Difference to Know Between Japanese Garden and American Garden

If you look around the world, you will find a wide variety of garden styles and numerous gardeners. The British garden in England, the large lawn in the U.S. one, and the Chinese and Japanese gardens are all different in style, but they all show how gardens are an essential part of people’s lives. In this article, I’ll show you the differences between American garden culture and Japanese garden culture!

Lawn or Gravel

When you think of an American garden, you immediately picture a beautiful lawn. Lawns used to be the stuff of the rich and powerful people, but in the 40’s, they became widely available to the common people through the popularity of houses for sale. In the U.S., it is no overstatement to say that building a house means growing a lawn; a lawn is a symbol of the American dream, and a beautiful lawn is “father’s pride.

In contrast, Japanese gardens are often covered with small stones. One of the reasons for this is the unsuitable climate and size for growing lawns.

Symmetry or Asymmetry

In the U.S., lawns are kept very clean, but grass and flowers are often left uncut.
In Japan, however, all grass and trees are usually neatly trimmed.

There is also a difference in the way objects are placed. In the US and the West, symmetrical gardens are considered beautiful. However, in a Japanese-style garden, the garden is designed asymmetrically. This is because of the Japanese spirit of “wabi-sabi,” which is based on the Japanese culture that imperfection is good.

Sprinklers or Toro

As an American, lawn is still important, so the facilities include adding sprinklers and buying a lawn mower.

In Japan, it is common to run water to create a pond. A traditional Japanese lighting device called “toro” is often placed.

Japanese Gardens in the US.

Both Japanese-style gardens and American-style gardens are wonderful, aren’t they? Personally, I am very jealous of lawns being available in gardens. Actually, there’s a Japanese garden in the U.S. If you’re interested, go there!

Portland Japanese Garden

The Portland Japanese Garden was established in 1963 in Portland in the northwestern part of Oregon, USA. It looks like a relocated Japanese garden, just like Kyoto in Japan. The gardens are carefully designed and managed. In the summer, there is an Obon festival and other Japanese-style events are held regularly.