Why the UK has fallen in love with Japanese garden design

Recent reports show a 43% rise in Brits travelling to Japan (April 2024 compared with April 2025), with nearly a third of people placing Japan at the top of their travel bucket lists. The fascination doesn’t end when travellers return home. Instead, the aesthetics, philosophy and tranquillity of Japanese landscapes are taking root in British soil.

Nowhere is this shift more evident than at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where Japanese-inspired design is set to dominate the 2026 lineup.

Japanese aesthetics take centre stage

In May 2026, four of the nine large show gardens at RHS Chelsea will draw directly from Japanese design traditions. 

Multi award-winning garden designer Kazuyuki Ishihara, who won the People’s Choice Award in 2025, returns in 2026 with Tokonoma Garden – Sanumaya no Niwa. The garden revives the tradition of the tokonoma – a raised alcove once central to Japanese family life, used for contemplation and the appreciation of beauty. 

Ishihara believes the UK’s growing love for Japanese gardens is rooted in a universal desire for calm. “People in the UK are drawn to Japanese gardens because they offer a sense of calm in a world that is becoming increasingly busy. Japanese design places great value on simplicity, natural balance and the quiet beauty found in everyday life. Many visitors tell me that Japanese gardens allow them to breathe more deeply. They feel a moment of peace.” 

He describes Japanese design as an art of balance, of light and shadow, fullness and empty space, the changing seasons. All guided by the belief that nature is the true artist and that our role as gardeners is to not to control nature but to guide it gently. 

What matters most is not the number of features, but the intention behind them, which is to create a space where the heart can feel at rest

The design for Tokonoma Garden – Samumaya no Niwa coming to RHS Chelsea 2026

A modern twist on tradition 

For the Asthma and Lung UK Breathing Space Garden, designer Angus Thompson draws on yohaku no bi, the beauty of empty space. His garden features classic Japanese planting such as acers, pine trees and spindle, creating a space that feels both serene and contemporary. For Angus, Japanese design offers an antidote to modern life: “The quiet, uncluttered style acts as the perfect antidote to a hectic, digital modern life,” he explains. 

His garden is intended as a place of stillness and rest, blending traditional Japanese principles with a modern sensibility. Angus and his team will also welcome the expert advice of Midori Shintani, head gardener of Tokachi Millennium Forest in Hokkaido, for a cultural exchange during the build. 

The Asthma and Lung UK Breathing Space Garden design for RHS Chelsea 2026

Kintsugi, wabi-sabi and the beauty of imperfection 

Two other major gardens at RHS Chelsea will also draw from Japanese philosophy. Tom Stuart-Smith’s Tate Britain Garden is inspired by East Asian woodlands and the planting scheme includes many Japanese and Asiatic varieties such as Cycas, Farfugium, Cyrtomium and Disporum. The design also incorporates the art of kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold, celebrating repair rather than hiding it. 

The design for The Tate Britain garden at RHS Chelsea 2026

The Children’s Society Garden is inspired by wabi-sabi, the aesthetic of finding beauty in imperfection

Why Japanese gardens appeal

The rise of Japanese garden style in the UK is more than a design trend, it’s a cultural shift toward mindfulness, simplicity and a better connection with nature. In a time when many people feel overwhelmed by digital noise, Japanese gardens offer something increasingly rare – quiet beauty, natural balance and a sense of presence. 

Whether through a single shaped acer, a perfectly placed stone or a garden built around wabi-sabi principles, British gardeners are discovering that even the smallest corner can become a Japanese style sanctuary.

• Book your tickets for RHS Chelsea 2026