Tokyo has never been known for its vast parklands. Green space accounts for just four percent of the city, compared to twelve percent in New York. The rapid reconstruction efforts post World War II ensured that Tokyo quickly evolved into a concrete jungle with skyscrapers clogging the city, and every available inch used up. Now, residents are trying to reclaim some of the space to create another and more natural kind of jungle, using “guerrilla gardening” tactics.
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Going Green in Tokyo © tanakawho
Trying to reclaim any amount of green space isn’t easy in a city where houses have their front doors open directly into the street, with no semblance of a yard or garden to speak of. But PingMag is reporting that enterprising Japanese are getting around such niggling logistical problems with the result that every little space that can be used to hold a flower pot is being grabbed hold of — potted plants hang off doors, sit on window sills and A/C units, and even find a perch on a fire extinguisher. Flower pot gardens are everywhere — arranged neatly outside homes, crammed into an empty space at a busy intersection. You might even see a creeping ivy draped lovingly over a ”¦ Coke vending machine.
In their desire to create patches of gardens, the line between what’s real and what’s fake is often blurred. Robo birds — taped recording of birds chirping — are played at train stations and other places, and natural tree bark is used to cover ugly lamp posts.