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Stephen Mansfield is a British writer, photographer and longtime Japan resident. His work has appeared in over 70 magazines, newspapers and journals worldwide and he’s a regular contributor to Nikkei Asia. Mansfield has published 20 books and is the author and photographer of four texts on Japanese gardens. BOA Podcast listeners may remember the author from episode 29, when we talked about his book Tokyo: A Biography. This time, in episode 48, Mansfield introduces his just-released book The Modern Japanese Garden (Thames & Hudson, Sept. 2025; American release Oct. 7, 2025)
Show Notes
Before focusing on contemporary landscape designs, Mansfield provides an introduction to traditional gardens and how these ancient designs were related to nature, geomancy, literature and the Japanese concepts of wabi-sabi, yugen, and mono no aware. As time went on, garden design shifted from symbolism and representation to a more naturalistic style as seen in Kyoto’s Murin-an. Guest essays on garden design included in the book are written by Ogawa Jihei (1860-1933), Kengo Kuma, Mira Locher, Japanese Buddhist priest & garden designer Masuno Shunmyo, and garden historian, critic, and author Tim Richardson.
Some of the many gardens we discuss are: Kagawa Prefectural Office in Takamatsu city, Kengo Kuma and Nezu Museum, Osaka Station Roof Garden, Hyakudanen on Awajishima Island in Hyogo (designed by Tadao Ando), the Carbon Fibre Garden in Tokyo, and the pop-art garden at Teshima Yokoo House (Benesse art islands).
Mansfield’s “interesting books” on Japan:
The Call of Japan A Continuing Story 1950 to the Present Day, by Dutch writer Hans Brinckmann. (Amazon.jp here)
The Japanese Garden by Sophie Walker
Fracture (2018), by Andres Newman (novel)
Mansfield’s published books on Japanese gardens:
Japanese Stone Gardens: Origins, Meaning and Form (Tuttle, 2009)
Japan’s Master Gardens: Lessons in Space and Environment (Tuttle, 2011)
100 Japanese Gardens: The Best Gardens to Visit in Japan (Tuttle, 2019)
The Modern Japanese Garden (Thames & Hudson (Oct 10, 2025) (link to Amazon.jp here)
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The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press.
Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy’s Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.
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