来週、芝浦ハウスのコミュニティー・ハーブ・ガーデンについて話します。ハーブは味、料理、薬草、香水として使えます。都市の小さなスペースでも、ハーブは逞しく育ち、日常生活に役に立ちます。このベランダのラベンダーは東京の蝶を引き付けます。
Next week I am talking at Shibaura House’s Community Herb Garden talk event. Herbs can be used for flavor, food, medicine, and perfume. Even in small urban spaces, herbs are very tough and can be used in daily life. This balcony lavender attracts Tokyo butterflies.
中野と新宿の近所の庭について、「The Plant」というスペインの雑誌に記事を書きました。インタビューと記事で、庭を作る個人的な理由を考えます。残念ですが、今のところ、記事は英語だけです。
Around this time last year I worked with film photographer Daisuke Hamada on a long article about flower pot gardens in Tokyo for The Plant, a semi-annual magazine from Spain. The article combines a personal essay about the pleasure of urban gardening and includes two interviews with my Nakano neighbors who have created public beauty with very limited space and budgets. Some blog readers have asked for a copy, so I am attaching a PDF scan here (3 MB).
Shared Beauty: Tokyo’s Pot Gardens. The Plant, Issue #3. Fall, 2012.
This daisy keeps blooming. It’s super common, and very cheerful.
I’ve been eating balcony-harvested snap peas for the last few months. This year, I grew them from seed. They are a great choice when you have no space.
今年も芝浦ハウスは、素敵な妹島 和世さんがデザインしたモダン文化センターで野菜やハーブを育てています。今年で二年目です。今年のテーマは「コミュニティー・ハーブ・ガーデン」です。キックオフとなる5月25日は、１３時から１６時まで、団塚 栄喜という有名な日本ランドスケープ・デザイナーと一緒に、トークイベントとハーブ・ガーデンづくりを実施いたします。定員は２０人、費用は１０００円。芝浦ハウスのサイトで、是非申し込んでください。
For the second year, Shibaura House is planting edibles in its handsome glass and steel culture center designed by Sejima Kazuyo. This year’s theme is Community Herb Garden.
I’ve been asked back for the kick off event on Saturday May 25, from 1 pm to 4 pm. I’ll be talking with one of my Japanese landscape design heroes, Danzuka Eiki (団塚 栄喜), and afterwards we’ll join the participants in planting an herb garden.
Space is limited to 20 people, so please register on Shibaura House’s site if you’d like to participate. The cost is 1000 yen. (The event is in Japanese, but I think language should not be a barrier).
旦那の両親が教室を再開しました。手仕事屋久家で、絵画や楽焼や金継ぎを教えます。企画支援もあります。様々な年齢や国籍の人が集まります。私は教室で、最近エアプラントの植木鉢を作りました。杉並区の新高円寺の近くです。お気軽に見学にいらしてください！ My in-laws have relaunched their art studio as Kuge Crafts, or Teshigotoya Kuge. They are still teaching pottery and also now kintsugi (a form of decorative repair for ceramics), drawing, and jewelry making. The studio is near Shin Koenji, in Suginami ward. The teachers welcome students from all countries and of all ages. One thing the website doesn’t mention is that delicious cake and coffee are also served at every class! If you’re interested, please call or drop by! Thanks to graphic designer and former student Jessica Mantell and front-end developer Kai Bansner, we made a new website for the studio that is formatted for smart phones, PCs, and tablets.
長いあいだ、東京に住んでいるので、もうおどろくことはないと思いました。けれども、高円寺のルックという商店街で雨の日に、亀と一緒に散歩している人に会いました。亀は足を前方と後ろに動かして、頭は見回しています。
亀は濡れているのがきらいだと言いました。だから、オーナーはタオルで亀をふいてあげます。こんな都市の動物と人間の友情はすばらしいと思います。
Sometimes, I think nothing surprises me any more in Tokyo. And then I see this lovely woman walking down Koenji’s Look shopping street with her pet turtle. The turtle looks like he is swimming in air, legs reaching forward and back and eyes taking in the surroundings.
The human guardian explains that she is carrying this towel under her umbrella to wipe off the turtle. Apparently, her turtle does not like to get wet! Thanks to both of them for adding some cheer to a rainy day.
