What if you could spend your layover time in between train connections tending to your very own vegetable garden on the station’s rooftop? In Japan, a new kind of community garden is changing the meaning of ‘food on the go,’ with rooftop allotments that offer a place to grow food and a way to connect with nature in the middle of a busy urban commute.
Soradofarm is an urban agriculture project renting out three-square-meter gardens on the rooftops of five public train stations all over Tokyo. Anyone can rent a plot, whether they have prior gardening experience or not; staff members are available to give pointers and answer any questions.
Of course, in cities, space comes at a premium, and there isn’t always an appropriate empty lot for growing food. The tops of public transit systems were previously unused spaces that are practically ideal in terms of sun exposure and accessibility.
This kind of innovative urban gardening not only reclaims valuable space and provides a place to grow fresh, healthy food, it’s also a relaxing, meditative hobby for people who might never otherwise have a garden of their own.

