Jim Gibson has had a long-standing fascination with things Japanese and has visited and worked in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and several lesser-known areas of Japan. When Starwood Publishing approached GDA and said they were considering publishing a book about Japanese gardens shot by National Geographic's Japan specialist—well, it was hard to avoid jumping up and down with glee.

The photographer, Mike Yamashita, used a stunning, panoramic 70 mm format to shoot many of the photos which we set into and around narrow loosely-leaded columns of text reminiscent of a calligraphic Japanese scroll. The effect is a book that is almost as light, simple, and elegant as the gardens it discusses.

Dr. H. Marc Cathey, the Director of the U.S. National Arboretum said about this book: “One should never disclose endings, but the book will provide you with all of the concepts to put Japanese gardening ‘in your hands,' literally and figuratively.”