The Japanese rock gardens are also known as “dry landscape” gardens, because the water is only represented with sand and gravel. Calm water is represented with a smooth sand surface, while the waves are symbolized by sand ripples. The idea is to represent a moment frozen in time, like in a photo, with the movement pictured in the mind of the viewer.

In the forefront on today’s photo, taken at the Southern Zen garden of Tofuku-ji, Kyoto, you can see a beautiful water drop wave, a Zen garden element called in Japanese maru‐uzu-mon.

Southern Zen Garden, Tofuku-ji Temple, Kyoto

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Night street scene in Akihabara