A Japanese garden (日本庭園) is a garden in the ancient tradition of Japan. These can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, at Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines, and at historical landmarks such as old castles.
Many Japanese gardens contain several of these elements:
Water, real or symbolic
An island
A lantern, typically of stone
A bridge to the island
A teahouse or pavilion
Japanese gardens might fall into one of these styles:
Strolling gardens, for viewing from a path
Sitting gardens, for contemplating from one place
Many Zen temples feature a Zen garden in the karesansui (or karesenzui, kosansui, kosensui 枯山水: dry landscape) style. These have no water, but typically evoke a feeling of water using pebbles. Rocks chosen for their intriguing shapes and patterns, mosses and low shrubs typify the karesansui style. The garden at Ryoan-ji, a temple in Kyoto, is particularly renowned.
Other gardens also use similar rocks for decoration. In addition, bamboos and related plants, evergreens including Japanese Black Pine, and such deciduous trees as maples grow above a carpet of ferns and mosses.
Shakkei (借景), borrowed scenery, is a technique Japanese gardeners use to make a small garden seem more spacious. By judiciously planting shrubs to block the view of nearby structures, they encourage the viewer to look up toward the mountains, and to think of them as part of the garden.
Some other especially noteworthy gardens within and outside of Japan are:
