Description
Japanese garden designer, Nori Hamamoto, will explore the history of Japanese garden design and, drawing from her extensive experience, will share some of the lessons she has learned and that are applicable to gardens both in Japan and abroad. Her design work draws on two distinct cultural worldviews: the Japanese “reverence for nature” and the British ideal of “living everyday life with mindful care.” By knowing and cherishing the essence of each aesthetic and finding ways to integrate them, she creates unique, one-of-a-kind gardens across Japan and South Korea.
Nori began her career studying with John Brookes MBE at Denmans Garden, where she supervised his British Garden Exhibition at Japan Flora 2000 and acted as his translator. She opened Hamamoto Garden Design as a private office in 1999, working primarily on private residences, as well as commercial facilities and show garden exhibitions.
In 2007, she completed the landscape design course of study at Kyoto University of Art and Design, where she subsequently taught as an adjunct instructor. She also serves as an executive board member of the Japan Association of Professional Garden Designers (JAG). Outside academics, Nori stays busy with her private practice, ongoing involvement in garden exhibitions, and media interviews and appearances both domestically and abroad — including as guest designer on the 2019 BBC series Monty Don’s Japanese Garden. In addition to serving as John Brookes’ translator when he was working in Japan, she also served as translator for Japanese professors working in London.