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Japanese Gardening


Japanese gardening is a cultural form of gardening that is meant to produce a scene that mimics nature as much as possible by using trees, shrubs, rocks, sand, artificial hills, ponds, and flowing water as art-forms.  The Zen and Shinto traditions are both a large part of Japanese gardening and, because of this; the gardens have a contemplative and reflective state of mind.  Japanese gardening is much different than the Western style and most would say it is far more meditational and soul soothing.

In Japanese gardening there are three basic methods for scenery.  The first of these is reduced scale.  Reduced scale is the art of taking an actual scene from nature, mountains, rivers, trees, and all, and reproducing it on a smaller scale.   Symbolization involves generalization and abstraction.  An example of this would be using white sand to suggest the ocean.  Borrowed views refers to artists that would use something like an ocean a forest as a background, but it would end up becoming an important part of the scene.

There are essentially two types of Japanese gardening: tsukiyami, which is a hill garden and mainly composed of hills and ponds.  The other is hiraniwa, which is basically the exact opposite of tsukiyami: a flat garden without any hills or ponds.

The basic elements used in Japanese gardening include rocks, gravel, water, moss, stones, fences, and hedges.  Rocks are most often used as centerpieces and bring a presence of spirituality to the garden.  According to the Shinto tradition rocks embody the spirits of nature.  Gravel is used as a sort of defining surface and is used to imitate the flow of water when arranged properly.  Stones are used to create a boundary and are sculpted into the form of lanterns.  Water, whether it be in the form of a pond, stream, or waterfall, is an essential part of a Japanese garden.  It can be in the actual form of water or portrayed by gravel, but no matter what form water is in, it is crucial to a Japanese gardens balance.

There are several forms and types of plants that are signature of Japanese gardening, the main one being Bonsai.  Bonsai is the art of training everyday, average plants, such as Pine, Cypress, Holly, Cedar, Cherry, Maple, and Beech, to look like large, old trees just in miniature form.  These trees range from five centimeters to one meter and are kept small by pruning, re-potting, pinching of growth, and wiring the branches.

Japanese gardening is a tradition that has crossed the Muso Soseki, poet, said “Gardens are a root of transformation”.  A Japanese garden is sure to bring about many different feelings and is definitely a transforming experience.

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Wish For Bangladesh

Wish For Bangladesh

Bangladesh Informations

Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in 1971 following a ninemonth war of liberation. It is one of the largest deltas of the world with a total area of 147,570 sq. km. With a unique communal harmony, Bangladesh has a population of about 142 million, making it one of the densely populated countries of the world. The majority (about 88%) of the people are Muslim. Over 98% of the people speak in Bangla. English, however, is widely spoken. The country is covered with a network of rivers and canals forming a maze of interconnecting channels.
Bangladesh has a glorious history and rich heritage. Once it was known as ‘Sonar Bangla’ or the Golden Bengal. The territory now constituting Bangladesh was under the Muslim rule for over five and a half centuries from 1201 to 1757 AD. Subsequently, it came under the British rule following the defeat of the sovereign ruler, Nawab Sirajuddaula, at the battle of Palassey on 23 June, 1757. The British ruled over the Indian sub-continent including this territory for nearly 190 years from 1757 to 1947. During that period, Bangladesh was a part of the British Indian provinces of Bengal and Assam. With the termination of British rule in August 1947, the sub-continent was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Bangladesh formed a part of Pakistan and was called ‘East Pakistan’. It remained so for about 24 years from August 14, 1947 to March 25, 1971. Bangladesh liberated on December 16, 1971 following the victory of the War of Liberation and appeared on the world map as an independent and sovereign country.The country is the pioneer in micro-credit concept for poverty reduction, which brought the Nobel Prize in Peace for the country in 2006. The founder of world reputed Grameen Bank Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is the Nobel laureate.

The Natural Beauty Of Bangladesh

Have you thought of a dream holiday where you see yourself on that very attractive magical coastline with very beautiful features like those in the fairy tales? Did you know that such features really exist on this very planet?

Talking of wonderful eye-catching sites let us take a trip to the North Eastern part of south Asia and land safely in one of the most beautiful countries on the planet: Bangladesh. The country is surrounded by some of the most prominent geographical features studied worldwide. To the north of Bangladesh are the famous Himalayas while the bay of the Bengal borders her from the South. To her East is the hilly region of Tripura, India and Myanmar. Finally to her West lies the west Bengal. Together these features form a low lying plain in between that is the country in their midst; Bangladesh.

The plain between all these features has plenty of rivers flowing across it forming a nice natural beautiful pattern of rivers and streams network. Padma, Meghna, Kamafull and Brahmaputra are the major rivers in this very beautiful land.

History goes hand in hand with the Natural Beauty of Bangladesh. Talking of historical sites she has quite a number of rich archeological sites to offer. This includes the Paharpur, Maianamati, Sonargaon among many others.

It also has a historical mosques and monuments. The sixty Dome mosque built in the 15th century is the largest historical in Bangladesh as well as the words heritage is situated in Bagerhat. It is also upheld for an outstanding architectural value. However, the Shait Gombuj mosque is the most magnificent and the largest brick mosque surviving in the country.

Bangladesh is not just named a natural beauty for nothing this is a title that it has fought for through its great and eye catching extraordinary features. She happens to be the home to the world's longest natural beach in the whole world. The land is mainly covered by plant cover as most of the people practice Agriculture.

Apart from the natural beauty of Bangladesh brought forth by the flora in the country, the country also has a great deal of wildlife. She is the home of the dhole; the most endangered Asiatic top predator that is on the edge of extinction. It also has the Asian elephant which is the largest mammal. Finally she has the Bengal tiger which is the national animal of the country. The next time you thinking of spending time in a beautiful place where you will be able to watch and appreciate nature's beauty, think of Bangladesh.