Without them, the team would have been denied access to many of the gardens. The producers recall one scene that required a nighttime shoot in the rock garden at Ryoan-ji. Not only was permission necessary to bring a film crew into the garden after hours, but also to bring a crane from which lights could be hung to create moonlight for that specific shot. A special ramp to accommodate the massive crane was built to protect the garden's stone stairway while the filming was in process. The title Dream Window derives from the given name of the great Zen teacher and garden designer Muso Soseki.
Dreams look inward, while windows open out onto the world.
The eternal quality of the Japanese garden enables people to become more aware of their inner lives. When one contrasts this with images of noisy, crowded life in everyday Japan, it is easy to see why the gardens continue to attract millions of visitors. Produced by the Smithsonian Institution in association with KajimaVision, Tokyo, with the assistance of Kajima Corporation. Peter Grilli Sr.