Tamachi Building Co. Invites Kindergarten Children to Potato Dig

The garden where the event took place is situated on the roof of the Dai Ichi Tamachi Building, directly across from East Japan Railway's Tamachi Station in Minato-ku. Since May 2009 an area of 219 square meters (m2) of the rooftop (approx. 2,600m2) has been used as a garden as part of a program to achieve full-fledged rooftop greening in the near future. The initiative is linked to Minato-ku's greening campaign, which targets a green space ratio of 25% by 2026.

Within the rooftop garden, a 21.5m2 vegetable garden has been used for potato cultivation. Sweet potato was selected for planting because during the summer season it offers a high green coverage ratio, thereby providing excellent heat insulation; also, sweet potatoes offer good opportunities for children to dig and taste. The remainder of the garden is being utilized primarily for planting grass, flowers and evergreens.

At the latest event, about 30 children attending a nearby kindergarten first learned about the rooftop garden system and its benefits through easy-to-understand explanations using photos and drawings. They then enjoyed digging up the potatoes and eating potatoes steamed on the site.

Tamachi Building, a wholly owned subsidiary of MHI, was established in 1964 to own, rent out and manage office buildings. The company also conducts various activities reflecting MHI's CSR guidelines and environmental policies in line with a business philosophy calling for the provision of services enabling safe and comfortable building spaces.