From the impeccable Zen gardens of Kyoto to the sacred forests surrounding shrines such as Meiji Jingu in Tokyo, Japan is admired for its traditional gardens that often provide a welcome respite from the concrete jungles that surround them.
However, rapid urbanization over the past half century ¡ª 91% of people nationwide currently live in urban areas compared to around 75% in 1975 ¡ª has gone hand in hand with a reduction of urban green spaces.
¡°If farmland and woodland is taken into account, the total area of green spaces in Tokyo has decreased by around 219,000 hectares ¡ª approximately 22% ¡ª from 1965 to 2005,¡± says Yoshinori Akiyama, senior deputy director of the environment office at the land ministry.
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