Items that the rubbish center workers think are too nice to throw out are displayed on window sills, free for anyone to take. Is that the remains of a ceramic penis to the right?
Materials:
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.
This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.
Delicate decoration and cobbled together storage.
Materials: Wind Chime, Soap Holder
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.
This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.
Laundry poles resting on a makeshift wooden frame on the ground floor of an old apartment complex just off the high-fashion street of Omotesando provide support for a hanging garden construction of twisted clothes hangers and simple potplants.
Materials: Laundry Pole, Clothes Hangers
Location: Just off Omotesando, Shibuya
(Originally posted on Tokyo-DIY-Gardening.org)
Frugal hanging garden constructed from three types of wire and a metal ring that was once used to secured a roll-up canvas awning.
Simple, robust, flexible.
Materials: Wire, Metal Ring
Location: Nagoya
Another example of the hand made aspects of Japanese mass-made toilets. This time a large can that used to hold mosquito coils has been placed in a Nagoya public toilet by Mr./Ms. Migita?/Uda?.
Great to see the date of placement clearly written on the side of the can.
Materials: Can
Location: Sakae, Nagoya
Man-made green adds functionality (all weather use) and safety (non-slip?) to a patch of less-desirable real grass (courtesy of Tokyo-based designer Edith Prakoso)
Materials: Astroturf
Location: Nogizaka, Tokyo
Hanging garden on residential entrance stairs (courtesy of Tokyo-based designer Edith Prakoso)
Material: Stair Railing
Location: Itabashi-Kuyakushomae, Tokyo
Wild flowers plucked from a nearby informal garden and placed in an empy tea can/bottle decorate a smoking/drink machine ‘rest spot’ outside of a suburban office.
Materials: Can
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo
See also Jared Braiterman‘s documentation of toilet beautification using the same technique [on Tokyo-DIY-Gardening] and [Tokyo Green Space]
Marble strips support and allow drainage for pot plant decoration outside of local clinic.
Materials: Marble
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo
Trees decorating the entrance are stabilised with plastic twine and string
Materials: Plastic Twine, String
Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo
Direction sign for Tokyo Tower at Akabanebashi Subway Station. Constructed of tourist brochure cut-outs and classic Tokyo public trasport duct tape lettering.
Materials: Duct Tape, Tourist Brochure
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo
Felt tipped pens, photocopied map, and tourist brochure combined to form an official information sign in a subway station near Tokyo Tower.
Materials: Felt Tipped Pens, Tourist Brochure, Photocopied Map
Location: Akabanebashi Subway Station, Tokyo
Wire twisted into pot plant holders to decorate roadside residential fencing.
Materials: Wire
Location: Nagoya, Aichi
Using many metres of plastic twine, a local coffee shop owner has trained a flowering creeper up and down both sides of the paved lane outside their shop.
Even though seemingly random, the complex web of twine takes a non-trivial amount of time, thought and effort to construct.
The web has been prepared to guide an independent creeper along the fence line of a vacant lot, creating a lush green waist high curtain.
I especially like the way the corners have been densely woven (images 8,9,10), enabling thick growth and thus a cool and shady habitat for insects, cats and other animals.
Materials: Plastic Twine
Location: Akishima, Tokyo
(Originally posted on Tokyo-DIY-Gardening)
The top of the rubbish drop-off point for this apartment complex has been transformed into a bright community flower garden. A lovely twist to the usually forboding and odorous gaping deadspace.
Location: Akishima, Tokyo
(Originally posted on Tokyo-DIY-Gardening)
Ornamental gardening fence/demarcation constructed from metal rods topped with golf balls (for safety and decoration) and slim bamboo sticks – all threaded with rope and string. A cute judo wrestler surveys the scene.
Materials: Golf Balls, Golf Clubs, Metal Rods, Rope, String, Figurines
Location: Akishima, Tokyo
The problem of identifying your ‘Yakult’ cart in the early morning rush is solved with a bright pink keychain.
Materials: Keychain
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo
