Recycling 5 Tons of Food Waste on State-Owned Land in Harajuku. "Harajuku Harappa Farm" Activity Report Seminar on Urban Circulation via Community Composting to be Held on April 18
On April 18, 2026, the NPO Compost Tokyo will host an activity report seminar to share the results of their 10-month "Harajuku Harappa Farm" project on state-owned land. The project successfully recycled about 5 tons of food waste into compost to grow vegetables in the heart of the city, fostering a diverse community of over 150 people. The seminar will discuss the quantitative achievements, operational know-how, and the social significance of urban farming and community composting.
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The NPO Compost Tokyo will hold a report seminar on Saturday, April 18, 2026, to publicly share the results of the 10-month activities of "Harajuku Harappa Farm," a farm utilizing state-owned land in Harajuku. This project was launched for a limited 10-month period starting in April 2025. In collaboration with local residents, neighboring companies, organizations, and universities, the project has practiced "urban resource circulation" by composting approximately 5 tons of food waste using "community composting" and using that compost to grow vegetables in the middle of the city. At the seminar, along with a quantitative report of past achievements, specific operational know-how and the social significance of cultivating the city will be introduced.
Aiming for a circular society, we thoroughly selected materials and tools on the premise of reuse after the project ends.
The greatest feature of "Harajuku Harappa Farm" is that a community was fostered where over 150 diverse people engaged with it as "their own place" in central Harajuku. In community gardens and community composting, where continuation and expansion are often challenges, there are very few examples where multi-layered involvement was created in a short period and circulation became established like in this project. One of the factors that generated this rich connection is the ingenuity of creating a space that draws out independence. Referencing the methods of community gardens in Paris, we introduced a system of groups of 8 people and a mechanism for group leaders to converse with each other. By establishing "roles" other than farm work, such as public relations and event management, an enthusiasm was born where each person nurtures the space while enjoying themselves. By adding "community composting" to this, contact points with the local community were created, and the joy of turning food waste into treasure was shared. In this seminar, tracing the trajectory of the unprecedented challenge of "transforming state-owned land into a farm," we will share "hints for cultivating the city" seen from the 10 months in Harajuku. For practitioners who want to create circulation in the city and companies exploring contributions to the SDGs, we will talk exhaustively about the behind-the-scenes operations that built a place deeply rooted in the community in a short period, and its social value.
▼ Details and Application here
https://peatix.com/event/4944091
*Deadline: Friday, April 17, 2026, 23:59
Volunteers from Aoyama Gakuin University were highly active, carrying coffee grounds from nearby coffee shops and helping with farm work. Turning the compost (stirring and aerating) became a catalyst for conversation.
■ Seminar Content
Part 1: Activity Report Session
Starting with Farm Project Leader Mikiko Anzai, directors of the "NPO Compost Tokyo" who supported compost management and overall operations from the opening of the farm, farm and compost club members, and Aoyama Gakuin University students will present on the following while playing slides and videos.
- Harvest and Seeds (purpose of the report session, farm overview)
- Activities at Harajuku Harappa Farm
- An unprecedented attempt: The background of state-owned land becoming a farm
- Key points in forming a comfortable, lasting community where diverse individuals gather
- The potential of community composting as a new circulation model fostering well-being
- Ideas for continuing farming and community composting in the city
- The significance of cultivating the city
- New relationships between companies and regions connected by "Compost Masters"
Part 2: Social Gathering
While enjoying delicious vegan light meals, we will encourage mingling among participants through workshops.
Recommended for:
- Those who are thinking of starting similar initiatives from now on
- Those interested in vegetable gardens, composting, creating places, or internal communities within companies, municipalities, or organizations
- Sustainability promotion personnel who want to implement their organization's SDGs at the field level
- Those who are interested in sustainable living but do not know where to start
■ Overview
Date and Time: Saturday, April 18, 2026, 13:00 - 17:00
Venue: Sendagaya Community Center, B1 Circle Hall (1-1-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
Participation Fee: Activity Report Session ¥3,000 (Online ¥1,500)
Activity Report Session & Social Gathering ¥5,000
Organizer: NPO Compost Tokyo
■ Time Schedule
11:30 - 12:30 Doors open, panel exhibition (free)
13:00 - 15:00 Activity Report Session
15:30 - 17:00 Social Gathering
Aiming for a circular society, we thoroughly selected materials and tools on the premise of reuse after the project ends.
The greatest feature of "Harajuku Harappa Farm" is that a community was fostered where over 150 diverse people engaged with it as "their own place" in central Harajuku. In community gardens and community composting, where continuation and expansion are often challenges, there are very few examples where multi-layered involvement was created in a short period and circulation became established like in this project. One of the factors that generated this rich connection is the ingenuity of creating a space that draws out independence. Referencing the methods of community gardens in Paris, we introduced a system of groups of 8 people and a mechanism for group leaders to converse with each other. By establishing "roles" other than farm work, such as public relations and event management, an enthusiasm was born where each person nurtures the space while enjoying themselves. By adding "community composting" to this, contact points with the local community were created, and the joy of turning food waste into treasure was shared. In this seminar, tracing the trajectory of the unprecedented challenge of "transforming state-owned land into a farm," we will share "hints for cultivating the city" seen from the 10 months in Harajuku. For practitioners who want to create circulation in the city and companies exploring contributions to the SDGs, we will talk exhaustively about the behind-the-scenes operations that built a place deeply rooted in the community in a short period, and its social value.
▼ Details and Application here
https://peatix.com/event/4944091
*Deadline: Friday, April 17, 2026, 23:59
Volunteers from Aoyama Gakuin University were highly active, carrying coffee grounds from nearby coffee shops and helping with farm work. Turning the compost (stirring and aerating) became a catalyst for conversation.
■ Seminar Content
Part 1: Activity Report Session
Starting with Farm Project Leader Mikiko Anzai, directors of the "NPO Compost Tokyo" who supported compost management and overall operations from the opening of the farm, farm and compost club members, and Aoyama Gakuin University students will present on the following while playing slides and videos.
- Harvest and Seeds (purpose of the report session, farm overview)
- Activities at Harajuku Harappa Farm
- An unprecedented attempt: The background of state-owned land becoming a farm
- Key points in forming a comfortable, lasting community where diverse individuals gather
- The potential of community composting as a new circulation model fostering well-being
- Ideas for continuing farming and community composting in the city
- The significance of cultivating the city
- New relationships between companies and regions connected by "Compost Masters"
Part 2: Social Gathering
While enjoying delicious vegan light meals, we will encourage mingling among participants through workshops.
Recommended for:
- Those who are thinking of starting similar initiatives from now on
- Those interested in vegetable gardens, composting, creating places, or internal communities within companies, municipalities, or organizations
- Sustainability promotion personnel who want to implement their organization's SDGs at the field level
- Those who are interested in sustainable living but do not know where to start
■ Overview
Date and Time: Saturday, April 18, 2026, 13:00 - 17:00
Venue: Sendagaya Community Center, B1 Circle Hall (1-1-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
Participation Fee: Activity Report Session ¥3,000 (Online ¥1,500)
Activity Report Session & Social Gathering ¥5,000
Organizer: NPO Compost Tokyo
■ Time Schedule
11:30 - 12:30 Doors open, panel exhibition (free)
13:00 - 15:00 Activity Report Session
15:30 - 17:00 Social Gathering