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Gerard Taaffe

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL

Feb 14, 2002

Take time to savor Ryoanji's splendors

The stone garden at Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto is perhaps the most famous of all Japanese gardens, and in 1994 it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL

Jan 24, 2002

Twin peaks offer a double take on plants

The summit of Mount Tsukuba in southern Ibaraki Prefecture has two peaks, one regarded as female and the other as male. Rising to 876 meters, with a shrine on the top dedicated to Izanami no Mikoto, the female creator deity, Nyotaisan is just 6 meters higher than Nantaisan, topped by a shrine to the...

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL

Jan 10, 2002

Plants for all seasons bring us midwinter cheer

Little by little the days are starting to get longer, though with spring still a long way off this is a good time to do some armchair gardening. Whether you browse through gardening books or magazines, or search the Internet for your reading material, without stirring from your armchair there's plenty...

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL

Dec 27, 2001

Berries to bring cheer at the turn of the year

The festive season is in full swing, and though it's cold outside in the parks and gardens there are still plants that bring joy to our hearts -- few more so than the nanten (Nandinia domestica) with their profusion of attractive bright-red berries at this time of year.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL

Dec 13, 2001

If you go down to the woods today . . .

By this time of year, with temperatures dropping fast and the wind whipping up, the leaves of deciduous trees have almost all fallen. I love to see them coming down, revealing intricate networks of boughs and branches.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL

Nov 29, 2001

Where's the best bloomin' desert in the world?

Huntington Botanic Gardens is magnificent. Comprising no fewer than 15 specialized gardens set on 54 hectares of the 86-hectare San Marino estate a mere 20 km northeast of downtown Los Angeles, it is home to an astonishing 14,000-plus species of plants.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL

Nov 15, 2001

Travel the world in a tree-lover's heaven

When I arrived at Los Angeles airport in June, my friend Joan Juenemann was there to meet me. My stay in California was to be only three days, but Joan had kindly prepared an itinerary taking in one garden with its own unique character each day.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL

Nov 1, 2001

A wonderland wrought from one man's vision

In June this year I had the pleasure of visiting three wonderful gardens in California -- all of which I would strongly recommend for a leisurely and enjoyable visit. I will cover one apiece in this and two following articles.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Oct 11, 2001

Firmly rooted in tradition and daily life

In the foothills of Mount Fuji, there is a fascinating botanical garden devoted to the cultivation and display of bamboo plants and products. Unique in this country, the Fuji Bamboo Garden, which opened on its 4-hectare site in 1951, cultivates more than 500 species and cultivars of bamboo from around...

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Sep 27, 2001

Medicinal ornaments

Last year, while searching the southern part of the Kii Peninsula for the elusive yellow-flowered toad lily (Kii joro-hototogisu, Tricyrtis macranthopsis), I came across an unusual tree, a "new discovery" that made my day.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Sep 13, 2001

A long hike but worth it to see yew again

Now that the oppressive summer heat has finally abated, hiking is much more comfortable. Earlier this month I went to Daisen in Tottori Prefecture.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Aug 23, 2001

Get that tropical feeling with hibiscus on your balcony

Summers just wouldn't be the same without hibiscus flowers. Hibiscus create the feeling of some tropical paradise -- even in city centers. Those of you who have balcony gardens can easily cultivate a number of hibiscus species.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Aug 9, 2001

Hidden treasures in south Kyushu

Aside from the feral horses and the splendid views from Cape Toimisaki, southeastern Kyushu is known for its "living fossils": the cycads.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Jul 26, 2001

So much to see despite the cedars

Earlier this year, I hired a car at Miyazaki Airport and drove along the coast to Kagoshima.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Jul 12, 2001

Foreign plants are right at home in Japan

I have always been interested in the natural origins of plants. Where does a particular plant come from? How and when did it come to this country? Geographic botany investigates the distribution of plants around the world.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Jun 14, 2001

A green oasis in the Osaka urban desert

Historically a city of merchants, Osaka is generally thought to have little greenery. But at its very heart, on the eastern portion of Nakanoshima, a small island sandwiched between the Dojima and Tosabori rivers, there is a lovely patch of green known as Nakanoshima Rose Garden.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

May 24, 2001

Just plant grass, and mow it for 400 years

The Hosokawa family is deeply rooted to the history and development of Kumamoto. Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1586-1641) was granted the domain of Kumamoto (540,000 koku) by Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1632 and started work on the gardens which became Suizenji Jojuen in the same year.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Apr 26, 2001

Monument to 800 years of daimyo power

Sengan'en, a garden and former residence of the Shimazu lords of Kagoshima, is located on the shores of Kinko Bay, the innermost part of Kagoshima Bay. Officially called Sengan'en, it is also known as Iso Gardens. It was designated a national scenic landmark in 1958.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Apr 12, 2001

Tropical fusion in southern Satsuma

It is well known that first impressions count, and my first impressions of Kagoshima Flower Garden were excellent.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Mar 28, 2001

Cherry grove has encyclopedic reach

If asked what the national tree of Japan is, I would answer sakura, the Japanese flowering cherry, which belongs to the very large genus Prunus. There are many places throughout the country where one can view these beautiful trees, but for those wishing to compare many different varieties at one time,...

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Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

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The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'

By Tomoko Otake

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