Gerard Taaffe - The Japan Times

May 03, 2024

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Gerard Taaffe

For Gerard Taaffe's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Mar 15, 2001

Storm on the mountaintop, wind in the pines

The Japanese archipelago is home to five or six species of pine tree. The number is debated because among these species are geographical subspecies, varieties, ecotypes and "physiological races," the last expression referring to pine varieties that look similar, but are physiologically different, as seen in such points as the chemical composition of their essential oils.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Feb 28, 2001

Rare mangroves left unprotected

Tanegashima in Kagoshima is well-known in Japan both as the first place where Western-style muskets were introduced by the Portuguese in 1543 and for the Tanegashima Space Center, which opened in 1988 and is located in the southeast corner of the island.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Feb 15, 2001

Nature in Tokyo: the long and Short of it

Kevin Short's latest book, "Nature in Tokyo," which came out in December from Kodansha International, is a 335-page guide to animals and plants in Tokyo and the surrounding area. Through this book, readers will become much more aware of the origins of Tokyo and realize that it's not all flat nor totally denuded of wildlife and green open spaces.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Jan 24, 2001

See where the apricot (or is it plum) blossoms

Kairakuen Garden in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, is one of the three most celebrated gardens in Japan, located a very short distance from the city center.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Jan 10, 2001

Daimyo's garden: tall trees among the embassies

Arisugawa Memorial Park has an area of 3.6 hectares and is the largest park in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The collection of tall mature trees gives the park a pleasing woodland effect.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Dec 27, 2000

The many moods of Koko-en

Any time of the year is ideal to visit Koko-en, next door to Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Dec 13, 2000

Quest for the yellow-flowered toad lily

After visiting Ukishima bog-woodland in Shingu I took the express train back to Kushimoto. My quest was for a yellow-flowering toad lily, which reportedly grows wild in the southern Kii Peninsula.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Nov 23, 2000

Floating island a relic of a long-gone geologic age

SHINGU, Wakayama Pref. -- Inosawa Ukishima, a bog woodland in the center of Shingu City at the mouth of the Kumano River, isn't an ordinary park.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Oct 25, 2000

Chrysanthemum by any other name

The chrysanthemum (kiku) is the seal of the Imperial family, and along with the cherry blossom (sakura) is symbolically used as the national flower by the Japanese people. Chrysanthemums have been cultivated in Japan since the Heian Period (794-1185). In the olden days autumn used to be called the "chrysanthemum months."

COMMUNITY

Oct 11, 2000

A perfect picture of a garden in Shimane

The Adachi Museum and its Japanese garden in Shimane Prefecture, part of the beautiful San'in district in western Honshu, is near historic Matsue with its castle and the home of writer Lafcadio Hearn.

ENVIRONMENT

Sep 27, 2000

The jade vine's home away from home

Tsukuba National Botanic Gardens in Ibaraki, part of the Tokyo National Museum, were opened to the public in October 1983. The garden, which covers 14 hectares, was constructed primarily for experimental research and for botanical education. Divided into 14 different plant zones, it contains approximately 4,000 species of plants. Trees, shrubs and herbs (both perennial and annual) are grown in conditions as close to natural as is possible.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Sep 14, 2000

The ups and downs of the clematis clan

Clematis is a well-known group of beautiful flowering climbing plants. The clematis group includes evergreen, deciduous, shrublike and herbaceous perennial forms. Today I wish to draw your attention to a couple of native clematis species that deserve better recognition.

ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL

Aug 23, 2000

Rare cacti thriving in Kansai subtropics

The cactus and succulent house at Amagasaki Botanic Garden is a virtual gene bank of rare and endangered plants. AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Pref. -- Once the site of a factory, Kami-Sakabe Nishi Park is a compact botanical garden with an interesting collection of plants, set in the heart of a large industrial city.

COMMUNITY

Aug 9, 2000

Echoes of the past in an oasis of beauty

The Japanese lords of yesteryear certainly lived in grand style. Famous gardens in Japan are like very expensive works of art. Luckily the Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, cannot be sold at Christie's.

COMMUNITY

Jul 26, 2000

The homesick cycad tree of Myokokuji Temple

On a hot August day last year I took the train and tram to Sakai City in the south of Osaka. I wanted to see the ancient Japanese sago palm (sotetsu, Cycas revoluta), a member of the Cycad family, which grows in the grounds of Myokokuji Temple. The temple was first built in 1562 by a wealthy merchant called Aburaya, on land donated by Miyoshi Yukiyasu, who was ruler of Settsu, Kawachi and Izumi (present-day Osaka and Hyogo prefectures). The temple was also designated as an imperial temple. At a later date more land was donated by the Toyotomi and Tokugawa families.

COMMUNITY

Jul 12, 2000

Going native in postage-stamp gardens

Many remember COP3. The international environmental meeting took place in the beautiful surroundings of Kyoto's International Conference Center in the early autumn of 1997.

ENVIRONMENT

Jun 28, 2000

Nature's playground welcomes kids of all ages

Located on low hills (67 meters above sea level) in Yokohama's Minami Ward, the Yokohama Children's Botanic Garden opened to the public in 1979 (the Year of the Child) with an area of 4 hectares. Since then, many of the trees have matured, creating a woodland atmosphere.

ENVIRONMENT

Jun 14, 2000

Growing in the shadows and shady corners

Your condominium may have a north- or east-facing balcony, or the building next door may block out the sun for the best part of the day. Even if you are lucky enough to have your own garden, there will always be some corner that is shady. Finding plants that will thrive in these areas can be tricky, but with a little trial and error you can turn those sunless corners into interesting little gardens.

COMMUNITY

May 24, 2000

Plutocrat's quiet country place preserved

Tonogayato Garden is located in Kokubunji, about 25 km from Tokyo Station. The garden is now owned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Parks Department but was originally owned by the Iwasaki family, of Mitsubishi fame.

ENVIRONMENT

May 10, 2000

Trees and taste at Mito Botanic Garden

Mito, in Ibaraki Prefecture, is well known throughout Japan for natto (fermented soybeans), an acquired taste. It is also known for Kairakuen Garden, one of the Three Famous Gardens in Japan, which I've written about before. Just a couple of kilometers south of Mito in the lush green countryside, there is a also another attraction: the Mito Botanic Garden.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

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Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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