Love, death, Japan, and Buddhism, all experienced by an alienated (and now filthy rich) French botanist over the twelve chapters that symbolized the course of the year. While I did enjoy the overall vibe and some specific garden descriptions, many stylistic elements felt forced. Also, It can be fun to have intros for each chapter to determine the way the chapter develops, but it shouldn't be so on the nose - I mean, it is a book about Japan, after all, we can handle some subtlety!