Books / Reviews Jul 4, 2020
Healing from the horrors of war in ‘The Garden of Evening Mists’
by Stephen Mansfield
Tan Twan Eng’s evocative novel about loss, art and memory was shortlisted for a Man Booker Prize in 2012.
Food & Drink | Food Sustainability in Japan Jun 28, 2020
How to compost in a cardboard box at home
by Jane Kitagawa
Cardboard box composting, a method that’s become popular in Japan, is cheap, simple, bad-odor-free and well-suited to small spaces.
Lifestyle Jun 21, 2020
The time is ripe to plant a microgarden: Here’s how to get started
by Chiara Terzuolo
Here’s how to use any container you have on hand to start your own microgarden, even in Japan's cramped urban centers.
Style & Design | ON: DESIGN Jun 21, 2020
Design solutions for the green thumb (or at least the green at heart)
by Mio Yamada
Whether it’s a verdant backyard or a colorful window box, plants are making a comeback in the home.
Asia Pacific Jul 26, 2019
Singapore promotes gardening for elderly in bid to fight loneliness
by Beh Lih Yi
Since her mother died last year, 74-year-old Lim Yeo Hong has been living alone in a flat on the outskirts of Singapore, scavenging for cardboard scraps which she sells for a living. The only time she meets anyone is once a month when she collects ...
TV Nov 1, 2018
A blond Swedish landscape artist flexes for NHK — remember his name ... Tatsumasa Murasame
by Andrew McKirdy
Who's that hunk of blond beefcake crunching his abs on NHK's workout program "Minna de Kinniku Taiso"? When the five-minute nightly exercise show launched for a four-episode run this August and attracted a huge cult following, social media users wanted to know the answer. Tatsumasa Murasame ...
Lifestyle Jun 25, 2016
Mary Reynolds says gardeners should take a walk on the wild side
by Kaori Shoji
Both horticulturalists and casual gardeners will be enthralled by "Dare to be Wild" ("Flower Show!" in Japan), a film based on the life of landscape designer Mary Reynolds. In 2002, at age 28, Reynolds became the first Irish and then-youngest-ever contestant to win gold at ...
National Sep 17, 2015
Gardener wins award for re-creating Monet garden in Kochi
by Emi Ikeda
Yutaka Kawakami knew hardly anything about Claude Monet until 12 years ago, but the 53-year-old has now won a French award for his re-creation of the painter's cherished garden. "It's my personality and I just couldn't give up easily," the 53-year-old said of the difficulty ...
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Mar 8, 2015
Labor of love left to wither and die in Fukushima
by Liane Wakabayashi
Forced to abandon his life's work, the 72-year-old creator of a renowned rose garden in Fukushima wants Tepco to compensate him and allow him to start over.
Food & Drink | Japan Pulse Jul 29, 2011
Apartment dwellers go potty for growing their own veggies
by Felicity Hughes
As concerns about food safety continue to grow, personal veranda farms take root in the big city.
Lifestyle | WEEK 3 Apr 19, 2009
A rose by any other name is still an alien species for Ark Hills gardener
by Edan Corkill
"Don't be fooled by the crowds milling around the rose beds." That's gardener Akemi Sugii's perplexing heads-up for anyone planning a visit to next week's open days of the Ark Hills rooftop garden she manages in Tokyo's upmarket Akasaka district. That's because, Sugii says, the ...