Japanese Landscape

Combining a Garden of Peace, a Garden of Activity and a Garden of Harmony, our Japanese Landscape is the ideal spot for quiet reflection.

The main entrance leads into the Garden of Peace, a tranquil area reminiscent of a traditional Japanese tea garden. Here, paths pass between stone lanterns and a dripping water basin.

In the Garden of Activity, a slope symbolises elements of the natural world like waterfalls, mountains and the sea while raked gravel and large rocks represent the movement of water flowing and tumbling.

A view of the Japanese Gateway at Kew — The Japanese Gateway and Landscape © RBG Kew

Plants in the Japanese Landscape at Kew — The Japanese Landscape at Kew © RBG Kew

Horticulturists raking the gravel in the Japanese Landscape at Kew — Raking the gravel in the Japanese Landscape © RBG Kew

The Garden of Harmony unites the two landscapes. Japan’s mountain regions are represented by stones and rock outcrops, interplanted with shrubs. The plants include neatly clipped low-lying hedges of Rhododendron ‘Mother’s Day’, and the Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrida).

The landscape was designed by Professor Fukuhara of Osaka University and laid out in 1996 following restoration of the Japanese Gateway.

Hidden highlight

Chokushi-Mon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger) is a near replica of the Gate of Nishi Hongan-ji (Western Temple of the Original Vow) in Kyoto, Japan.

Created for the Japan-British Exhibition held at White City in London in 1910, the Japanese Gateway is built in the architectural style of the late-16th century Momoyama (or Japanese rococo) period.

Japanese Landscape at Kew — Great white cherry (Prunus 'Taihaku') in the Japanese Landscape © RBG Kew

The finely carved woodwork of the Gateway is embellished with stylised flowers and animals. The most intricately carved panels depict an ancient legend about the devotion of a pupil to his master.