Before I moved to Japan, I lived in a house with a garden. In Tokyo, I’ve lived in an urban apartment. No garden. No access to the outdoors. Then in July, I moved to a second Tokyo apartment. Still no garden. And right off my bedroom, the ugliest balcony in the world. See for yourself. Pretty hideous, right?
I decided what that balcony needed was a Japanese garden. And what I needed was a Japanese gardener. Fortunately, I knew one because I’d interviewed him a few years ago for this column in The Japan Times. Shimizu Takayuki 清水隆行, a licensed landscape architect and gardener, came to look at my ugly balcony. He said he could help.
And here is the result, installed last week:
And a closer view:
Needless to say, I’m thrilled. This is yet another Adventure in Columning — when work on my column leads me in new and exciting directions. Shimizu-san’s company is called Midori no Machi Kōbō 緑のまち工房.
Shimizu Takayuki has done an excellent job decorating your balcony and I hope to spread the word internationally. It’s fantastic !
What a lovely transformation…How nice to see this beauty when you want to take a break..Great job..!
Well done!
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Beautiful and very peaceful garden. I hope you enjoy it!
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Two questions: (1) where do you hang your laundry (2) how will you deal with your garden when you move?
Hi Stacy, I hang my laundry inside. There’s even special laundry detergent these days for inside-hangers. A lot of women who work do it now. The whole garden can break down and be moved. All the plans are in pots. It’s going to be a job thought, that’s for sure. Alice
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