Kenji’s Garden, Kyoto

My Traveling Gardener journey began because I loved seeing beautiful flowers. Then, traveling to Kyoto, Japan, I am now in love with rocks! Standing rocks, flat rocks, rocks striated in colors, textured and engraved rocks. By chance, our guide suggested we would enjoy a private garden created by his friend’s father, Kenji Nakahara. So we drove down a small street and stopped at a gate just a few feet from the edge of the street. Stone foo dogs guard the entrance on each side.

And when the gates opened, my heart stopped. Tears weld up in Rich’s eyes. We stood looking at one of the most incredible gardens I have ever seen. It’s a compact private garden. It is the creative work of one man for over 60 years. And it is truly magnificent.

I was stunned, unable to move, truly at a loss for words, and finally, I asked, “Are we allowed to go in?” “Yes.”  “Are we allowed to take photos?” “Oh Yes!” Tentatively, we went beyond the gate. There wasn’t a single bloom in sight; it was a combination of rocks, pine trees, cherry trees, lanterns, bronze sculpture, elements you see in most Japanese gardens, and here the combination achieved perfection in my eyes.

Kenji and his wife came out to greet us. We were warmly welcomed and invited to come into the house. Once inside, Kenji directed me to a glowing wooden rocking chair before the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Here,” he said. The windows direct the eye to the best view of the garden.

In translation, we learned that Kenji is a treasured Japanese artist, and his artistry has made the garden so spectacular. His artistry extends to ceramics, painting, and the design of kimonos for the Royal Family of Japan. He insisted I see one of his works, and his wife brought out an incredible red silk kimono and began to drape me in the kimono. It was as light as a feather, covered in embroidered flowers. It is the most beautiful piece of clothing I have ever seen. Our guide told us Kenji has over 2000 kimonos he designed and is protecting as a work of national treasure. Prince Charles and Diana visited him; he made a kimono for her. Steve Jobs visited his garden and was inspired to create his garden. Serendipity brought me here.

We returned to the garden where Nobu, our guide, translated Kenji’s garden design. The ground rises away from the house, creating an amphitheater effect.  The beauty of this garden, the power, the enchantment is in the rocks. Rocks in red, black, white, and purple are the jewels of the garden.  Solid colors, striations, ripples, standing, flat, and engraved rocks are precisely placed throughout. We climbed to the mountain view to look back towards the house. The right side of the garden is masculine, with a proud standing rock representing the male.

Through stepping stones and discreetly designed paths, we moved under the Black and Red Pines and Japanese Maple trees. The space around the artfully pruned trees is a tableau of plants, making the garden feel spacious. The leaves of a large cherry tree were beginning to color. I discovered stone rabbits and a frog as I walked.  Two bronze dragons are just inside the garden gate. In Japan, a Dragon is a symbol of strength, wisdom, and good fortune.

The left side of the garden is the feminine side, and a massive rock splayed open, metaphorically representing a woman’s legs smooth and curved, subtly designates this space.

Water, represented by small white stones cascading in crevices between larger rocks, flows downhill. A  bronze bell hung between two standing rocks, and a wooden mallet was at the ready. When struck, its low tone lingers. You cannot rush walking in this garden. The small rock bridges, stepping stones, and designated paths must be navigated carefully.

This experience of immersion into such a level of stunning beauty was so intense I could hardly speak, let alone ask questions. We were encouraged to take as much time as we wanted in the garden to climb up and down, move about, and take as many photos as we’d like. And we did. I was dazzled by the incredible design and beauty.

I’m regularly asked if I have a favorite garden. I never want to say. Travel surprises, and it changes a person in so many ways. I’m still traveling in Asia, and I wonder how anything else I see will be as powerfully beautiful as we experienced when the gates opened onto Kenji Nakahara’s garden. Today, this is my favorite garden.

There are so many ways to look at this garden I am adding a gallery of additional images below.  Including my dressing into the kimono!