was ‘not for me’, the matcha tasted ‘as enticing as toad bile’. And so on. I mean, give it a go instead of whining about it, can’t you? At cherry blossom time, Monty couldn’t tell the difference between Chinese tourists and Japanese locals if they were in traditional dress, and expected that they’d think all Europeans look the same, too. I mean - what? It might be true for you, but it doesn’t mean that you have to put racial stereotyping down in print, does it? His attitude made me quite angry at times.
After that rant, I’d summarize by saying that they rushed round a few places for the TV series, and cobbled this book together afterwards from a few snapshots they took at the time. Which is why it seems shallow and lazy as a guide to Japanese gardens.
Some of the pictures are really beautiful, a few seem blurry without any focus of the shot (perhaps it’s a photographic technique?), and many were just a bit dull because of heavy cloud, so the scene doesn’t come to life. If you’re gonna do it properly, you come back when the light is good to get the shot that the garden deserves, right? But it’s obvious from the writing that they had a tight pre-booked schedule, so they took what they had on the day.
The text is a very mixed bag. Sometimes he waxes lyrical about how beautiful a place is, which is really engaging. Often there’s a description of the garden’s layout which is rather dry and difficult to follow without the right pictures to match. This is probably my biggest problem with the book. Despite snapshots of certain views in the gardens and the descriptions, most of the time I didn’t actually get a clear idea of what each place is really like to go round, or look at if it’s not the type of garden that you walk in. The book needed more imagination in how it was done. A few drone shots, or even an old fashioned pencil drawn garden plan would have been so much better. The descriptions and photos would then be in context and make sense. Instead it ends up repetitive. Blurby, blurby, there were some rocks and pine trees; with a photo of some gravel or moss or whatever to go with it. On to the next, and same again.
In places, the book’s really good, like the description of pine trees trained to be tiny close up and bigger further away at Adachi Museum to create perspective and blend the garden into the landscape, with a photo to illustrate it. But this doesn’t happen very often.
It wasn’t really about anything in any useful depth. Not the design or layout, or the life of the people and why they garden that way. It feels more like a descriptive travel story based around garden visits, but Monty Don doesn’t have the charm and personality to pull that style off as the likes of Michael Palin would have done. He seems to get in an argument at most places he visits, because the planning, schedule and their attitude obviously didn’t take into account the cultural values and expectations of the country.
There’s quite a lot of repetition, with some things described several times in the text and again in the photo captions. Like the posts to train pine trees, or the moth-catching straw mats. It doesn’t read like a fully thought-out book, taking the reader on a journey of discovery to greater understanding of Japanese gardening and the philosophy behind it. Which would have worked really well as a metaphor of the way the gardens are designed. But it’s more like ‘we went here and it looked like that, and then we went there and it looked kinda the same, but a bit different’. He tried to put in a few bits of philosophy, but it seems very shallow, like he’d picked up a few words here and there, or scrounged a few ideas from a wiki about Japan and kept repeating them. Ma and mu, three rocks for the three mountains, etc.
What bothered me most is the underlying tone of negativity about Japan, its culture and gardening style. Yes, sometimes he raves about how wonderful a garden is. But, more often, he comes across to me as thinking the obsessively manicured and controlled nature of Japanese gardens is rather weird and artificial. Which I completely agree with. But, then again, I’m not writing a book about it, am I? And if I want to read a book about this style of gardening, wouldn’t it be so much better coming from someone who truly loves and understands it and the underlying philosophy, and spends enough time in each garden to do the place justice?
They seemed to offend quite a lot of people, often by being late, despite knowing that this is very insulting to the hosts. Many people showing them round are ‘gruff’ or apparently pleased to get rid of them. I wonder why? From how he writes, I felt like Don just wanted to say ‘Japanese people are a bit weird and uptight, aren’t they?’ The tea ceremony was ‘not for me’, the matcha tasted ‘as enticing as toad bile’. And so on. I mean, give it a go instead of whining about it, can’t you? At cherry blossom time, Monty couldn’t tell the difference between Chinese tourists and Japanese locals if they were in traditional dress, and expected that they’d think all Europeans look the same, too. I mean - what? It might be true for you, but it doesn’t mean that you have to put racial stereotyping down in print, does it? His attitude made me quite angry at times.
After that rant, I’d summarize by saying that they rushed round a few places for the TV series, and cobbled this book together afterwards from a few snapshots they took at the time. Which is why it seems shallow and lazy as a guide to Japanese gardens.
November 25, 2025
I really enjoyed Monty Don's gardening tv shows. I was quick to see if his books were just at interesting. On the whole they are good. I appreciated that he brought his western gardener's eye to Japanese gardens. I will continue to read this book off and on, and use this as a reference, but the Kindle version just does not lend to the kind of perusing I like to do with garden books. Three stars for Kindle book.
January 25, 2022
A title might be a little misleading.
If you're here to learn about Japanese gardens, their history or so, this book is not for you, and if you just want to deepen your knowledge I would also say it's not a first pick. There is only a few gardens that aren't mentioned in every other book about Japanese gardens, there are no general sketches or pictures of a whole garden, there is sometimes even only a little about their history.
What this book is, is a diary. A man who loves gardens and gardening documenting his take on places he visits and people he gets to meet, that you a common gardener will probably never meet nor see crowd free. It's his thoughts, his feelings, his point of view we see through and lots of pictures that are focused rather on a tiny view than a big shot. Like a snapshot of a memory.
If you treat this book as a journey with someone who might, or might not, share your love for certain places and gives you an extra behind the scene/VIP access to it, then, by all means go for it.
If you're here to learn about Japanese gardens, their history or so, this book is not for you, and if you just want to deepen your knowledge I would also say it's not a first pick. There is only a few gardens that aren't mentioned in every other book about Japanese gardens, there are no general sketches or pictures of a whole garden, there is sometimes even only a little about their history.
What this book is, is a diary. A man who loves gardens and gardening documenting his take on places he visits and people he gets to meet, that you a common gardener will probably never meet nor see crowd free. It's his thoughts, his feelings, his point of view we see through and lots of pictures that are focused rather on a tiny view than a big shot. Like a snapshot of a memory.
If you treat this book as a journey with someone who might, or might not, share your love for certain places and gives you an extra behind the scene/VIP access to it, then, by all means go for it.
January 26, 2022
I have mixed feelings about this book. It covered an interesting selection of gardens, some of them new to me that I've added to my list to visit. Others I'd been to in previous visits to Japan, and the photography brought back pleasant memories. Some interesting history behind the gardens was given, and also description of various gardening techniques, both of which I enjoyed.
Where the book falls down is with the author giving his opinion on Japanese culture. He comes across as tiresome and rude, several times being late for pre-arranged meetings and then complaining that he wasn't well-received due to the Japanese being too rigid about being on time. He does not see it as a breach of normal business etiquette on his part, nor does he acknowledge the inconvenience he may have caused his hosts. I felt the book would have been much better without the frequent mentions of the author's thoughts.
Where the book falls down is with the author giving his opinion on Japanese culture. He comes across as tiresome and rude, several times being late for pre-arranged meetings and then complaining that he wasn't well-received due to the Japanese being too rigid about being on time. He does not see it as a breach of normal business etiquette on his part, nor does he acknowledge the inconvenience he may have caused his hosts. I felt the book would have been much better without the frequent mentions of the author's thoughts.
May 26, 2020
I watched the TV series of Japanese Gardens and was blown away by the beauty of the gardens and the history, so I bought a copy of the book and it was just as wonderful!
I loved the mix of beautiful photographs - can there ever be a bad picture taken of a Japanese Garden?! - and the recollections of Monty as he travelled around the country, seeing different types of garden and the history and meaning behind some of them!
Extremely insightful and a pleasure to read from start to finish!
I loved the mix of beautiful photographs - can there ever be a bad picture taken of a Japanese Garden?! - and the recollections of Monty as he travelled around the country, seeing different types of garden and the history and meaning behind some of them!
Extremely insightful and a pleasure to read from start to finish!
July 30, 2021
I appreciate Monty Don’s insights and reflections about Japanese gardens but I wish I had bought the hardback version of this book and not the Kindle. The captions for the marvelous photos included in this book do not appear on the same screen page as the photos themselves. Very annoying but I must note that this bizarre display has occurred in two other garden books I have recently read including one I borrowed as an e-book from my library.
February 17, 2023
As always I enjoyed Monty Don's company as he tours some of the most iconic gardens in Japan, and one Japanese garden in Britain. His simple language, infectious enthusiasm and self-awareness makes him a most helpful guide for a fellow Westerner keen to understand what makes Japanese gardens so appealing. Gorgeous photography by Derry Moore is beautifully produced.
September 16, 2021
Excellent Introduction to Japanese Gardens
I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative of this book. The photos are well composed and my only complaint is that there are not more to support the text.
I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative of this book. The photos are well composed and my only complaint is that there are not more to support the text.
August 28, 2020
Beautiful photos. I got it from the library and skimmed it. I wish there was an audio version so I could listen to the whole book, because the parts I read were really interesting.
October 3, 2020
os jardins japoneses!
Adoro os programas do Monty Don , sou apaixonada por jardins. Este livro é uma pequena pérola sobre os jardins japoneses!
Adoro os programas do Monty Don , sou apaixonada por jardins. Este livro é uma pequena pérola sobre os jardins japoneses!
June 15, 2024
Wish I'd caught the TV series, the photographs are gorgeous.
August 16, 2024
This book features many of Japan's iconic gardens with photos taken in spring's cherry season and fall's autumnal colours.
Don's commentary offers insights into the Japanese culture and history as well as the logistics of maintaining these pristine spaces.
What's not to like?
Don's commentary offers insights into the Japanese culture and history as well as the logistics of maintaining these pristine spaces.
What's not to like?
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews