Suitcases are reused as planters in hotel rooftop vegetable gardens As foreign guests increase, cases of misplaced items are increasing
Quick Look
- At the Garden Hotel Tokyo in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, suitcases left behind by guests are turned into planters to grow vegetables and herbs in the rooftop vegetable garden.
- With the increase in the number of people visiting Japan after the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people leaving behind about 10 items per month has increased, and plastic suitcases have good water retention and are easy to transport.
- So far, he has cultivated about 40 types of plants, which he sometimes serves at restaurants.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
As the number of visitors to Japan increases after the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people leaving their suitcases behind at hotels is increasing. Garden Hotel Tokyo will start an ``Eco Garden'' project in 2022, working to reduce environmental impact through recycling waste materials and rooftop vegetable gardens.
Cucumbers ripen and the lush herbs sway in the wind. At the rooftop vegetable garden of a hotel in Tokyo, planters made from suitcases left behind or thrown away by guests are thriving.
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"Garden Hotel Tokyo" (Chiyoda Ward) near JR Suidobashi Station has started a project titled "Eco Garden" in 2022. The hotel is promoting the recycling of waste materials generated at the hotel by making leaf mold and creating a rooftop vegetable garden.
Initially, the rooftop vegetable garden used jute bags that contained coffee beans used at the hotel as planters. However, jute bags were not suitable for use as planters because they were not durable and the soil would leak out of the bag. What they noticed was suitcases left behind by guests at the hotel.
According to general manager Kazuya Okawa, about 90% of the hotel's guests are foreigners, adding, ``Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of visitors to Japan has started to increase, and I feel that the number of people leaving suitcases behind is increasing.'' Recently, it is said that about 10 items are misplaced every month.
After the suitcase is stored at a hotel for a certain period of time, if the owner does not come to pick it up, part of the suitcase will be converted into a planter. According to project leader Yoko Takada, plastic plants with unbroken casters are suitable for repurposing as planters, saying, ``They have excellent water retention and are easy to move because they have casters and handles.''
He has cultivated about 40 types of vegetables and plants so far. Vegetables and herbs are sometimes served at the hotel's restaurant, and Mr. Takada says with a smile, ``When I explain to the customers that they are freshly harvested, they are happy.'' Some customers are surprised to learn that there is a rooftop vegetable garden.
The hotel is considering holding workshops at nearby schools to make planters out of suitcases. Mr. Takada said that his top priority was to make guests happy, but he also emphasized, ``We want to strengthen our ties with the local community through efforts to use resources carefully.''
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
A trial session for making planters from suitcases will be held at local schools.
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- How much cost and effort does it take to convert a suitcase into a planter?
- What is the useful life of a suitcase used as a planter?
- When are trial sessions at nearby schools scheduled to be held?
