Obsessive Gardening in Chiba
I seem to be a bit obsessed myself these days. I am be drawn into the highly packed world of the Japanese home gardens. These are not the elegant gardens that can be found in Tokyo like Rikugien Gardens in the center of Tokyo. No, these are the tightly packed neighborhood gardens that I find on my wanderings.
These gardens sometimes occupy the smallest spaces imaginable. The might feature a row of potted plants sitting atop a cinderblock wall. They could also be found in the tiniest of spaces that most foreigners wouldn’t even recognize as a backyard. However, this is where the Japanese show amazing skill in how they use what ever space they have in order to be able to bring some greenery into their lives and in those that pass by on the street. I would argue that there is more greenery, and green spaces to be found here in Tokyo that that of New York City’s green spaces.
There is so little space, and at times the concrete, glass, and steel seem oppressive, but all I have to do is to turn a corner and find a small contemplative oasis of green. It might only be some herbs that occupy a windowsill, but that green is better than no green at all.
