Azby Brown’s book, Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan
I recently read Azby Brown’s book, Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan. Brown is an architect, professor, author,....
23 Feb 9:02 am  from     [Profile]  [Recent] 
Plum blossoms
On the pedestrian path leading to the JR station, this plum tree began blooming last month and is still gorgeous. The tree is planted in so....
22 Feb 9:04 am  from     [Profile]  [Recent] 
Shiba koen under Tokyo Tower
Recently I had the great fortune to meet Handa Mariko, President of the Parks and Recreation Foundation, at her office near Tokyo Tower. Sh....
10 Feb 9:03 am  from     [Profile]  [Recent] 
ume
ume is usually translated as “plum”, but apparently these trees (梅) are closer to apricots than plums, if you want to be pedantic abo....
5 Feb 3:06 pm  from  The View from Japan   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Kishibojin Temple in Zoushigaya (part 6)
The end of Eri’s walking tour was the magnificent Kishibojin temple. The buildings are old, pre-dating the war and probably the 1923 Gre....
1 Feb 9:03 am  from     [Profile]  [Recent] 
Street life in Zoushigaya (part 5)
This old sign for a shoe shop, offering repair and shoe-making, adds to the neighborly feel of Zoushigaya and the sense of long-time reside....
31 Jan 9:03 am  from     [Profile]  [Recent] 
Zoushigaya micro-gardens (part 3)
Old Tokyo neighborhoods like Zoushigaya are full of plant lovers who manage to create gardens where there is almost no space. This type of ....
29 Jan 9:02 am  from     [Profile]  [Recent] 
Zoushigaya walk: winter citrus trees (part 2)
On our walk through Zoushigaya, we came across this mature yuzu tree, growing in the small space between the street and a residence. Yuzu i....
28 Jan 9:07 am  from     [Profile]  [Recent] 
Winter flowers brighten Tokyo
Tokyo’s mild winter is amazing. All these photos of winter flowers are from yesterday, January 20, 2010. Ranging from natural to forced, ....
21 Jan 12:08 pm  from     [Profile]  [Recent] 
New Apple prototype store to have trees inside
An interesting article about Apple’s new prototype store in Palo Alto, the center of Silicon Valley. It will have a transparent glass fac....
11 Jan 9:04 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Fall foliage in bonsai
Suddenly the ten or so leaves on our maple bonsai have turned red. The leaves are a rust shade, and the stems cherry red. Soon the little t....
27 Dec 9:03 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Winter flowers, with spring and fall references
I am surprised to see narcissus flowers blooming outdoors just days before the winter solstice. These photos are from Shinjuku Gyoen, which....
25 Dec 12:33 pm  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Wild parrots in Hiroo
Walking on a small street in Hiroo, in central Tokyo, we heard a strange noise and saw some people staring at a persimmon tree. On closer e....
22 Dec 9:01 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Late fall trees
Leaving Nodai one December day, I was struck by the bright yellow color of this ginko tree, and how it dwarfs the small street. This is the....
18 Dec 11:06 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Aoyama Autumn
The yellow ginkgo leaves made for a great scene as you walk down the main street. I traveled by subway to Aoyama Itchome station and then wa....
16 Dec 7:02 pm  from  Shibuya246   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Last week I gave several talks about Tokyo Green Space, including at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Gaimusho, 外務書). The 1960s....
14 Dec 6:20 pm  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Tree breaks out of pot and into soil
This is a close-up of a small tree that has survived the disintegration of its styrofoam planter box and rooted itself into the ground. It ....
7 Dec 9:04 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Tokyo University Sanshiro-ike garden in fall
On a beautiful warm November day, I discovered Tokyo University’s Sanshiro-ike garden. I had a few moments before a meeting, and saw on t....
6 Dec 9:06 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Aoyama ginkos
Less famous than spring cherry blossom viewing or fall maple viewing, the Aoyama ginkos draw a crowd to see the gorgeous double allée of g....
5 Dec 10:43 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Holiday plants in Metro & Odakyu stations
I am not a big fan of the artificial tree or of Christmas. But Japanese love holidays, imported and national. I wonder whether the stations....
2 Dec 12:05 pm  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
aki
aki (autumn). These leaves are just turning color now in Kamakura. Not a wonderfully interesting photo, I admit, but the colors and pattern....
27 Nov 3:00 pm  from  The View from Japan   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Ginkos at Waseda
On a cold and wet fall day, the bright yellow ginkos at Waseda University brighten the sky. Like cherry blossoms, ginko leaves fall foliage....
22 Nov 9:07 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Shin Edogawa in fall
With a few minutes to spare before meeting Hiraga Tatsuya of Landscape+, I stepped into nearby Shin Edogawa park. The colors were beautiful....
21 Nov 9:04 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Exotic palm trees in Shimokitazawa
On the north side of Shimokitazawa, there is a Hawaiian restaurant with palm trees that are unusual for Tokyo. The tall palm tree with a si....
18 Nov 9:08 pm  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
A fake forest in Shimokitazawa
Visiting Shimokitazawa last week for a meeting, CScout Japan’s Michael Keferl pointed out the (fake) forest surrounding the north entranc....
18 Nov 9:04 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Edo gardening in wood block prints
Encouraged by my host Suzuki Makoto sensei at Tokyo University of Agriculture, I recently visited the Edo Gardening Flowers exhibit being h....
16 Nov 7:02 pm  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Single tree beautifies modern house
A single tree standing in the entrance to a modern Tokyo house provides a marvelous contrast between the traditional and the new. The beaut....
15 Nov 9:02 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
Palm trees in Kurashiki traditional courtyard house
During the trip to Inujima, we spent a night in Kurashiki, an old warehouse town near Okayama that survived both the war and modernization.....
14 Nov 9:04 am  from  Tokyo Green Space   [Profile]  [Recent] 
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