Topic: Japanese visit

[Robert_Brenchley]

I helped show some Japanese visitors round my site and another nearby yesterday. Allotments only started there in the 1920's from what I picked up (they didn't speak English), and they're still developing. So they come over here occasionally to look for ideas. Apparently city plots over there are about 25 square metres, but they have bigger ones with huts in the mountains. Dunno what they thought of our weedy plots, but it turned out to be a good day.

[Columbus]

Hi Peter, Hi all,  :)

We wife and I were in Japan for easter, We went to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. Travelling by local trains and the Bullet train whilst we were there. I enjoyed looking out of the window across the landscape and was fascinated to see every tiny piece of land or space for pots and containers seemed to used for growing.
There were rows of earthed up somethings and lots of peas and cabbages around, and marigolds in flower. I was also able to see commercial food production in glass houses and rice fields in the valleys and tea being grown in the mountains.

It looked as if everyone was growing whatever they could wherever they could find a space.

(We overstayed by 6 days due to the ash cloud and were treated very badly by Finnair)

Col

[Unwashed]

I've heard that their plots are tiny, and they have no security of tenure - they re-apply each year.

[Robert_Brenchley]

That's what I gather, but due to the language barrier I'm not clear on the details. I think he said that if someone has a plot for more than six years, it creates a potential for them to claim ownership, so landlords won't have it. I could have misunderstood though. Apparently they've set the sites up so that everything is portable, and they can up sticks and move the whole site if they need to. That leaves both sides feeling more secure!