Some VERY urban farming! Tokyo’s Roppongi must be one of the most urban places in the world, so I was a little surprised to be invited to a rooftop rice-planting event there. Mori Building have held the event every Spring for a few years now. And as you can see, this year’s event was pretty well attended by media.
The rice-planting is mainly for people living and working in Roppongi Hills but I got in via an invitation from some friends at restaurant Roppongi Noen who helped organize this year’s event. (They are up to all sorts of things and I’ve been working on some projects with them. More about that in another post).
I took my sons and they had plenty to do: rice planting, playing with frogs and newts, and planting soy beans.
Here’s the planted soy bean patch.
The weather was great. Actually, the information we got beforehand said the event would go ahead in any weather except thunder and lightening. (Very sensible for an event 45m in the air on top of a building.)
There was quite a view from the rice-field . . .
Entertainment from some Niigata drummers too.
Refreshments, complete with groan-worthy Japanese pun 🙂 (Jinja Ale – A rather nice ginger flavoured koji drink).
There will be a rice-harvesting event in the Autumn. Roppongi Noen should have the details nearer the time.
Roppongi Noen (in Japanese)
href=”http://www.roppongi-nouen.jp/
Roppongi Hills rooftop garden (in Japanese)
href=”http://www.roppongihills.com/green/rooftop_garden/”>Roppongi Hill Rooftop Garden (in Japanese)