Our relationship with nature has been changed by our experiences during the pandemic. Many feel a strong desire to bring the natural world into their everyday lives. Interest has risen in designs that are more than shallow ornamentation, offering coexistence with nature, and conservation of our environment. Such designs shape our living spaces and architecture. Our presenters visit gardener and green director Saito Taichi on his plant farm where they experience his designs that bring people and nature closer together, and explore their potential!
Today on Design Stories, we're exploring greener living.
We're visiting a very hands-on plant nursery in a hilly neighborhood of Tokyo.
Today again, it's a beautiful day, so it's perfect.
Not raining today.
Yes, look at this.
I mean it's like a whole roof made out of succulents.
Succulents, yeah.
Yeah, beautiful.
This whole area used to be a field for growing ornamental plants.
Now, these hilly slopes are a one-and-a-half-acre farmers market, where visitors can bask in greenery from all sides.
It's a landscape design that allows you to appreciate plant life with all five senses.
Shall we go down here?
Let's go check it out.
There's this adventurous feeling.
Yeah, there definitely is.
Oh wow. I mean...
there's like a road that way, you can go that way...
Cactus.
Cactus Succulents.
Shall we go this way?
Wow, look at this tree!
This is enormous!
It's a nice... oh, there you go.
That's great!
What a fun place!
I mean, there's all these different types of cactus, that you usually don't get to see in like most shops.
True.
- You're already checking out what you're going to bring back, right?
- I'm like a kid in a candy shop right now.
This must be Saito-san.
- Welcome!
- Hello!
A pleasure, Saito-san.
Thanks for coming.
What a lovely place.
Such perfect weather for it.
- Isn't it beautiful?
- Just lovely.
Saito Taichi is a gardener and a green director.
As well as growing and selling plants, he also creates green designs.
He built a home that interweaves architecture and the natural world, and an office that highlights diverse work styles and social issues.
Green fills every corner of his life.
He started the farm to encourage people to discover plants, and experience the joy of living alongside them.
It slopes down from the entrance,
like an extension of the mountain.
It feels a bit like a maze.
It's exciting. You can't see
what's around the corner.
A deliberate design choice?
Yes. At first glance it's a Western garden.
But it has a Japanese identity.
It's a "kaiyu," or stroll, garden.
There's a lake and paths that open up.
You can't see it, but the paths get narrower.
This makes them feel longer.
Each direction provides a different view.
It's all part of the design.
Notice how it's rough underfoot?
Yes, it is!
Is this part of it too?
It is, yes.
Visitors coming from central Tokyo
are all used to smooth asphalt.
Here they have to pay attention
to all the different materials.
Different textures,
uneven height gaps and so on.
A different experience to the city.
That slapdash feel is by design.
It's about the experience.
I have to ask. Is that a treehouse?
Shaped like a watering can.
In summer, water sprays from
the spout so kids can cool off.
- It's a real watering can?!
- It is.
It feels handmade, like an artwork.
- Is it safe to climb?
- Sure!
It's for kids, right?
- Can adults climb it?
- Sure.
Please go ahead.
- Let's have a go.
- Have fun!
Are you sure?
I'm sure kids would love this.
Such an adventure!
What a view from up here!
Oh, this is amazing!
Saito has placed retro artworks all over the farm, designed to blend in with the greenery.
We came through here earlier.
It's a classic Beetle, right?
I used to drive it.
- Really?
- It's yours?
We took out the engine.
I love kids and I wanted to
make a space they'd enjoy.
You did!
This is all a show garden.
A display.
I want visitors to find
plants that speak to them.
To take a couple home on instinct.
So it's set up to guide people
to what they like.
Guide their instinct!
You need to be able to adore your plants.
If you adore something, you'll look up
how to care for it.
Look it up online.
There's no wrong way to
get in touch with nature.
Do your own research, talk to your plants.
The key is to act.
I built this place to encourage that mindset.
- Watch your step.
- Thank you.
Have to watch out for the uneven materials!
This corner of the farm is packed with outdoor plants for verandas and gardens.
Saito traveled abroad himself to find many of them.
This area is for our Aussie plants.
Some are quite rare.
I like this one here.
- This one?
- Saltbush.
- What's special about them?
- Most plants can't abide salt.
This plant actually contains salt.
It even tastes salty.
And the spade-shaped leaves
are really lovely.
It has flowers too.
But look at the dying leaves.
Bright pink and super cute.
They're dying but look so hopeful.
It's hardy. Only needs a little water.
So, you travel the world
to find interesting plants?
That's right.
Our climate is in flux,
and so are our lifestyles.
I want to provide greenery
for verandas and balconies.
But verandas are too harsh for
most Japanese forest plants.
They're dry, and get too much sun.
So what might work?
The answer is Australian
and Californian species.
When I find something
I grow it at home for a year.
I only talk to suppliers
if it's easy to manage.
- You do your research.
- Through every season.
The farm is full of ideas to bring people and plants closer together.
It's a mission that Saito embarked on as a junior high student.
- You're from Hanamaki?
- In Iwate Prefecture, yes.
My relatives ran a gardening store.
They supplied plants and such.
That's how I grew up.
And you became a gardener at 15,
do I have that right?
I started helping out in the family.
I thought I'd try making something.
A few mixed planters,
some kokedama moss balls.
When we put them out, they sold very well.
Some customers asked who made them.
They said that they wanted me
to create a garden for them.
Oh wow.
Over time, I realized I wanted to do
more than copy an ideal landscape.
I wanted to reexamine
our relationship with plants.
Why don't they play a bigger role
in our everyday lives?
It wasn't enough.
A huge bookstore opened
near my home at this time.
It had shelves of architecture books.
I saw one on Frank Lloyd Wright's
Fallingwater. What a discovery!
I was so moved by it.
With the water running through.
It was a bolt from the blue.
I was totally blown away.
This lifestyle, this landscape exists!
I'd been making gardens
by looking at examples.
But this was what I wanted to make.
A space within a landscape.
I knew this was my future.
Saito dreamed of building spaces that merged architecture and nature.
Those dreams came true when he built his own home.
It's in the residential Setagaya neighborhood of Tokyo.
Inside is an extraordinary view.
Huge, 3.5-meter-high windows are crowded by towering trees.
It's like stepping into an ancient forest.
Together with architect Tane Tsuyoshi, Saito designed the house through a process of trial and error.
We embraced primitive themes.
Like "anthill" and "Jomon life."
Humans look down on the natural world.
But nature is the greatest of all.
So I wanted to live in a space
where nature looked down on me.
The floor is actually a meter below ground level, placing your eyeline closer to the soil.
You can feel the ants crawling the earth, insects on a tree trunk, or birds on a branch.
Saito took his time with the window and garden design, to recreate the experience of looking up at the towering trees of a forest.
In Tokyo, most houses stand
very close to their neighbors.
I had to recreate nature
in just 2 or 3 meters.
And I don't mean a "garden," but "nature."
I call it "new nature."
There are just two meters separating him from his neighbor.
Saito researched the native plants of the area, and brought in new seeds that would thrive alongside them.
He planted a total of fifty different species.
We sometimes get raccoons
ambling through the area.
Wild animals scurrying about at night.
Saito's home is connected to the earth.
It's an experiment in how people can live closer to the natural world.
You talked about "new nature."
Can you tell us more?
It's exactly what it sounds like.
The issues arise when you
shape this new nature.
People will say,
'This all used to be forest.'
Sure.
But that was before there was a city here.
You can't just bring it back.
Imagine a huge glass building
in front of you.
It reflects light so the sun
seems to rise from the west.
That changes so much.
It affects the local microclimate.
We have to analyze these smaller environments.
Not just the bigger ecosystem.
Without shaping suitable environments
we can't build new nature.
But your focus is on coexistence
with nature in cities?
- Take my home, for example.
- It's more than a garden!
It's a tiny patch of nature.
But 100 of those makes
a medium stretch of nature.
We'll only get there by combining
our small achievements.
Just one small pot plant.
It can become a garden.
Or maybe just a green corner.
But it leads to more.
- The creation of a new ecosystem.
- Exactly.
It's a fun way to promote biodiversity
which can lead to new nature.
For us city-dwellers, Saito says that adopting an indoor plant is a great first step towards greener living.
But what's the secret to raising a healthy indoor plant?
How many plants are in here?
Around 500 species.
That many? Incredible.
I have a variety of hanging plants.
So pretty.
This is an orchid, right?
Vanda orchids absorb
water from the air.
- That's all they need?
- Yes.
I occasionally give it a little soak.
- Those are the roots?
- Yes, I spray a little water on them.
- Wow!
- How peculiar.
I always explain how to care
for plants the same way.
Your skin tells you the temperature
and humidity of a room.
Plants feel exactly the same.
- If you feel dry, so do they.
- Makes sense.
It's a great barometer.
If your plant looks thirsty,
you probably need something too.
Go and hydrate!
They reflect your own state!
- And they're calming.
- They are.
I often forget to water my plants
when I'm overworked.
I need to remember to relax.
- Yes, exactly.
- Like a mirror.
- A little green changes everything!
- It does.
It brings life to the space around it.
Indoor greenery breathes life into a place.
Saito is breathing plenty of life into another project of his: his new office.
Oh wow...
- I seriously want to work here.
- It's a little chilly.
Such a unique structure.
What was the concept?
It was inspired by barns.
Like on a farm?
Japanese farms have a main house
and then barns for working in.
Some serve as community spaces.
They often have little kitchens.
We're surrounded by fields here.
I wanted it to be like a barn on a farm.
- Would you like a tour?
- Definitely!
Watch your step in here.
- It's like we're outside.
- Exactly.
I love this!
We kept the natural slope
of the ground here.
Interesting!
Just built on top of what was there.
Saito calls his office the 'Keep Green House.'
It was built in the hills of his plant farm in 2022.
The design was a collaboration with Suemitsu Hirokazu and Yoko, from architecture unit SUEP.
This power-couple conducts detailed research into each project's environment, including sunlight and wind.
They've earned a reputation for high tech creations, that harmonize with the natural world.
Saito wanted to build an office that bowed to nature.
They started conceptualizing how they could maintain the structure without damaging the land.
Most buildings have a foundation
of poured, reinforced concrete.
But doing that would affect
the nearby plants.
We chose to raise the office instead.
In Miyazaki, there are these enormous
bamboo racks built to dry daikon.
They're simple but carefully positioned
to maximize sunlight and wind.
That was our inspiration.
We kept the ground as is and
used a simple lattice of wood.
And this was the result.
This repeating wooden lattice allowed them to get away with only using concrete for the areas under the pillars.
The ground remained untouched, and the building kept the original slope.
The floor is bare earth, so greenery can be planted right in the office.
Saito chose all the plants filling the interior.
The whole space feels like a continuation of the natural world.
All the planting is experimental.
Most are productive trees.
They provide something we need.
Either food or lumber. I wanted
to see if they'd grow inside.
So that's why I saw a banana earlier!
Yes, banana, mango, strawberry guava.
I plant a lot, and some don't make it.
So I figure out what went wrong
and plant something else there.
- Interesting.
- An office and lab space.
It's like a laboratory for you.
The whole structure is a series
of units. Each one is 2m long.
- You linked them up?
- Yes.
It doesn't hurt the earth,
and it's cheap to build.
The window frames, solar batteries, and other materials are all off-the-shelf products.
Saito wanted to keep costs low, for a simple, but important reason.
It was fascinating working with Saito.
He didn't want a top-shelf,
over-engineered environment.
He wanted to use simple materials
that anyone could buy.
People often seek efficiency
to lower their CO2 output.
That's all well and good.
But what about the cost of
making their fancy new machine?
This project was a turning point
for our perspective.
The building is designed to draw on natural energies.
The outer wall is a simple slat design.
By calculating the height of the sun throughout the year, the office remains cool in the summer and sunny in winter,
reducing the need for lighting and air conditioning.
It's an experimental, eco-conscious design, that helps people live in harmony with the natural world.
Saito hopes it'll make waves in the world of architecture.
A kitchen! Oh wow.
A counter too. How lovely.
I really like this. How is it used?
A chef comes every Friday.
The team have lunch and dinner together.
Like locals gathering in the barn
and chatting together.
Old ladies bringing their vegetables.
That kind of thing?
That's what I wanted.
It's wonderful, I'm envious!
And it must be motivating.
It promotes belief in your work,
but it's also a wonderful environment.
The pandemic really has changed
our values here and around the world.
We all feel much more positive
toward nature.
Have you noticed this shift yourself?
Some experts say that modern human DNA
has barely changed.
It's been the same since prehistoric times.
It's almost like our DNA still thinks
that we're social creatures living in nature.
So I think being isolated at home during the pandemic
was enormously stressful for so many people.
Nature was what provided us with relief.
That's all it is, in the end.
Modern society faces so many issues.
We're finally moving toward a future
in which nature plays a central role.
First step towards greener living?
Care for the plants around you.
A reminder to be grateful for the little things!
Teaching children the joy of living alongside nature.
Saito is doing valuable work!