It has been suggested that the modern Japanese garden contains a wide variety of garden types. While
some scholars have acknowledged the diversity of modern Japanese gardens, recent developments in
Japanese stone gardens, known as karesansui, have gone largely unnoticed. Preconceived notions of
karesansui do not encapsulate the true diversity which exists today. Moreover, the general public has
tended to exoticize karesansui. Scholarly work on karesansui has, however, dispelled many of the myths
and misrepresentations related to these gardens. In this chapter, the author will extend previous research
and shed light on recent developments in karesansui and the myths that surround them. This chapter will
examine karesansui from several perspectives: diversity, sustainability, and finally, from the perspective
of consumerism.