Another neighbor dries persimmons on her balcony

近所の方がベランダで柿を干しています。

Green lemons stand ripe next to truck, in my neighbor’s garden

中野で、緑色のレモンの木は小さなトラックの横に立ています。

Can stylish seed bombs make better neighbors?

種爆弾を使って、お隣がよくなるでしょうか？　カリフォルニア・ススキと野草の種の入った種爆弾を隣の庭に投げ入れました。何も生えていなくて、さびしいので。パッケージと成分表がなかなか素敵でしょう？

My San Francisco neighbor is an absentee landlady, who grows nothing but weeds in her back yard. After some pre-watering, i threw two seed bombs over our fence. I wonder if these wildflowers and grasses will sprout?

I love the packaging and the ingredient list.

King palm reflection on the neighbor’s wall

サンフランシスコの庭に植えたとき、この「ユスラヤシ」というヤシの木は５０センチしかありませんでした。１３年経って、こんなに大きくなりました。初秋はサンフランシスコにまたいました。

It’s hard to believe I planted this cold-hardy King palm in 2000 when it was half a meter tall. Now it’s the tallest tree in my San Francisco back garden. Below its reflection is the 100 year old, redwood “butler’s pantry” we removed from the apartment during the renovation. When I was there this fall, I up-lit the trunk.

Sunflower blooms next to the road, outside the gardener’s property

このコーナーは家と歩道の境目にありますが、近所の方のおかげでいつもきれいな花が咲いています。

This sunflower is blooming in a tiny mound of dirt outside a neighbor’s house. I love how she maintains this corner and always offers some seasonal color to the passers-by.

Mesh bag and clothes pins protect sidewalk blueberries

近所の方が、メッシュバッグと洗濯挟みで歩道のブルーベリーを守っています。食べるのを楽しみにしているみたいです。

I love how this neighbor is protecting her delicious blueberries with a mesh bag and some clothes pins. It’s such a DIY solution. She must be looking forward to eating the berries.

Who’s in your back pocket? Mine is Kotooshu.

後ポケットに、いつもだれがいますか。私のポケットには、琴欧洲がいます。洗濯ひもは家と外の間にあって、庭のまんなかにあって、台所の机からいつも見えます。

The laundry line in our Tokyo flat is ever present, in the middle of the garden and directly in view from the kitchen table desk. Whether decorative or not, the laundry line is a porous border between inside and out, home and neighbors.

My handkerchief collection now includes the Bulgarian Kotooshu, one of the longest serving ozeki sumo wrestlers, as well as Asashoryu, the Mongolian yokozuna forced out of the profession a few years ago for bad behavior. Given the function of handkerchiefs, perhaps it’s not the most appropriate form of hero worship.

My neighbor is growing this giant loofah

近所の人が大きいヘチマを育てています。秋に、花を見ましたが、こんなに大きくなっていて驚きました。

I noticed the huge yellow blossoms a few months ago, and now in this cold weather, my neighbor’s loofah are enormous.

Yellow flowered vine at neighbor’s garden

隣の庭に、つる植物の黄色い花が咲いています。

Will Tokyo residents open their hearts and welcome tanuki’s return?

最初、東京の住民はタヌキさんに「お帰りなさい」の挨拶していません。心を開くことができるでしょうか。

Tokyo residents are over-worked, over-stimulated, and often in their own private worlds. What will it take to inspire our neighbors to welcome tanuki back to his city?

“Don’t touch that poisonous tree”

廃虚化した家の前に、シキミの木が咲いています。「毒があるので注意してください」と言われました。夜は、特別に素敵です。

I’ve written before about this shikimi (シキミ) tree that’s thriving outside this wood house, long after it’s been unoccupied. The tree even jumped its pot, & the neighbors give it the occasional pruning to keep it out of the street.

At night and in bloom, it’s very alluring. But S warns me, “Don’t touch that poisonous tree.” Also known as Japanese star anise, the tree can be burned as incense. For tea, stick to the Chinese star anise, if you don’t want severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract and digestive organs.

Lost kids’ gloves placed in sidewalk garden for neighbor to find

この手袋はオーナを見つけたでしょうか。歩道のもう一つの使い方です。他の国では、落とし物こんな風に見せる習慣はあまり見られません。

It’s quite common to see that lost items are placed prominently at eye level, in case neighbors return to look for something that fell off a bike, stroller, or handbag. I’ve benefited myself from this system of retrieval and display. It’s a little late for gloves this year, but I hope they find their guardian.

Kiwi leaves spreading out on last year’s vine

キウイの葉はきれいな形です。春に、若葉がとても新鮮に見えます。キウイのフルーツのように、男性と女性の木がいるでしょうか。うちのベランダには一つだけしかないですが、たぶんどこか隣に違う性のキウイがあればいいです。

I love the shape of this kiwi vine’s leaves. They look so fresh and new. I am not sure if you need a male and female kiwi to produce fruit. I hope one of our neighbors has the right sexed kiwi to activate ours!

Still dormant persimmon bonsai on Tokyo balcony. Enjoying plants involves waiting.

今まで、この柿の盆栽は休眠中です。八年待たないと柿は実らないそうです。本当でしょうか。

My balcony garden is starting to perk up for spring, but this persimmon bonsai is still dormant. I remember the day I brought it back two years ago. My neighbor asked me what I have, and then gave me a sad look. “You know it takes eight years for persimmons to fruit, don’t you?” she asked me. I am more patient than I look.

Another old house and garden surrounded by new construction in Shibuya

この渋谷で見つけた自宅と庭園も昭和時代の生き残りです。隣の建物の規模とはとても対照的です。

I like how this Showa house, with its manicured garden, has somehow survived in Shibuya. Near NHK headquarters. The difference in scale with its neighbors is striking.