Urban Greenscape
SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS
One of Tokyo’s largest inner city greenscapes lies between Shinanomachi station and Aoyama Itchome station.
Starting from the green wall at Shinanomachi station, the walk down Gaien Higashi dori towards Aoyama Itchome quickly takes you a way from the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.
In a concrete jungle such as Tokyo, any greenery is always welcome. The ‘green leaf building’ (as I named it) just outside of Shinagawa Seaside station was once of those “Nice!” moments on a Sunday stroll.
Just as China as awesome mops, Japan has quite a collection of leaf covered buildings to please any urban greenscape connoisseur.
Waterfront road in Vientiane, Laos.
Gotta love the preservation of the grand tree in the road!
Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park was a pleasant, unexpected surprise when visiting the might Petronas Towers.
A walk along Jala P Ramlee Street in Kuala Lumpur from the Bukit Nanas Forest to the Petronas Towers is covered by greenery all around.
During my visit in January just before the Chinese New Years, red lanterns hung from the trees presenting a fantastic contrast of greens and reds.
Bukit Nanas botanical forest in central Kuala Lumpur is as true of an urban greenscape as you’ll find.
Right after getting off the Bukit Nanas station, I had lunch at a Hard Rock Cafe and soon after, was walking through a jungle. Talk about having the best of both worlds!
There are more groomed trails leading through the forest, but I opted for the more adventures paths, lined with roots and covered by gigantic leaves larger than my head.
While in the forest, the city buildings just outside the park make for a very interesting contrast of nature and urban development.
View the full gallery of photos at Bukit Nanas botanical gardens.
A collection of the magnificent Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur framed by trees.
Taken in January 2012 during the Urban Greenscape SE Asia tour.
Thomson Road runs North to South through Singapore and is lined with trees and overpasses covered in vegetation. It’s amazing the calming affect all of this has as you walk along this busy road.
Imagine a city where buildings AND trees made up the Skyline.
- Singapore
Yellow Triangles in Tokyo
Somewhere between surreal and ‘thank goodness someone was wise enough to preserve this space’ lies Kitanomaru koen in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
I randomly discovered this space one evening while riding my bike around the Imperial Palace.”Where does this unlit road lead to?”, I asked myself. It’s pretty rare to find a street in Tokyo with no lights and I was intrigued by the amount of trees in the area, so I ventured in.
Unlike most parks in Tokyo, this park incorporates a natural forest with paths meandering through the trees and incredible elevated views of the city.
Veering off the street on to one of the paved paths, I found myself quickly transformed in to another world. How could this be HERE, in Tokyo!?!?
I found myself reflecting on the stillness in the park. The sound of frogs and crickets permeated throughout the park, yet the energy of the city quietly buzzed in the distance.
In the 10 years I’ve been living here, I hadn’t heard this park mentioned by anyone and for some reason, never discovered it throughout all my years of exploration by foot and bike here. It is truly a secret urban greenscape!
Check out the full gallery of photos on our Facebook page!
One of my favorite Urban Greenscapes in Tokyo, Hamacho koen in Chuo-ku.
Located near Ningyocho along the bank of the Sumida River, this park has something for everyone, from a first class gymnasium, to picnic tables and BBQ pits, a wonderful newly refurbished playground for the kids, and a beautiful temple tucked amongst the trees.
