Before 734 gardens were for the emperor and aristocrats entertainment. The entire garden was made of pebble. Some even had ancient Shinto shrines. They had ponds and streams but sadly none of them survived.
Another type is a shindig garden where at many palaces and villas. They were large gardens made for parties and outdoor recreation. They often were on lakes or ponds so that people could boat and fish for enjoyment. The gardens are a pond/lake that have islands connected with bridges. That also have pavilions that over look the water.