Kokuyo Reduces Power Consumption by 28%, Introduces "Eco Live Office"
Kokuyo Co Ltd has been in the news recently thanks to the creative new look for its office in central Tokyo. With a focus on reducing CO2 emissions and lowering power consumption, the stationary maker...
View ArticleThe Totoro Forest Project Art Exhibition In San Francisco
Yesterday, when I wrote about Satoyama, I was delighted to discover the Totoro Forest Project Art Exhibition in San Francisco. What a wonderful idea - animators, anime artists and designers who
View ArticleGreen Island: Re-Thinking Tokyo
Tokyo was rapidly rebuilt in the 1950s and has few big parks. It is said that the city is a dream for architects, but a nightmare for city planners. Now, a group of young designers are re-thinking the...
View ArticlePromoting Public Transit: I Heart This Subway Map!
We like talking about promoting public transit here on Treehugger and at Planet Green, noting that cities and countries that get it right can create a very positive image that in turn steers more people
View ArticleMy 5 Favourite Trains In Tokyo, Japan (Videos)
Living in Japan, I got to appreciate the public transportation, especially the trains. As noted here previously, over 70% of rail services are electrified, and since the Shinkansen started operating...
View ArticleCut Your Carbon Emissions in Half Overnight: Move to the City
While cities certainly use a lot of energy in a concentrated area, the per capita emissions of their residents are often well below national averages, a
View ArticleIntroducing Earth Day Tokyo 2009
This weekend Earth Day Festival kicks off in the trendy Shibuya and Harajuku districts of Tokyo. Some 130,000 people are expected to attend and the preparations have been going on for months. This is...
View ArticleHow To Promote Tap Water, Tokyo Style
Tokyo has embarked on an ambitious campaign to tell its citizens that the tap water here is safe to drink. The Tokyo metropolitan government's waterworks bureau has set aside 1,870 million yen in...
View ArticleBeekeeping In Ginza, Tokyo, Next To Gucci And Apple Store
I was really surprised to learn that beekeeping is illegal in New York. I had assumed that this amazingly eco-friendly hobby was not only popular, but also actively encouraged
View ArticleCycle Fever In Tokyo
Two out of three tokyoites use bicycles, according to a report released by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. This spring, R25, a popular magazine introduced bicycle commuting, noting that this
View ArticleJapanese Bike Mamas Revolt - Government Relents (a Little)
In Japan, sidewalk riding was one of the practices banned when the country reviewed its traffic laws. Along with that, however, the venerable urban biking tradition of moms (and some dads and...
View ArticleJapan Election Results: Yamba Dam Project Suspended
The results of Japan's election on Sunday amounted to a "revolution" as the Democratic Party of Japan won a landslide, if I have ever seen one. And already, there is change in the
View ArticleHonda Rolls Out Electric Unicycle
Moves like a Segway, glides like a robot. It may look a little awkward despite the smooth ride, but apparently this alternative "personal mobility device" is a cinch to zip around in. Well, there's no...
View ArticleThe Cove To Be Screened in Tokyo, One Time Only
Initially, the Tokyo International Film Festival passed on screening The Cove, the documentary about the annual slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Though it didn't offer a reason, considering the...
View ArticleSuzuki Unveils First Fuel Cell Scooter, Will Hit Market in Few Months
The Bergman scooter launched this week at the Tokyo Motor Show and announced that it will be available globally within the next few months. There are still quite a few unanswered questions, like how...
View ArticleLondon Pedestrians Cross at New Japanese-style "Scramble Crossing"
In a bid to make pedestrians' lives easier and safer, Oxford Circus, one of the busiest street crossings in London, has been redesigned. Today a copy of the Japanese "scramble crossing" design was...
View ArticleFrom the Forums: Help Tokyo Go Green
Ian Gordon writes: I live in Tokyo, a concrete jungle par excellence, if very polite about it. One day as I was standing looking out of the window...and saw hundreds of acres of unused flat roof...
View ArticleThe Green Drinks Tokyo Holiday Dispatch
It's time when everybody thinks how they can spend a fun, entertaining and warm time with friends and families. But it's also a time to re-think how fortunate we are to be able to celebrate
View ArticleCreating a Cycling Culture in the World's Cities
A city doesn't truly become bike-friendly until more people ride in it, which they likely won't do until it becomes more bike-friendly. But change has to start somewhere.
View ArticleSwitch: Moving Wall Transforms Home To Office
Making a space work as both a home and an office can be hard, which is why so many home offices are in bedrooms, basements or sheds. Japanese designer Yuko Shibata shows an approach that might work in
View ArticleTokyo Motor Show 2011 Exclusive: Innovative Green Concept Cars
TreeHugger was in Japan to check out the latest coolest, weirdest, and sexiest green concept cars, including the Toyota FCV-R, the Daimler Smart Forvision, and more.
View ArticleTokyo Motor Show 2011 Exclusive: Leaf is Car of the Year, Plus 5 More Nissan...
The Nissan Leaf is car of the year at the Tokyo Motor Show. Here are five more concept electric cars sporting Leaf technology.
View ArticleThere is More to Transit Than Just Trains; There Has To Be Something at the...
Tyler Brûle may be the most pretentious person on earth, but he knows his trains.
View Article100,000 Solar Charged LEDs Mimic Floating Fireflies in Tokyo Festival
A floating parade of LEDs designed to look like fireflies hit Tokyo this weekend, but raises the question of e-waste.
View ArticleTokyo renters paying $568 for tiny coffin-sized apartments
Cost-conscious residents in Tokyo's Shibuya district are living in ultra-small apartments that only have enough space to sleep in.
View ArticleHoot! Owl cafés are the latest craze in Tokyo, Japan (Video)
Take a look inside one of the newest trends to hit Tokyo's streets -- the owl-themed café.
View ArticleThe Short Tail: Tokyo bookstore stocks just one title per week
If you can't beat Amazon, you can at least out-curate it.
View ArticleClever Tokyo transformer apartment creates home office with mobile walls (Video)
Instead of paying for expensive office space, this designer decided to add a series of moveable walls in her home, enabling her to instantly change her living space into an office space.
View ArticleSmall and skinny house divided, scaled to fit into irregular Tokyo lot (Video)
Japan's particular regulations on land taxes and building codes inform this small and minimalist home, which makes the most of an odd-shaped lot.
View ArticleDazzling technicolor greenhouse lights up when you touch the plants (Video)
Combining touch, sound and a psychedelic array of programmed LEDs, this installation brings the people to the plants.
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