Press Releases

Japan 2001

Japanese version...>>>

For release: 4 February 2001

Kew Gardens celebrates the Land of the Rising Sun with Japan 2001

25 May (Bank Holiday weekend) to 30 September 2001
 

• Six showcase gardens present the best of Japanese  contemporary garden design

• Kew’s historic Japanese Gateway and Gardens set the scene

• Carp kite trail through the Gardens

• Restored Bamboo Garden, with demonstrations and workshops

• Bonsai exhibition, sales and workshops

• A Lacquer Legacy at Kew – a lavishly illustrated new book and display

Japanese Gardens have long held a powerful fascination for British gardeners, inspired by their classical elements of water, stone and moss, their tranquillity and harmony, and their powerful symbolism. From Friday 25 May 2001, Kew Gardens presents a spectacular festival of Japanese gardens and gardening as part of Japan 2001, the major UK-wide celebration of Japanese culture. For over 200 years, Kew Gardens has enjoyed a strong association with Japan, with outstanding collections of Japanese plants represented in its living collections. Kew’s best-known and best-loved Japanese feature, and a focal point of Japan 2001 at Kew, is the stunning Japanese Gateway, or Chokushi-Mon, built at Kew for the 1910 World Exposition. 
 

Japan 2001 preview: from 10 February

Japanese plants in Landscape and Culture

Rice plays a central and symbolic role in Japanese culture. Kew sets the scene from February, with a re-creation of a terraced paddy field in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.  Rice planting, growing and harvesting will take place in this beautiful microcosm of a Japanese agricultural scene, during the spring, summer and autumn of 2001. A moss garden, sentinel rocks, raked gravel and Japanese plantings will be joined in spring by the blossoms of the Japanese cherry tree. A Japanese woodland garden will bring colour and depth to an authentic and contemplative scene.

From 25 May

Past Traditions: Tomorrow’s Designs

Six showcase gardens, constructed specially for Japan 2001, bring the very best of Japanese garden design to Kew. The gardens, by six leading Japanese landscape designers, are contemporary and inspirational, but also draw on the best of traditional design and materials. This combination of stylish design, harmonious lines and natural materials is inspiring the current interest in Japanese garden designs in the UK. The project is presented in conjunction with the Consultants of Landscape Architecture in Japan. On 25 May, Kew Gardens and the CLA present an award for the best design.

Carp Kite Trail

For Japan 2001, 200 colourful carp kites create a dramatic kite trail through the Gardens to the Japanese Gateway, highlighting the main features of the festival. In Japan, the koi carp is celebrated for its beauty, vitality and longevity. On Japan’s national Children’s Day, 5 May, carp kites are flown to express the hope that the children will grow healthy and strong like the carp. 

A Lacquer Legacy at Kew

Spring sees the publication of a lavishly illustrated new book, tracing Kew’s involvement with lacquer. The book explores the botany of lacquer, derived from the sap of the varnish tree,  and features stunning artefacts from one of the most important lacquer collections of the 19th century. All of the items are now in Kew’s collections, and a showcase in the Victoria Gate Visitor Centre tells the story of lacquer. A wide range of contemporary lacquerware from Japan is available from Kew’s shops.  A Lacquer Legacy at Kew by Dr. Hew Prendergast, Helena Jaeschke and Naomi Rumball is published by Kew.

From 11 July 2001

Bonsai

Small but perfectly formed…bonsai trees have long intrigued and fascinated British gardeners. For Japan 2001 at Kew, an exquisite exhibition of world-class Bonsai trees presents some of finest examples of this gardening form. Demonstrations and workshops give visitors an opportunity to learn more.

Bamboo Garden Restoration

The Bamboo Garden at Kew was created in 1891 on the site of a disused gravel pit.  Now home to 135 different species, the Garden is an important scientific collection which complements Kew’s work on the diversity of grasses. Bamboo is one of the most versatile of plant materials; strong, lightweight, fast growing and flexible. In Japan, it is used for housing, furniture, tools, among a host of more obscure artefacts, like the water-powered deer-scarer. Over the last few years, bamboos have enjoyed new popularity as garden plants and guidance and inspiration for gardeners will be on hand in a new display.

Japanese features at Kew:

Chokushi-Mon – the Japanese Gateway

The Gateway, set in an authentic Japanese garden landscape, is widely regarded as the finest example of a traditional Japanese building in Europe. It was the subject of a major restoration project, formally opened in 1998 by Emperor Akihito.

Japanese Cherry Walk