3 NATURE IN JAPAN - TRADITIONAL GARDENS Japan has a long tradition of respecting nature though its Shinto religion. Shinto is the worship of a multitude of spirits that includes rocks, trees, rivers, animals and waterfalls. Throughout Japan there are 81,000 Shinto shrines often located close to natural features. The Kami or spirit of the natural elements is respected. Carefully designed Japanese gardens interpret the Shinto Kami with rocks representing mountains and ponds representing seas. Japanese gardens also borrow elements from surrounding areas which could be mountains or the profile of a nearby temple roof. The gardens are miniature versions of the bigger natural environment and they can be viewed from pavilions overlooking the garden or by strolling along paths that wind their way through the garden. The images on this page are of the 1670 Japanese garden of Isuien in Nara.