Did you know that Shinagawa City has a number of gardening allotments for the use of its residents? The "My Garden Minami-Oi Allotments" offer 32 plots of 10m² each. These spaces don't just give residents an opportunity to experience the joys of cultivating flowers and vegetables; they also play a valuable role in greening the city.
When the autumn harvest arrives each November, the cultivators of these plots join with local residents to hold the "My Garden Minami-Oi Allotments' Harvest Festival." Last year, in addition to offering visitors to the festival miso soup that was full of pork and vegetables including Shinagawa Turnips (a well-known local variety grown since Edo era); there were also classes on Edo Vegetables delivered by a vegetable sommelier. Furthermore, visitors were also introduced to recipe ideas whose ingredients featured Shinagawa Turnips and Magome-Sansun Carrots.

When given an opportunity to taste Shinagawa Turnips whose distinctive length resembles a Japanese radish, festival visitors evaluated them as being "sweet and delicious." Currently, turnip cultivation is also being promoted at local elementary schools, etc., and these efforts have been so successful that, since 2012, the "Tokaido Shinagawa-shuku Nasubi no Hana" (a citizens group dedicated to the development and sale of products that utilize Shinagawa Turnips), has held competitive fairs at Shinagawa Shrine at the end of each year.
In this season of flourishing appetites, the deliciousness of healthy vegetables is something to also be enjoyed. Moreover, please note that public recruitment of residents to cultivate the "My Garden Minami-Oi Allotments" is conducted in January each year.

It's on again this year! The My Garden Minami-Oi Allotments' Harvest Festival
(resident gardening allotments)
Date: November 22 (Sun.), 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Minami Jido Yuen Park (1-13 Minami-Oi)
Program: Panel displays on the My Garden Minami-Oi Allotments, a corner where Edo Vegetables can be tasted, etc.
Inquiries: Park Maintenance Subsection, Park Section
Tel: 5742-6526

【What are"Edo Vegetables?"】
Our modern metropolis features skyscrapers built row-on-row. However, in Edo era, what later became Tokyo boasted a vibrant trade in vegetable cultivation. From Edo era through to early Showa, indigenous vegetable varieties that were successfully grown were known as "Edo Vegetables." Famous examples included Nerima Japanese Radishes, Yanaka Ginger and Senju Japanes Leeks Afterwards, however, although such varieties went through a phase of being replaced by easier-to-cultivate alternatives, recently, greater interest is again being shown in Edo Vegetables due to both their rich and genuine flavors and their unique shapes.
During Edo era, vegetable varieties cultivated in the vicinity of modern Shinagawa area included Shinagawa Turnips, Irukibashi Pumpkins, Togoshi Bamboo Shoots and Oi Carrots, etc. Indeed, although cultivation of Shinagawa Turnips nearly died out, it subsequently experienced a wonderful renaissance, the variety now being recognized by JA-Tokyo chuo as one of the 40 Edo Vegetables.