Saikei: A Zen Water Garden

A miniature world in a jar, right on your desktop

Saikei is the Japanese art of making miniature landscapes in a tray. This one comes in a glass jar that sits in the corner of your screen while you work, and it stays out of your way until you reach in.

Inside is a little world of grass, sand, stone and water. A river runs down from a spring, drops over waterfalls and empties into a turquoise lake. Through the glass you can see fish, seaweed and coral, and the layers of soil show along the side of the jar like an ant farm.

Dig, pour, plant, build
Shovel: dig bowls and plough trenches. The dirt piles up around the edges and settles into place.

Hoe: push earth ahead of the blade to level ground or heap it up.

Raise and Lower: grow smooth hills and ridges, or sink basins and channels.

Bucket: pour streams of sand that pile into dunes.

Watering can: fill hollows, flood channels and redirect the river. Running water carries sand downstream and carves its own paths.

Springs: set a new spring anywhere and watch it fill a pond or find its way down to the lake.

Grass, path and moss: lay grass, paint trodden footpaths across it, and let moss creep over the stones.

Stone: place small stones or big chunky blocks that stack flush.

Trees: plant pines, round trees, red maples, cherry blossoms, bamboo clumps and bonsai pines.

Buildings: put down cottages, a pagoda, stone lanterns, torches, a torii gate, an arched bridge, bamboo fences and stepping stones. Turn anything to face the way you like.

Water wheels: build one on the river and it turns with the current and lights the lanterns nearby.

Changed your mind? Lift out any tree, building or creature with a click.

Stop-motion clay
Everything looks and moves like claymation, a little jerky and a little wobbly. Every block you place squashes and settles. The creatures move as if someone were nudging clay figures one frame at a time.

A world that carries on without you
Crabs scuttle sideways along the beach, snip their claws and run off with claws raised when you dig too close.

Fish swim in loose schools, nibble seaweed and come straight over when you sprinkle food.

Koi in red, white, black and gold glide through the deeper water.

Octopuses rest on the lake bed and jet away when startled.

Frogs sit on the bank croaking, hop along the shore and dive in when startled.

Butterflies flutter over the grass by day and settle on leaves and blossoms to bask.

Birds perch on rooftops and treetops, loop around inside the jar and sometimes dive for a fish. They always miss.

The jar keeps your hours. The sun rises and sets when yours does, windows light up at dusk and fireflies come out at night. Every so often a rain shower rolls through, and the river and waterfalls run full.

Made to sit there all day
Light on your computer, so you can leave it running.

Never interrupts what you're doing.

Pick a jar: rounded, round, oval or a tall bell jar, in large or small.

Every new jar holds a fresh world, and yours saves automatically.

No goals, no score, no way to lose.

Leave it in the corner and let it grow on you, or spend ten minutes digging a canal to see where the water goes.