Tokyo office thermostats will be set to 28 degrees this summer, meaning that workers in the big city face a sweltering few months. While a relaxed dress code of sandals and Hawaiian shirts might help, there's a more colorful way to beat the heat: plant more greenery.
Tokyo office thermostats will be set to 28 degrees this summer, meaning that workers in the big city face a sweltering few months. While a relaxed dress code of sandals and Hawaiian shirts might help, there's a more colorful way to beat the heat: plant more greenery.
That's what 5 x Midori, a company seeking to return seasonal and native plants to Japan's cities, has been doing since 2004. Reducing the urban "heat island" effect, caused by a concentration of concrete, asphalt and other man-made materials, was just one of founder Fumi Miyata's objectives when she set out to "green" the capital.
"More plants are the answer to a lot of problems--not only dwindling botanical diversity, but also global warming and climate change," explains Miyata. A study at the University of Tokyo showed that having foliage around a building provides more oxygen and reduces the ambient temperature by up to 1.5 degrees.
Unfortunately, beyond its larger parks, Tokyo lacks open green space, with playgrounds and sports fields covered with sand.
Miyata conceived the idea for 5 x Midori when her plans for a garden were thwarted because the land around her house was filled in with concrete. Although she admits that many people get around this problem by placing collections of pot plants on their balconies or porches and squeezing trailing plants wherever they can, she wanted more.
"There's practically no soil in Tokyo," she says. "Wherever you walk, the ground is always covered in concrete. I thought there must be people out there like me who want more greenery, but have no idea how to go about creating it."
Michio Tase, an ecologically-minded architect, helped Miyata design the simple system of interlocking wire mesh boxes that gave the company its name, which means "five times more greenery." When the boxes are filled with soil, plants can grow out of any of the five sides that don't touch the ground.
"The beauty is that you can put them anywhere and make structures or shapes to fit any environment," says Miyata. "We also used a highly absorbent soil, so they don't need frequent watering."
The boxes, which can be used to create hedgerows, benches and even steps, are called "satoyama" units, a reference to the botanically diverse woodlands that once covered Japan. Today much satoyama has been swallowed by industrial and urban sprawl. Up to 25 percent of Japan's indigenous plant species face extinction.
"People don't realize that many Japanese species are dying out," says Miyata. "People are really shocked to hear that "kikyo" (Chinese bellflower), one of the seven flowers of autumn, is on the brink of extinction. So we're trying to bring them back."
One way 5 x Midori is doing this is working with the people of Batto, Tochigi Prefecture, which is surrounded by woodlands. Miyata explains that people used to clear weeds and undergrowth from the forest floor to encourage diversity by preventing stronger plants from dominating and allowing buried seeds to sprout.
Although the practice has largely died out, it has been revived in Batto by 5 x Midori, who use some of the sprouted plants in boxes in the city. Some profits from the sale of boxes are sent back to Batto to fund the next clearing session.
"We can increase botanical diversity while greening the city--it's a symbiotic relationship," says Miyata.
Increased greenery can also have an emotional effect, as Miyata points out: "Plants and flowers make people feel better in spirit and body. One study found that hospital patients who could see greenery through their window had a shorter stay and got better faster than those who didn't."
The boxes have spread through the city extremely fast, with satoyama units visible on roofs, walls, and even carparks. Miyata thinks this is proof of Tokyo's experimental attitude.
"This city is always in flux, and cutting-edge models are always being tested out," she says. "I think more people are realizing how ncessary greenery is in the city. This is just the beginning."