Product Description

System Requirements: • Windows: • Pentium or faster processor • Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows XP (SP2 or greater) • 32 MB RAM • CD-ROM drive • 16-bit video card • Macintosh: • Power Mac or Intel Mac (Universal Binary) • Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later • 32 MB RAM • CD-ROM drive • QuickTime 7 or later

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7067 in Software
• Brand: Mercury Software Japan Inc
• Released on: 2001-08-30
• Platforms: Mac OS X, Windows Vista, Windows XP
• Format: CD-ROM

Amazon.com Product Description
Kyoto Gardens: A Virtual Stroll Through Zen Landscapes utilizes Apple Computer's QuickTime VR technology to "walk through" 24 of Kyoto's most renowned gardens. A seamless panorama of wood, sand, and stone lets users experience Japanese garden design and the world of Zen firsthand. Maps, slides, screensavers, essays, history, and aesthetics are brought together in a truly interactive cybernetic journey.

Lonely Planet (Guide to Kyoto)
"Kyoto Gardens is a masterpiece CDROM taking the viewer on an interactive journey through 24 of Kyoto's most exquisite gardens."

The Japan Times (Donald Richie)
"This very well constructed and often quite beautiful virtual tour is carefully thought out, detailed, and highly informative. "

Customer Reviews

Beautiful!
This does allow you to look through 24 gardens in the 360-degree viewpoint, with the full-circle perspectives from several other vantage points within each garden, so there more than 24 "Viewings". You can also explore the images through the program or simply through a photo browser. You will find litte things you missed, so look through it more than once!. I've also used several of the pictures as my wallpaper.

It's pretty pricey anywhere but Amazon, so if you are looking to buy it, Amazon's the place to go!

Outstanding piece of work!
This is something else. Beautifully presented and perfectly matched to music (if you switch it on). After seeing the gardens for myself, I can say the photos chosen brilliantly represent the "feel" of the gardens. The insightful essays discuss all aspects of the gardens, their history and design. A visual masterpiece.

The computer interface needs very slight work but is very well produced. Such a slight mark on an otherwise perfect experience.

Kyoto Gardens: A virtual stroll through Zen Landscapes
This title, in brief, allows users to 'walk through' (360 degree viewing) 24 of Kyoto's most famous Zen Gardens. It includes cross-platform (Windows & Mac) QuickTime 'walk throughs' of the gardens, accompanied by detailed notes on the history and design features of the gardens, a 150 plate photo collection and 5 essays by well known scholars on Zen and landscape gardening. Defintely worth a look!