MARK IS Minato Mirai, which opened on the 21st, has promoted greenery. The façade is planted in harmony with the building's stacking structure, and a fruit orchard and vegetable garden, called "Everyone's Garden," is located on the fifth-floor rooftop. The orchard is home to citrus fruits, including the Kanagawa Prefecture-developed Shonan Gold variety, as well as figs, wild strawberries, and herbs. Twenty-three varieties of citrus, including Satsuma mandarins, lemons, sweet oranges, and summer mandarins, were planted to ensure some fruit is produced year-round. On the day of the preview, kindergarten children planted vegetable seeds in the vegetable garden. "We plan to continue planning events, mainly twice a week on Saturdays and Sundays, for parents and children, as well as for working adults, such as planting and harvesting. Since the facility is surrounded by abundant greenery, we're also considering holding nature experience tours within the area," said Norifumi Hirata, a first-class landscape construction manager at Green Wise, which manages the area.

In addition to providing something for customers, they are also considering collaborations within the facility. "We would like the tenants to use this space for events such as fashion shows and sales events. We are also considering having the harvested crops used in restaurants. Recently, more and more commercial facilities have been putting effort into greening. Until now, it was just a matter of looking, but at MARK IS, we aim to make it something that can be touched, eaten and enjoyed. We hope that customers will feel that it is their own garden and will develop an attachment to the facility." (Same source)