Kew has a particularly rich collection of plants and structures relating to Japanese Gardens.

The Japanese Minka recreates the sort of house that many Japanese country people lived in until the middle of the 20th century. They have earthquake-resistant frames, mud walls and thatched roofs. Many were demolished in Japan after they fell out of fashion. Kew's Minka is an original building shipped from Japan as part of the Japan 2001 festival. It is surrounded by the Bamboo garden, containing over 120 kinds of bamboo not just from Japan, but also China, the Americas and the Himalayas.

The Bonsai House is a new display glasshouse for over 50 Bonsai trees - an art originating in Japan. The bonsai collection includes conifers, maples, a Japanese white pine, a rhododendron, beech and an oak tree. The smallest is a Cotoneaster horizontalis, just 10cm high, and the tallest is a Chinese quince standing around 60cm high.

Chokushi-Mon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger) is a replica (four-fifths actual size) of the Karamon of Nishi Hongan-ji in Kyoto. The replica was created for the Japan-British Exhibition held in London in 1910, and after the exhibition closed, it was dismantled and reconstructed in Kew Gardens. It is the finest example of a traditional Japanese building in Europe. Built in the architectural style of the Momoyama period (late sixteenth century), Chokushi-Mon has finely carved woodwork, depicting stylised flowers and animals. A Japanese landscape extends for 5,000 square metres from the building. The Japanese landscape consists of three garden areas, designed to give an impression of some of the many different aspects of Japanese gardens. As a whole, the landscape is a "dry stone" kaiyu shiki (stroll around) garden, created in the style of the Momoyama period (late sixteenth century) when the original gateway was built.

You can read more details of the Japanese holdings at Kew by following some of the links below.

The Bamboo Garden at Kew

The Japanese Gateway at Kew