Photo Source: Ian Mutto via Flickr

It's weird, a bunch of us were actually talking about how living space is pretty tiny in Japan and look what pops up in the news alert? Another interesting tidbit about how Japanese folks are making the most of their environment. For today's topic, I'm diving into the exciting world of rooftop gardens in Japan!

You heard me – cozy little plots on urban roofs! While there are a few noteworthy ones out there, this article refers to an office building owned by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. where entire roof has been converted into an urban garden. The plants grown in these plots include a wide variety of vegetables like daikon radish, broad beans and Chinese cabbage.

The idea itself is not new and many other countries have been indulging in this habit for a while. Even in Japan, this is an idea that was introduced a few years back. So why the ruckus now, you ask? Turns out, more and more folks in Japan are falling in love with the idea of gardening (whether for the fun of it or as stress release) and there is an increasing demand for such plots.

The aforementioned corporation had set up that rooftop garden on its building for its employees. The powers that be there were apparently renting it out, for free, to these guys. And it acts as team bonding effort where everyone tends to the crops, go off to buy seeds together and when the time comes, have a massive harvesting festival!

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