Meditative Effects of Nature in Japanese Gardens - and their inspirations to contemporary landscape design in Norway

The increased urbanization that is experienced all over the world challenges people's connection to nature in everyday life. A significant amount of people live with stress and negative health effects partly caused by their urban lifestyles, constituting a major challenge for the global community. Japanese gardens, which have evolved under the eastern unitary understanding of nature and culture, are credited for their restorative effects on mental health. The artform is shaped by a long and rich history, and has deep spiritual significance. With this in mind, it is interesting to explore the possible meditative effects of nature in Japanese gardens, and how the design thinking behind these gardens could be of inspiration to contemporary landscape architecture in Norway. This thesis explores the design thinking behind the various types of Japanese gardens. It focuses on the expression and representation of nature in Japanese gardens and the meditative effects which the design may bring. Further, it looks at the significance of nature in Norwegian culture in order to explore whether there is a common base between Japanese and Norwegian perception of nature. Based on the findings, this thesis argues for the value of the representation of local nature in gardens and landscape projects in order to build a bridge that connects us to the larger natural world.