Japanese gardens were developed under the influence of China. In the process of development, the Japanese gardens studied the modern Western gardening craft, and developed unique gardening craft with local regional characteristics and national style in accordance with local conditions. This paper analyzed Japanese gardens through the development of Japanese gardens, the development process, the types of gardens and gardening elements, the characteristics of garden design and the implications for modern and contemporary Chinese garden design. In addition, through an in-depth understanding of Japanese gardens and exploring their intrinsic value, this paper summarized their development experience, in the hope of applying them into the future garden landscape design.