THE LURE OF
THE JAPANESE GARDEN

"The Lure of the Japanese Garden" by Alison Main and Newell Platten

�They note and comment upon the quirky, the silly, and the sublime� as they make their way through the bemusing twists and turns of Japanese society.� � Julie Moir Messervy

The Lure of the Japanese Garden is more than a garden book, more than a travel guide, and more than a picture book: it is a true travellers� companion dedicated to the beauty and meaning of the Japanese garden. Click on images for larger view.

Alison Main and Newell Platten first visited Japan by default, when they decided a planned trip to India was too risky for Newell with a bad back. The resulting trip to Japan was the start of an enduring passion for Japanese gardens, and the first of many trips to Japan over 17 years.

Alison and Newell first saw Japanese gardens as pretty things to be enjoyed. But they have learnt over the years that they have a deeper significance � historic, symbolic, religious and meditative, poetic, artistic and allusive. All of these elements are revealed in The Lure of the Japanese Garden. This book offers a personal introduction to more than 100 gardens throughout Japan, with photographs, notes on access and a glossary of terms. The text sets the gardens in their cultural context, both quirky and serious, and introduces the reader to wider Japanese culture, both ancient and contemporary. It is the book Alison and Newell wish they�d had when they first started exploring Japanese gardens.

About the authors
Alison Main and Newell Platten are both retired architects, based in Adelaide. Alison works as an artist, Newell is an urban design consultant. The book contains a foreword by Julie Moir Messervy, a landscape designer. She recently collaborated with internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, on the design of the Toronto Music Garden (featured in the TV series Inspired by Bach).

�A pathway of elegant prose, special events along the way � the �intermissions� � that pique your interest and promote thought, and a point of view that is fresh, clear-seeing, and articulate.� � from the foreword by Julie Moir Messervy.