The unauthorized vegetable garden in front of JR Iidabashi Station disappeared a few days after being featured on Fuji TV, resulting in the loss of tomatoes, zucchini, and other vegetables.
Chiyoda Ward stated that they did not remove the garden, and it is presumed that the garden's owner removed it themselves after the broadcast.
While growing plants on roadsides could potentially violate the Road Act, the ward was unaware of the garden's existence beforehand and had no plans to remove it.
The "mystery unauthorized vegetable garden" in front of JR Iidabashi Station (飯田橋駅), which was featured on Fuji TV's information program "It!" (イット!) on June 13th, disappeared by June 17th, just a few days after the broadcast.
When Bengoshi.com News (弁護士ドットコムニュース) visited the site, the tomatoes and zucchini featured in the broadcast were gone. Chiyoda Ward (千代田区), which owns the road where the garden was located, stated that "the ward did not remove it."
Kindergarten children who noticed the "change" exclaimed, "The tomatoes are gone!" The "mystery unauthorized vegetable garden" located right in front of the west exit of JR Iidabashi Station was brought to light by Fuji TV's information program "It!" According to the program's online article, fresh mini tomatoes, zucchini, and other vegetables and flowers were grown, and a sign that read, "Please feel free to pick the tomatoes. Feel free to harvest (*Mom)" was also posted.
A woman who identified herself as the owner of the garden responded in a program interview regarding the cultivation using a space managed by the ward, saying, "I don't think it's okay." and "If they tell me it's not allowed, I'll pull them out right away." She said that she had been managing the vegetable garden to help beautify the area because cigarette butts and other litter had been accumulating there before.
When Bengoshi.com News visited the site on the afternoon of June 17th, the mini tomatoes and zucchini that had been bearing fruit were gone, and only unrelated plants remained. During the interview, a group of kindergarten children and guardians passing by noticed this change and shouted, "The tomatoes are gone!" The kindergarten children were excited to find a fallen mini tomato and exclaimed, "Only one left!" It seemed that the vegetable garden was a familiar sight for people passing by this location.
The unauthorized vegetable garden could also be a violation of the Road Act. The Road and Park Section (道路公園課) of Chiyoda Ward stated in response to the interview, "We are unable to ascertain the circumstances of the removal. It is likely that the person in question removed it themselves after seeing the report." They also said that the ward did not remove it. It seems that the ward was unaware of the existence of the unauthorized vegetable garden until it was featured on the TV program on June 13th. The ward cautions, "We believe that cultivating plants on roads managed by the ward constitutes a violation of the Road Act. Please refrain from doing so." However, even if they became aware of it, the ward had no intention of taking action to remove it.
On the Chiyoda Ward website, they have made public "Opinions and Responses related to Parks and Roads." This page allows residents to view various opinions they have raised regarding parks and roads, as well as the ward's responses. For example, it includes detailed records of residents' opinions and the ward's responses regarding requests such as "removal of a beehive in Gaien Park (外濠公園)", "report of slope damage in Fujimi Children's Park (富士見児童公園)", "request to remove weeds in Gaien Park", and "smoking issues within the park."
The ward actively listens to residents' opinions and strives to manage parks to the best of its ability, and is working towards continuous management and improvement of issues such as smoking problems.
This incident raises various social issues, including the utilization of urban spaces, the importance of green spaces, and legal issues related to unauthorized activities. It is expected that social consensus and institutional improvements regarding these issues will be necessary in the future.