2026 Program Details
The Kyoto Garden Seen Through Temple Scenery: A Permanent Tradition of Innovative Freedom
Kyoto has all kinds of Japanese gardens. Yet perhaps the most versatile of them all are the gardens seen in our city’s numerous Buddhist temples. When we think of Japanese temple gardens, what immediately comes to mind? Maybe a Zen rock garden? Or a majestic pond garden envisioning a Pure Land paradise? Yet when we visit temple gardens, we are often struck by how many of them are not constrained by any form, but instead use the unique features of that temple’s natural topography to seamlessly blend a wide range of styles into a compelling whole. Garden scenery effortlessly transitions from a contemplative dry landscape to an intimate tea garden, only to unfold further into a stunningly realistic depiction of natural scenery. There is possibly no better setting in which to absorb the limitless possibilities of the Japanese garden tradition and learn how to apply them to different settings.
As a Kyoto landscaping firm with a history dating back to the nineteenth century, Ueyakato Landscape has an expertise in Japanese garden management and creation that can only be acquired over multiple generations of supporting the garden scenery of historic temples across Kyoto. Over this 5-day training program, participants will not only study our record of garden management and creation, they will learn from it how to create and nurture Japanese garden scenery that expresses the permanent enduring features of the Japanese garden tradition, but also boldly adapts that tradition to the needs of different times and places.
On the morning of the first day, our company president Tomoki Kato, who is also a professor at Kyoto University of the Arts, will lecture on Ueyakato Landscape’s philosophy of garden management and creation. In the afternoon, we will visit gardens managed and fostered by Ueyakato Landscape. On the second day, garden management will be taught by a veteran gardener who has overseen the gardens of Nanzen-ji Temple for many years. On the third day, one of Ueyakato Landscape’s garden researchers will lead an excursion to temple gardens in Kyoto that incorporate a broad range of garden styles. After observing and training in Japanese gardens, the course’s final two days will be spent working with gardeners who have created countless Japanese gardens to create temple-inspired garden scenery that blends a dry landscape, a tea garden, and a realistic depiction of nature into a single garden space.
Application guidelines
- Schedule (tentative)
- April 13-17（Mon.-Fri.）
- Day 1
- AM Lecture (Lecturer: Tomoki Kato, Professor at Kyoto University of the Arts)
PM Garden excursions
Welcome lunch - Day 2
- Garden management training（A traditional Japanese garden under Ueyakato Landscape management）
- Day 3
- Garden excursions
- Day 4
- Garden creation training
- Day 5
- Garden creation training
Dinner party - Price:
- ￥500,000-
*The above tuition covers the cost of tools, footwear, travel expenses and garden entry fees during training as well as lunchtime food and drink expenses, and a dinner party on the last day. Participants bear the cost of lodging expenses and travel expenses to Ueyakato Landscape. - Cancellation policy:
- A 100% cancellation fee will be incurred for any cancellations occurring after a final decision is made about whether to hold or cancel the event.
A 30% cancellation fee shall apply to any cancellations occurring after the application deadline. - Participants:
- 5 people. (3 person minimum)
*Applicants will be accepted in order of receipt. - Application deadline:
- December 27, 2025 (Mon.)9:00 JST
- Applicant selection:
- All applicants will be screened to ensure their participation goals match the goals of this program. Application screening will require 2-3 weeks.
- How to Apply:
- Fill the required items into the form below and submit your own resume. There is no required format for the resume, but please make sure to include the following information.
- Name
- Date of Birth
- Education Record, including higher education major
- Employment Record
- Reason for applying to this program（Maximum 150 words）
- Portfolio (if available)
*Above schedule is subject to change
Instructors
Tomoki KATO:
As Ueyakato Landscape company president and a professor at Kyoto University of the Arts, Tomoki Kato has been consistently committed to pursuing and promoting an active Japanese garden tradition based on solid skills, knowledge, and aesthetic taste. As a scholar, he conducts research grounded in practical learning that contributes to how Japanese gardens are both managed and enjoyed today. He gives frequent lectures both in Japan and abroad, including the 2014 and 2018 keynote speeches at the international conference of the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA).
Sueo KATO:
The former president of the Council of Conservation Technicians for Cultural Property Gardens. Working for his family’s landscaping business since the age of 15, he has created and managed gardens for temples, private residences, and commercial facilities. He became a full member of the Council of Conservation Technicians for Cultural Property Gardens, the designated conservation techniques preservation group of Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, when it was founded in 2002. He is involved in directing repair work for gardens that are cultural properties both in Kyoto and throughout Japan.
Graduated from Kyoto University of the Arts, Graduate School, majoring in Art and Environment in the field of Japanese Gardens.
Tomohiko MUTO:
Ueyakato Landscape’s Tomohiko Muto has been head gardener for Keihanna Commemorative Park for ten years, where he applies traditional skills to fuse Japanese garden scenery with broader pastoral landscapes such as mountain forests and a natural pond. He is a veteran Japanese gardener who is equally experienced in the art of teaching. He has taught Japanese garden management and creation extensively to non-Japanese speaking students both in Japan and abroad and excels at explaining not only the techniques of Japanese gardens, but also the philosophy that underlies them.
Mitsuru YAMAGUCHI:
A top-class technical craftsman with over 20 years of experience in Japanese garden creation both in and beyond Japan.
Not only can he read the meaning behind a Japanese garden’s space at a glance, he also has the ability to create new methods of Japanese garden construction.
Combining the world of classic Japanese gardens with more modern elements, he continually challenges himself to provide higher quality spaces and has received the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture’s highest award.
A leader for Ueyakato Landscape’s gardeners and an instructor with a wealth of experience teaching abroad.
Repeat Participant Program
Alongside our main 5-day course, this year we are also holding a separate 3-day workshop for repeat participants that will intersect with regular program instruction!
Schedule: April 15-17 (Wed.-Fri.), 2026
Workshop participants will start the program on the third day of the regular course. Instead of joining the program's schedule, however, we will head out to our Ohara worksite for intensive workshop training. Based on what participants learn during this first day, for the final two days, they will join the regular course's garden creation exercise, but as specialists adding a separate layer of Japanese garden beauty.
Here’s what the schedule looks like.
| Date/Time | First-time participants | Second-time participants | |
| First half | |||
| Day 1（Mon.） | 9:00-9:30 | Orientation | |
| 9:30-11:30 | Introduction to Japanese Gardens（lecture by Tomoki Kato） | ||
| 11:30-13:30 | Welcome lunch | ||
| 14:00-17:00 | Garden excursions | ||
| 17:00～ | Sato Kanamono | ||
| Day 2（Tues.） | AM | Japanese garden management training | |
| PM | |||
| Second half | |||
| Date/time | First-time participants | Second-time participants | |
| Day 3（Wed.） | AM | Garden excursions | ・Garden excursion ・Nobedan workshop |
| PM | Nobedan workshop | ||
| Day 4（Thurs.） | AM | Japanese garden creation | Japanese garden creation |
| PM | |||
| Day 5（Fri.） | AM | Japanese garden creation | Japanese garden creation |
| PM | |||
| 18:30～ | Celebratory dinner | Celebratory dinner | |
Cost: 300,000 yen/person
Maximum number of participants: 3
Q＆A
Why hold a separate program for repeat participants？
Great question! We have two main reasons for organizing a separate program.
- The repeat participant program will be much closer in spirit to the kind of training gardeners in Japan receive. The idea is to create a virtuous circle where everyone learns together and from one another.
- The main program devotes time and care into breaking the ice and creating a relationship of trust with participants. Our repeat participants, however, have already had the bonding experience of creating a Japanese garden space together. We hope to build on that foundation to create a program that not only allows repeat participants to take their skills to a new level, but in so doing, also raises the quality of program instruction overall.
Why is this program just three days?
Holding a three-day workshop program that is integrated with the regular five-day training program enables us to offer the most intensive training possible without duplicating aspects of the regular course you have already experienced. Therefore, although the second-time workshop will be shorter than the regular course, instruction will be even more intensive. Of course, the shorter time-frame also allows us to lower the cost of program instruction.
Why nobedan？
Creating a nobedan pavement for a Japanese garden requires far more than individual skill. To do it well, you need to be able to apply aesthetic judgement to teamwork. It is therefore not only a valuable skill in itself, but a unique opportunity to experience how to foster Japanese garden beauty by “learning from the tradition and learning from the team.”
Will the repeater program be integrated with the first-time program?
Definitely! The title of this year’s first-time participant program is “The Kyoto Garden Seen Through Temple Scenery,” and the point will be to create a garden that incorporates all the scenic transitions (i.e. dry landscape, tea garden, natural landscape) seen at so many of the temples in Kyoto. Creating an effective nobedan pavement will be key to achieving this, and will result in Japanese garden creation on a larger scale than what we have attempted for previous programs.
Who can apply for the repeat participation program?
Anyone who has completed one of our past training programs are welcome to apply for the repeat participation program. Alternatively, we will also consider applications from participants who had completed extensive training with Ueyakato Landscape in a separate context from our annual program.
Sounds interesting! I would like to learn more about this program.
Great! We are planning to host an online explanatory session for this program in October where we provide a detailed introduction to the program and answer all your questions!
This program is organized by the Heritage and Garden Artistry Division of Ueyakato Landscape.
Please send all inquiries to the following email address.
Heritage and Garden Artistry Division
Ueyakato Landscape
email: chizai@ueyakato.co.jp