‘Japanese Zen Gardens’: Unearthing the complexity of Kyoto’s gardens
Yoko Kawaguchi’s book shows readers how many of Japan’s gardens incorporate Buddhist principles in their designs to function as spaces for meditation and enlightenment.
Healing from the horrors of war in ‘The Garden of Evening Mists’
Tan Twan Eng’s evocative novel about loss, art and memory was shortlisted for a Man Booker Prize in 2012.
How to compost in a cardboard box at home
Cardboard box composting, a method that’s become popular in Japan, is cheap, simple, bad-odor-free and well-suited to small spaces.
The time is ripe to plant a microgarden: Here’s how to get started
Here’s how to use any container you have on hand to start your own microgarden, even in Japan's cramped urban centers.
Design solutions for the green thumb (or at least the green at heart)
Whether it’s a verdant backyard or a colorful window box, plants are making a comeback in the home.
Singapore promotes gardening for elderly in bid to fight loneliness
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 ...
A blond Swedish landscape artist flexes for NHK — remember his name ... Tatsumasa Murasame
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 ...
Mary Reynolds says gardeners should take a walk on the wild side
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 ...
Gardener wins award for re-creating Monet garden in Kochi
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 ...
Labor of love left to wither and die in Fukushima
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.
Apartment dwellers go potty for growing their own veggies
As concerns about food safety continue to grow, personal veranda farms take root in the big city.
A rose by any other name is still an alien species for Ark Hills gardener
"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 ...
