The Japanese don't just design great technology; they're also fantastic garden designers. If you were to visit a Japanese garden you'd be immediately struck by the contrast to a traditional English style garden. Perhaps you would see a lotus pond with an ornate bridge spanning it, beautiful flowering trees, pleasantly displayed rock formations and a wide variety of plants. The whole presentation and layout is designed to give you a sense of calm.

There are generally three types of Japanese garden designs.

Firstly you have the highly popular Tsukiyama style (this loosely translates to mean, "constructed mountain" in English). Tsukiyama style gardens main design features rely heavily on hills and contours; a stream or pond with various shrubs and plants also usually compliments them. It's not unusual to see a traditional Japanese temple or house there. Another concept that is typically 'Tsukiyama' is for the whole landscaping to be viewable from strategic locations within the garden.Â

The second type of design is known as the 'Karensansui' or dry landscape garden. This type of garden design is associated with the practitioners of Zen Buddhism. These gardens set themselves apart, from even other types of Japanese gardens, by their minimalist nature with little or no vegetation at all. Instead, the main features of a Karensansui garden are carefully arranged sand and rock formations. The rocks are meant to be symbolic and represent the Japanese islands. Raked in circular patterns, the sand symbolises the sea. The rock gardens of the Daitokuji and Ryoanji temples are perfect examples of Karensansui style gardens. A Karensansui style differs from a Tsukimaya garden, in that it's supposed to be viewed from a single, seated location.

The third Japanese garden style is the Chaniwa. Dating back to the 14th century, this is not a garden as most people understand. Rather, this style is characterised by carefully planned and beautifully laid out paths, consisting of stepping stones leading to a tearoom. These tearooms are known as Chaniwa, and so explain the reason for the garden name. The Chaniwa also has stone water basins, allowing the guests to wash themselves before taking part in the tea ceremony. The underlying aim of a Chaniwa designed garden is to invoke a feeling of solitude, peace and enlightenment, which is ideal for meditation.