Step1
Select a small structure with a roof to act as a quiet sanctuary where you can have tea by yourself or with friends. Ready made gazebos or garden party canopies, available in many styles and price ranges, would work very well for your roofed sanctuary.
Step2
Construct at least two walls for your sanctuary using curtains or bamboo blinds to protect you from wind, rain or snow while still enjoying the solitude of nature.
Step3
Provide seating and a table for tea. This can be traditional Japanese-style seating with mats, or you can include chairs and a small table if you’re going for a more westernized version of a Japanese Tea Garden.
Step4
Create a narrow, winding path to your sanctuary that mimics a stream bed, using stepping stones or gravel. Start with something simple like putting down some meandering stepping stones, and then add to it over time. Stones are an important element in Japanese gardens, representing something that is permanent, solid and constant.
Step5
Include an entry to the path using a trellis, arbor or simple gate if you have enough space in your yard. This will serve as the point where you leave the challenges of everyday life behind to enter your inner sanctuary, walk down your winding path through nature and enter a quiet retreat to sip tea.
Step6
Incorporate at least one stone lantern, either functional or decorative, along your pathway to create the atmosphere of a Japanese tea garden. It will take time to age and weather and become one with your garden.
Step7
Create a peaceful view of your surroundings using maple trees, shrubs, flowers, mosses and manicured lawns, keeping in mind the minimalist nature of Japanese gardens. Use plants such as pine, bamboo, plum trees, rhododendrons and azaleas.
Step8
Give equal importance to year round foliage in addition to the blooming season of plants, but don’t overcrowd your garden. Less is more in a Japanese tea garden. Your goal is to optimize year round beauty to balance and embrace the changing seasons in your garden.
Step9
Provide a basin of water just outside your quiet hut to wash your hands to symbolize purification. Enter your quiet sanctuary each day for peaceful reflection while connecting with nature and renewing your spirit. Invite friends for tea and discuss things such as art, poetry, music, philosophy and other quiet, peaceful pursuits.
