In Yotsuya, the Marunouchi subway pops out of ground in central Tokyo. From the platform, there is this amazing view that includes a still .... 26 Sep 10:15 am
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This is the second okra plant I have spotted along the small street leading from my apartment to the JR station. I was impressed with how b.... 23 Sep 12:10 am
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I love how these sunflowers are growing at the intersection of two small streets, and how the round flowers echo the larger, convex street .... 20 Sep 11:22 am
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When my friend Stokes told me about the wildness in Nishi Azabu Juban, I was somewhat incredulous. He was staying briefly at a childhood fr.... 18 Sep 9:02 am
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This incredibly narrow garden in Nishi Azabu Juban is overflowing with plants. I love it. Most people would think there’s no room for a g.... 16 Sep 9:02 am
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Recently I was going into the Tokyo Metro station not far from my house, and I noticed a young woman spraying these blooming sunflowers. Sh.... 15 Sep 9:04 am
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This Shinjuku ni-chome sidewalk garden is exceptional in its size, care, and labeling. The gardener lives in a former shop in an old buildi.... 6 Sep 9:12 am
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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.... 1 Sep 6:35 am
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These giant sidewalk sunflowers are in full bloom and towering over the pedestrians. I am amazed by their height, and the cheer they bring .... 27 Aug 12:16 pm
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There are many small creeks in Tokyo that have been turned into pedestrian paths. In my neighborhood, they are modestly landscaped. In Shin.... 24 Aug 9:06 am
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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 .... 13 Aug 8:28 pm
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The Tokyu Hospital building in Ookayama is truly stunning. I blogged about it last fall, when I noticed that the Tokyu rail/construction/re.... 10 Aug 2:15 pm
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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.... 4 Aug 10:20 am
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I love the small strips of green space between the sidewalk and the street. Generally, orderly bushes like azaleas are maintained by the lo.... 31 Jul 2:05 pm
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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.... 28 Jul 9:08 am
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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.... 27 Jul 9:04 am
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Vines are a perfect city plant: requiring relatively little soil and space, covering large vertical areas, providing seasonal foliage and c.... 23 Jul 12:46 pm
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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 .... 12 Jul 5:47 pm
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I have started to notice all over Tokyo that people are creating makeshift plastic rope trellises for summer morning glory vines. This one .... 9 Jul 9:12 am
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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. .... 8 Jul 9:05 am
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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.... 6 Jul 9:10 am
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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, .... 5 Jul 11:22 am
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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.... 17 Jun 10:05 pm
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A few weeks ago I took a long, rambling walk with Chris Berthelsen, author of the amazing blog Fixes which “investigates alterations of s.... 11 Jun 9:05 am
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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.... 10 Jun 9:12 am
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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.... 7 Jun 9:16 am
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Koenji is one of my favorite Tokyo neighborhoods: full of cool small businesses, great food, live music, Itoh Toyo’s new theatre ZaKoenji.... 30 May 9:15 am
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Rebar, an art and urban planning project in San Francisco, has just unveiled their first prototype of a street-side “walklet.” Rebar b.... 20 May 11:34 am
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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’.... 14 May 1:54 pm
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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.... 13 May 12:19 am
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