Giant hedge frames modern house in Nakano
I love this giant hedge framing a modern house in Nakano. It’s even more beautiful at night, which is when we discovered it on a walk thr....
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Giant sidewalk sunflowers in full bloom
These giant sidewalk sunflowers are in full bloom and towering over the pedestrians. I am amazed by their height, and the cheer they bring ....
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Tree lined walking path in Shinjuku is magical
There are many small creeks in Tokyo that have been turned into pedestrian paths. In my neighborhood, they are modestly landscaped. In Shin....
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Plants & buildings: a photo essay
With Chris’ help, I posted a photo essay about photos and buildings on Tokyo-DIY-gardening. It’s easy to imagine how plants can soften ....
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Tokyu Hospital covered in vines and plants
The Tokyu Hospital building in Ookayama is truly stunning. I blogged about it last fall, when I noticed that the Tokyu rail/construction/re....
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Neighbor’s small pot of okra
I have been passing this pot of okra for a weeks as I walk to the station. It’s great that this small pot is at eye level. A few days aft....
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Sunflowers on sidewalk
I love the small strips of green space between the sidewalk and the street. Generally, orderly bushes like azaleas are maintained by the lo....
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Strange performance and installation combines washing machine, tree and city streets
I mentioned earlier the cool new art space called 3331 Arts Chiyoda that has been created in a closed junior high school. One of the fun in....
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Growing sidewalk rice in styrofoam box
I wonder what this sidewalk rice tastes like? Will the gardener make a special meal with it? It’s great to see how enthusiastic people ar....
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Passion flower vine brightens inner city
Vines are a perfect city plant: requiring relatively little soil and space, covering large vertical areas, providing seasonal foliage and c....
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Birds perch on row boats on Soto-bori moat
On a drizzly day last week, I met an English landscape architect and her architect husband at Canal Cafe on the Soto-bori moat (外濠) at ....
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Makeshift plastic rope trellis for morning glory
I have started to notice all over Tokyo that people are creating makeshift plastic rope trellises for summer morning glory vines. This one ....
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Dutch fans of Japanese gardening
One of the best parts of publishing this blog is hearing from people around the world who share their love of gardening and public spaces. ....
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Small shrine in Akihabara provides respite and carnal spirituality
One of the pleasures of Tokyo is discovering small gems that are unexpected. Arriving a few minutes early to a meeting in Akihabara last mo....
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A historic landmark buried under freeway in Tokyo
Approaching by foot or by car, you would not know that up ahead is one of Tokyo’s most famous historic landmarks, Nihonbashi (日本橋, ....
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Grapes forming in early summer
Several neighboring houses have grape vines that are old and productive. I saw this green-tinged grape trellis on my way to the sento one n....
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Small gardens and quiet lane in Higashi Nakano
A few weeks ago I took a long, rambling walk with Chris Berthelsen, author of the amazing blog Fixes which “investigates alterations of s....
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Hydrangea hide street utility box
I am always amazed at how fast and tall hydrangea grow in Tokyo. The ample rain and warm weather makes them shoot up out of nowhere. I like....
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Azabu Juban dead space in central Tokyo
Azabu Juban is one of Tokyo’s most central and most expensive neighborhoods. Arriving at the Tokyo Metro station for a meeting with a boo....
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Dead space plaza in front of Koenji JR station
Koenji is one of my favorite Tokyo neighborhoods: full of cool small businesses, great food, live music, Itoh Toyo’s new theatre ZaKoenji....
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Beautiful “walklet” replaces parkings spaces in San Francisco
Rebar, an art and urban planning project in San Francisco, has just unveiled their first prototype of a street-side “walklet.” Rebar b....
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Ginkos in Sendagaya
I go to Sendagaya often to swim in the Olympic pool. The boulevard in front of the Tokyo Gymnasium has beautiful, mature ginko trees. It’....
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Quoted in San Francisco Chronicle article about high speed rail
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted me about what California can learn from Japan’s high speed rail. Japan’s rail success is not just ab....
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Coco husk soil
For urban gardeners, one key question is how to get plants, soil and pot from store to house. I buy many of my plants from small shops that....
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Spring weed
I have been noticing this weed with beautiful purple and white flowers all over Tokyo. It must be very hardy since it grows in the cracks o....
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Flowers and buildings
When I walk through Tokyo, I realize that the beauty of spring flowers, and plants in general, are increased by their juxtaposition with th....
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A charity for the orphans of car accidents
This adorable porcelain doll with red skirt and shoes and a yellow hair bow is collecting money for the orphans of car accidents. It was a ....
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Residential street with pink camellia at night
Tokyo’s back streets can be incredibly quiet. I was struck by this huge pink camellia growing out of a “yard” less than half a meter ....
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Poppies growing in a crack in the sidewalk
I saw these beautiful poppies growing in the crack of a sidewalk. It reminded me of the first image that I took for Tokyo Green Space two y....
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Replacing Dead Urban Spaces with Living Habitat
The Huffington Post published my new article, Replacing Dead Urban Spaces with Living Habitat. Please read, comment, retweet, or share on Fa....
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