Saturday, May 26, 2012

Sustainable Gardens Take Root in Japan

Community vegetable gardens in Saitama (northern Tokyo), Japan.

Farmers' photos and info who grow the produce sold at Bio Marche organic food stores in Japan.

JAS is the symbol for organic in Japan.


By Roland Oehme
May 18, 2012
 
TOKYO — Tokyo may seem like a technology-obsessed city running as efficiently as a clock with its gleaming skyscrapers, punctual subway system, and well-dressed people who are constantly in a hurry. Go just outside the city however, and you will see a more agrarian picture. There are many lovingly-tended community vegetable gardens and allotment gardens in the Tokyo suburbs. While on a recent visit to Saitama, a city about one hour north of Tokyo, I saw these community gardens up close.

Gardens are scattered all over Saitama, usually within walking or biking distance of their caretakers. I did not see any parking lots near the gardens. There were also larger vegetable gardens located along the river park that people walked, biked, or drove to. Here they grew rice in addition to veggies. Even in mid-March, there were many vegetable crops sprouting including winter-hardy plants like onions, peas, and mustard, as well as plants from the cabbage family like brocolli, kale, and collard.

Since the tsunami and nuclear disaster at Fukushima last year, many people in Japan are concerned about eating radiation-free produce. Many grocery stores in Japan will state where their produce is grown. Organic food stores will even have photos and descriptions of the farmers who grew the produce. Japanese people prefer to buy produce grown in the western part of Japan, and shun produce from the disaster area. Strangely enough, radiation awareness has not fully translated into widespread demand for chemical-free, organic produce, although interest in sustainable agriculture is growing.

There are also German-style “kleingaerten,” or allotment gardens, in Japan. ...


To read the entire article on SCGH's website, click here: 
http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/go-green/landscaping-and-outdoors/new-sustainable-gardening-models-take-root-in-japan/

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