Japanese Zen Garden

Japanese Zen Gardens are used both in Japan and in the U.S. as a place of quiet and sincerity. The garden does not look like your normal vegetable garden, it is quiet and plant life is kept to a minium. Japanese Zen gardens are mostly covered withe raked gravel to look like flowing water and most of the Zen gardens is rock and stone to produce a calm atmosphere. Japanese Zen gardens are influenced by the Chinese Song Dynasty and Japanese Zen gardens were very popular from 1338 to 1568. The Zen gardens are known for the random arrangement of rocks. The random placing of the rocks is not random at all, they are placed so that only 14 of 15 of them are visible. The 15th rock is hidden so you can only see it when you have reached maximum calmness and serenrity. The garden's appearence is very boring but when you get a chance to sit in it and enjoy the quiet soothing atmosphere the more you want to get to know and understand it.