Research & reports

Naomi Shimpo · · Japan (Kobe City)

This chapter presents two case studies of community gardens in old neighborhoods of Kobe City, Japan, to demonstrate their establishment process and the social connections formed. Community gardens serve as open spaces for evacuation and food sources after earthquakes, and daily gardening activities can build social capital crucial for mutual aid in a crisis. The cases illustrate the potential for social capital building through community gardening, particularly for foreign and elderly residents, and highlight the need for city government support for such bottom-up disaster preparedness efforts.

Naomi Shimpo, Sakura Yamada · Toshi keikaku hokokushu/Toshi keikaku houkokushuu · Japan (Tokyo)

This paper reports on the establishment of "Harajuku Harappa Farm," a community garden initiated by local residents on approximately 1,500m² of unused national land in central Tokyo. The project overcame barriers to national land use through multi-stakeholder collaboration, featuring experimental, shared, and educational plots with an emphasis on composting and local resource circulation. This case suggests the potential for temporary use of public land for environmental education, community building, and circular resource management in urban areas from an urban planning perspective.

Kosuke Sakura, Ignacio Grávalos Lacambra, Manuel Alejandro Rufasto Ñañez, Patrizia Di Monte · Dearq · Japan (Nagano)

This article presents an active service-learning methodology as a pedagogical approach in architecture schools, focusing on community-led appropriation of public space. This methodology was implemented through the Machi Hata Project, which aimed to transform three abandoned areas near Zenkoji Temple in Nagano—Sukeroku Garden, La Rencontre Backyard, and A Goat Garden—into "civic gardens." The study documents the sequential processes of analysis, design, and community-led construction of these community gardens, highlighting their potential as both educational tools and catalysts for urban regeneration.

Ryotaro HAYASHI, Yasushi Kyutoku, Atsuya SHIMAZAKI, Yoshiki HARADA · Transactions of Japan Society of Kansei Engineering · Japan

This study investigated the applicability of the leisure constraint model to community garden programs in Japan, using an online questionnaire (n=732) on participation constraints across four activity scenarios. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the model can be applied to Japanese community garden practices. However, exploratory factor analyses revealed many extracted factors had vague or inconsistent question combinations, suggesting a need for future research to construct a community garden-specific leisure constraint model.

Hayato SHIGEYAMA, Godai Mori, Yusuke Yabutani, Gen TANABE · Journal of Architecture and Planning (Transactions of AIJ) · Japan

This study in Japan used interviews and Strategic Experiential Modules to identify the value created by the 'Yoshihisaen' community garden, which utilizes a vacant lot, and the factors contributing to this value. Five findings were obtained: creating opportunities for collaboration and interaction is important; working with students promotes residents' personal growth; hosting events provides value such as fun and improved relationships; balancing diverse participant roles helps sustain the garden; and community gardens foster student attachment to a place.

李　錦東 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Kitakyushu)

Kitakyushu City has faced challenges due to continuous population decline and aging since the 1980s, while some shrinking cities abroad have used urban agriculture to solve local issues. This study conducted a questionnaire survey targeting Kitakyushu citizens to clarify the current status and needs regarding their urban agricultural activities. The research aims to provide considerations for promoting urban agricultural activities in Kitakyushu.

YUKUN, HE, HE, YUZHONG, Kiyoyama, Yohei, Ishida, Shigeyuki, Hama-cha Co-Creation Team · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Japan (Kyoto)

This paper documents a 2024–2025 field practice concerning Hama-cha, a traditional tencha in Kyoto, which faces threats from labor aging and persistent operational difficulties. Researchers encountered challenges in accessing tacit knowledge and identifying clear solutions for labor shortages, despite both farmers and researchers recognizing the problem. The study highlights the ongoing operational difficulties and lack of clear solutions for the economic viability of this traditional urban agriculture practice.

Motohiro Kawanishi · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

A survey of the flora growing in the gardens of seven elementary schools on Okinoerabujima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, catalogued the vascular plants present as basic reference material for educational use. A total of 480 vascular plant species were recorded, of which 211 were native to Okinoerabujima Island, 100 were exotic, and 157 were cultivated. The school gardens hosted a large number of plants characterized by a high proportion of native species, including rare plants such as endangered herbaceous species. The survey sites were found to have high potential for use in teaching about the island's nature.

Takashi Shimofuji, Motoi Kusadokoro, Atsushi Chitose · Journal of Rural Problems · Japan

A case study of Welsh onion cultivation in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, used interview surveys of farm management and marketing channels in urban and remote areas to clarify how a farmer's choice of shipping destination in urban agriculture relates to cultivation size and post-harvest working hours. Urban farmers chose different marketing channels depending on cultivation size, and this flexibility produced differences in post-harvest work systems and in work efficiency measured as shipping quantity per work hour, whereas in remote areas cooperative shipping dominated, leaving fewer shipping options and smaller efficiency disparities among farmers. Urban agriculture's access to diverse shipping destinations let farmers select options based on production scale, which raised work efficiency for large-scale farmers in particular.

農林水産省 · 農林水産省 · Japan

According to MAFF's community garden survey results as of the end of March 2025, Japan has 4,273 community gardens with 188,713 plots covering 1,284 hectares nationwide. By operator type, local governments run 1,977, agricultural cooperatives 414, farmers 1,433, and companies/NPOs 449.

豊島区 · 豊島区 · Japan

The rooftop garden "Toshima Forest" on the 10th floor of Toshima Ward Office recreates the ward's former Musashino plateau, valley, and cliff-line terrain and vegetation, with tanks and biotopes for observing creatures of the Arakawa river system. The Board of Education runs environmental education programs for children linked to the garden, such as returning medaka fish to their habitat.

Shimpo N. · Landscape and Urban Planning, 251:105148 · Japan

Analyses how a suburban-Tokyo community garden (Seseragi Garden, Hino City) was managed for resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gardeners proactively set rules through discussion and sustained activity, helping maintain food security, physical and mental health, ikigai and social networks, thereby contributing to community resilience.

· 農福連携等推進会議（内閣官房） · Japan

Government vision (2019, revised 2024) promoting noufuku—agriculture-welfare collaboration enabling people with disabilities to participate in society through farming—as national policy, covering awareness, training, facility support, and market expansion via certification.

· 都市計画報告集 23巻3号 pp.429- · Japan

A report analyzing the potential and operational challenges of community gardens run or entered by private companies, discussing sustainable management models for company-partnered citizen gardens in housing complexes and neighborhoods and their contribution to community formation.

柏の葉スマートシティコンソーシアム, 国土交通省 都市局 · 国土交通省 都市局（スマートシティ実装化支援事業 報告書） · Japan

An MLIT support-program report documenting the implementation of Kashiwanoha Smart City, advanced by Mitsui Fudosan as co-developer through public-private-academia collaboration (UDCK). It covers the implementation and evaluation of resident-participatory initiatives across health, community and data use.

Nath T.K., Inoue M., Yim E.W., Takahashi S. · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Japan

Using empirical data from two Japanese GIAHS sites, documents features of traditional agricultural practices and their values, including conservation of local crop varieties and revitalization of discontinued farming for rural livelihoods.

Mimura Y. · Journal of Ethnic Foods 11: Article 26 · Japan

Reviews the history, preservation, branding, and scientific research on Kyoto's heirloom vegetables (Kyo-yasai), highlighting how farmers, researchers, and municipalities sustain traditional landrace cultivation amid urbanization pressures.

新田 直人, 谷口 守 · 土木学会論文集 80巻11号 論文ID:23-00303 · Japan

Through multiple regression on fees at growing corporate-run kitchen gardens in metropolitan areas, this paper shows pricing reflects urban land-use factors such as rail access, distance from city center, and surrounding population, discussing expansion potential for private rooftop and non-farmland farms.

一般社団法人まちにわ ひばりが丘 · まちにわ ひばりが丘 公式活動報告書 · Japan

Annual report of the area-management organization after UR Hibarigaoka Danchi regeneration, documenting resident-led activities such as the shared garden and Niwa Marche at Hibari Terrace 118 and strengthened collaboration with developer subdivisions including Nomura, Daiwa, and Sumitomo.

住友不動産商業マネジメント株式会社, 武蔵野大学工学部サステナビリティ学科 · 武蔵野大学 / 住友不動産 共同プレスリリース · Japan

At Sumitomo Fudosan's Ariake Garden commercial facility, a resident-participatory container garden is launched jointly with Musashino University as a social experiment including urban permaculture workshops and wellbeing evaluation.

佐藤 光泰 · NOMURA Food & Agri Business Review Vol.14 · Japan

A Nomura Securities Food & Agri Business white paper presenting revenue simulations and cross-sell strategies for rental-farm businesses as urban agriculture entry opportunities for real estate and service firms, discussing private developer kitchen-garden business models.

一般財団法人都市農地活用支援センター · 都市農地活用支援センター 事例集 · Japan

A 2024 casebook on urban farmland use after the 2022 productive-green-area milestone, compiling 40 national examples including UR housing-district Kleingarten, rooftop farms, and private vacant-land community gardens, organizing latest private developer and corporate entry trends.

川崎市 · 川崎市 行政規程・実施要綱 · Japan

Kawasaki's implementation guidelines for city-established and city-managed citizen farms, defining land leasing under the Special Farmland Lease Act, plot recruitment and use conditions as the official basis for municipally operated rental gardens.

横浜市 環境創造局 · 横浜市 都市農業振興基本法に基づく地方計画 · Japan

Yokohama's latest five-year local plan under the Urban Agriculture Promotion Act, organising policies for sustainable farming, farmland preservation, citizen farms, harvest experiences and local consumption building on Midori Up and Megumi-no-Sato programmes.

東京都国分寺市 · 国分寺市 環境報告書 · Japan

Kokubunji's annual environmental report under the basic environment plan, evaluating urban farmland preservation, local consumption and biodiversity while documenting municipally supported programmes such as the Citizen Agriculture University and citizen farms.