| Home | Free Articles for Your Site | Submit an Article | Advertise | Link to Us | Search | Contact Us | |
Custom Search
|
Article Surfing ArchiveAdd A Japanese Touch To Your Interior Design - Articles SurfingAll gardens, properly cared for, can be spiritual places, where you go to relax, meditate and recharge your batteries. Most people think of gardens as existing in their front or back lawns only, but the miniature Japanese garden provides a place of tranquility within the home. Japan is a country that consists of hundreds of islands, although only four of them are large enough to be inhabited: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. These four islands have mountains running straight down the middle, so the majority of inhabitants live on the coasts. As a result, space is at a premium. This is evident in the designs of their cities, streets, cars, homes, and gardens. They're all designed to use space efficiently. Japanese gardens are no exception. Japanese gardens are small, quiet and elegant. They are designed to provide a quiet place for one to appreciate nature and to contemplate the world. If you have a beautiful lawn both front and back, you may think that a Japanese garden would not fit into your design, but this is not necessarily true. It is quite easy to have a Japanese garden in your house. A miniature Zen garden consists of a wooden tray filled with white purified sand, a tiny rake, and an assortment of rocks. You can design this garden anyway you like...and rake it daily as a meditation exercise. It is also possible to get a miniature Zen garden with a fountain attached - although this design is usually a decorative piece and does not allow one to rake the sand or change the arrangement of the stones. Note that a miniature Zen garden should consist of sand in a wooden tray - or a stone tray. You can get miniature Zen gardens in cardboard trays that come from Office Playground, a website that offers miniature gardens of all kinds. These tiny Zen gardens are designed to allow you to create your own raked designs (it's the raking of the sand that provides you with the opportunity to mediate). Raking the Sand The placing of the rocks on the sand also has a spiritual meaning as well as an aesthetic one. Examples of Zen Gardens A torii gate is a traditional Japanese gate made of wood, with two upright supports and two crossbars on the top, swept upward at the ends as if reaching for the sky. The gate is traditionally painted red. They mark the entrances to Shinto shrines.
RELATED SITES
Copyright © 1995 - Photius Coutsoukis (All Rights Reserved). |
ARTICLE CATEGORIES
Aging Arts and Crafts Auto and Trucks Automotive Business Business and Finance Cancer Survival Career Classifieds Computers and Internet Computers and Technology Cooking Culture Education Education #2 Entertainment Etiquette Family Finances Food and Drink Food and Drink B Gadgets and Gizmos Gardening Health Hobbies Home Improvement Home Management Humor Internet Jobs Kids and Teens Learning Languages Leadership Legal Legal B Marketing Marketing B Medical Business Medicines and Remedies Music and Movies Online Business Opinions Parenting Parenting B Pets Pets and Animals Poetry Politics Politics and Government Real Estate Recreation Recreation and Sports Science Self Help Self Improvement Short Stories Site Promotion Society Sports Travel and Leisure Travel Part B Web Development Wellness, Fitness and Diet World Affairs Writing Writing B |