Growing Your Own Food in Greater Tokyo 市民農園
Let's face it: Greater Tokyo is a concrete jungle, home to some 33 million people packed onto trains and crowded streets. Yet hidden among the skyscrapers and suburbs is an unexpected opportunity - you can rent a small plot of land and grow your own vegetables and flowers.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, hundreds of community garden plots are available throughout Tokyo for residents who want to try their hand at farming, subject to a few simple rules.
If you live outside Tokyo, you don't have to miss out. Similar programs exist in Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Aichi, Hyogo, Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka. One useful resource is Share Batake (https://www.sharebatake.com), which lists rental gardens in many parts of Japan.
There are two main types of rental gardens. The first is shimin noen (市民農園), or "citizen farms." These are do-it-yourself plots where you rent the land and are responsible for everything—from selecting seeds/seedlings to deciding what to plant and when. You provide your own tools and make all cultivation decisions.
The second type is nogyo taiken noen (農業体験農園), or "agricultural experience farms." Here, a professional farmer manages the site, provides instruction, and follows a planting schedule with participants. These gardens are particularly popular with beginners.
When my wife and I bought a house in Ichikawa, Chiba, two years ago, we applied for a four-meter-by-four-meter plot in a citizen garden. We told the city we were complete novices. My wife grew up in Tokyo, and I grew up near San Francisco.
"Don't worry," we were told. "The veterans will help you."
They were right.
Several experienced gardeners have loaned us tools, shared advice on what grows best in our area, and patiently answered our questions. Although I've never actually caught them in the act, I'm convinced that some of our neighbors occasionally weed our plot and even leave fertilizer behind anonymously.
Our garden also has a charming old hand-crank water pump, so we never have to haul water from home.
The eligibility requirements are straightforward. You must live in the municipality, agree to follow the garden's rules, maintain your plot, and use it to grow food or flowers for personal enjoyment rather than commercial purposes. Most municipalities also limit rentals to one plot per household.
Plots are typically between 10 and 20 square meters. Annual fees for do-it-yourself gardens are generally around ¥10,000. We pay ¥8,000 a year, although I know of one fully managed garden in Tokyo that charges ¥65,000 for a 22-square-meter plot available for ten months of the year. Rental terms usually range from one to three years. Because of the relatively short leases, growing fruit trees is generally prohibited.
Demand is high, and many municipalities allocate plots through a lottery system.
In just two years, we've harvested tomatoes, strawberries, green shiso, shishito peppers, watermelons, melons, peanuts, cucumbers, garlic, green peppers, leeks, onions, zucchini, paprika, goya and several varieties of eggplant.
If you're interested in finding a garden of your own, these websites are good places to start. Some are available only in Japanese.
You may be surprised to discover that, even in one of the world's largest metropolitan areas, there's still room to dig in the dirt and harvest dinner.
Bon appétit.
By Marshall Hughes, author of Rural Reflections: What 11 Years in Provincial Japan Taught Me.
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