In Japanese culture, garden-making is a high art. The gardening techniques are based on the ones which prevailed from the period of Muromachi (1392 - 1568) to the period of Momoyama (1568 - 1615) in Japan.
Though the Japanese Garden can't compete with the attention with which The Chinese Garden is expended, it is utterly successful in capturing the hearts of its visitors, giving them an unruffled setting with serene landscape and peaceful surroundings.
The Japanese Garden is also known as Seiwaen and is joined to the Chinese Garden by the bridge of Double Beauty.
Below is a picture of a Torii Gates, a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine and some Buddhist temples. Torri marks the evolution from the sacred or shrine world to the profane or normal world. Those who have been successful with their businesses often donate a torii in gratitude.
The red-colored arch bridge below is a fabulous piece of art in the Japanese Garden. It brings beauty and life to the simplicity of the garden's overall landscape.
The outline of the setting sun blurs as the bright yellow blends with the flaming red. The heat of the day gradually dissipates when the whole place is bathed in a tangerine glow as the sun sinks into the bank of clouds. It is a marvelous scene at the garden, a perfect setting for all avid photographers. This has obviously dug the poetic side of me!
The garden is generously decorated with Stone Lanterns, like the one in the picture below, which are commonly found within Japanese Gardens. There is a popular story that the first stone lantern constructed in Japan was erected in the start of the seventh century by Prince Iruhiko, son of the Emperor Sniko, at a cloistered lake-side spot in the province of Kawachi, to guard against robbers that beset the locality.
The landscape is also dotted with traditional rest houses like the one in the picture below.
A day at the Japanese Garden will revitalize your senses and inner soul. Here you can find peace and tranquility, freedom and inspiration. The garden is also a good place for a jog or taichi or just a quite stroll with your loved ones. So if you are visiting Singapore on a nice day, hop on to the MRT train and stop at the Chinese Garden Station and access the Japanese Garden via the east entrance, then find the bridge that connects the Chinese Garden to the Japanese Garden and enjoy an endless scenery of wonder.
