Museum Rooftop Launches "MoN Farm," a Cultural Experimentation Space Nurtured by People and Nature; Kick-off Event for Citizen Participation on July 12, 2026 (Sun)

"MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives (Minato-ku, Tokyo, operated by The General Incorporated Foundation JR East Culture Creation Foundation)," with the mission of "Connecting culture to the next 100 years," will launch its rooftop vegetable garden project, "MoN Farm," in July 2026. MoN Farm is a garden located on the museum's rooftop and will be a new field born as part of the museum, dedicated to collecting, cultivating, and recording activities that should be passed down to the future. It will operate not just as a place to grow plants, but as a "living archive" that connects the knowledge, techniques, and human-nature relationships behind them to the future. Participating in the project are SynecO Inc., which supports the development and construction of global "extended ecosystems"; mitosaya botanical garden distillery, which explores the relationship between plants and people; and TAKANAWA HOP WAY, a community initiative that cultivates hops with businesses, schools, and residents around Takanawa Gateway Station. This initiative will create a new space for cultural experimentation in the urban landscape of Takanawa, where people and nature can grow together. Furthermore, on July 12, 2026 (Sun), a kick-off event titled "Seed Opening - Cultivating Culture, Planting the Future" will be held, where participants will plant seedlings together. Visitors can personally participate in creating a small ecosystem that will last for the next 100 years.

About MoN Farm

MoN Farm, located on the rooftop of MoN Takanawa, is not a farm for growing plants, but an experimental field for passing down to the future the "activities" themselves, such as wisdom, techniques, and memories born from the relationship between people and nature. Through the series of activities of planting, growing, harvesting, tasting, and discussing plants, we aim for each visitor to become a bearer of culture and spin new narratives. At MoN Farm, rather than adhering to a single farming method or value system, we aim to create a place where partners who engage with plants and nature in diverse ways intersect, leading to the development of new cultures from their respective knowledge, practices, and perspectives. The insights of SynecO, which builds ecosystems in the city; mitosaya, which explores the relationship between plants and people; and TAKANAWA HOP WAY, a community initiative that cultivates hops with businesses, schools, and residents around Takanawa Gateway Station, will converge. By crossing over their respective "ways of interacting with nature," we will create new cultural practices that transcend the domains of agriculture, food, distillation, ecosystems, and community, and nurture the process itself as a "living archive" to be passed down to the future.

Location: Rooftop of MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives. Business Hours: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM *Business hours are subject to change. Please check the official website for details.

MoN Farm Partner: Expanding Ecosystems for Future Landscapes (SynecO Inc.)

Will the Japanese landscape 100 years from now look the same as the "nature" we envision today? Plants, through their long association with Homo sapiens, have not only moved and diversified with climatic and topographical conditions but also with the development of civilization, such as cultivation, habitation, medicinal use, and appreciation. In this era of rapid change in climate, technology, and social systems, can we depict a landscape of "Adaptive Diversification" that considers functional complementarity with current ecosystems and society, rather than strictly preserving past landscapes or unconditionally accepting change? In this initiative, based on diversity and network indicators comprehensively assessing the ecosystems of MoN Takanawa and the Kanto region, we analyzed approximately 4,400 candidate plant species to explore introduced species. We will present the changes in diversity resulting from [A: environmental factors] and [B: changes in genetic resources due to civilization development] by arranging selected plants, respecting Japanese native species, in a 3x3 vegetation grid. Visitors can participate in the exhibition through harvesting and the introduction of seeds and seedlings, and by re-establishing new relationships with the urban ecosystem, they will be positioned as agents expanding the ecosystem towards future landscapes.

WEB: https://www.syneco.inc/

Operator: SynecO Inc.

SynecO is a startup that aims to build new relationships where human activities and the natural environment mutually benefit each other, providing solutions using "extended ecosystems" (Note 2) such as SynecocultureTM (Note 1), ecosystem evaluation, and construction support systems.

(Note 1) Synecoculture is an open-field cultivation method for useful plants scientifically formulated by Masatoshi Funahashi, a researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories.

(Note 2) Extended ecosystem refers to an ecosystem that enhances biodiversity beyond its natural state through active human intervention, realizing various ecosystem functions and services.

MoN Farm Partner: Creating Cultural Experiences from Plants (mitosaya Inc.)

MoN Farm will develop cultural experiences that nurture the relationship between people and nature, starting with plants. Our goal is to create an urban garden that will be passed down for the next 100 years. We will grow a variety of plants related to food, fragrance, and health, such as jujube, known for its medicinal properties since ancient times; shashanbo, a berry unique to Japan; fragrant lemon myrtle and kuro-moji; and desert lime, which is resistant to climate change. By combining local native species with useful plants from around the world, we will cultivate a rich ecosystem even in a changing environment. The harvested produce will be used for distillation, fermentation, and food and fragrance experiences, creating a place where people grow plants, taste them, learn from them, and pass on that wisdom to the next generation. Furthermore, the pergola and small greenhouse within the farm will utilize natural materials that can be continuously sourced in urban areas, such as bamboo and shipping pallets, practicing a circular garden that grows alongside a small ecosystem including insects and microorganisms.

WEB: https://mitosaya.com/

Operator: mitosaya botanical garden distillery

mitosaya is a distillery located in Ota-machi, Isumi-gun, Chiba Prefecture. Using fruits, medicinal herbs, and herbs grown on the premises adjacent to the botanical garden, as well as the abundant blessings from trusted partners nationwide, we create products using fermentation and distillation techniques.

MoN Farm Partner: TAKANAWA HOP PROJECT

TAKANAWA HOP PROJECT is a community initiative that cultivates hops, an ingredient in beer, together with businesses, schools, and residents in the Takanawa Gateway Station area, fostering exchange and collaboration through greenery. This activity began in 2021 as an initiative to grow greenery for the town's opening and continues to expand. MoN Takanawa has joined as a new cultivation base, and community members will be involved in hop cultivation.

WEB: https://takanawagateway-am.jp/

Operator: TAKANAWA HOP PROJECT

Kick-off Event on July 12 (Sun)

To mark the launch of MoN Farm, the first step in a garden that will last 100 years, a kick-off event will be held on July 12, 2026 (Sun). On the day, in addition to an introduction to the concept of MoN Farm, a planting workshop for participants is planned. We will nurture the first step of the new ecosystem being created on the Takanawa rooftop together with our visitors. We aim to create a place where diverse people, including museum visitors, local residents, corporate representatives, and children, can come together to co-create the future of this space.

Event Overview (Scheduled)

Date & Time: July 12, 2026 (Sun) 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM *Event will proceed rain or shine. It will be canceled in case of severe weather.

Venue: Rooftop "Hanami Terrace / MoN Farm" at MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives

Event Contents:

Part 1:

Talk session introducing MoN Farm initiatives

Introduction to Extended Ecosystems and Synecoculture Introduction to mitosaya

Part 2:

Planting workshop

Participant interaction

Participation Fee:

Part 1: Free (Priority given to workshop participants)

Part 2: 1,500 yen (tax included) with MoN original soft drink

Participation Reservation: https://ticket.montakanawa.jp/project/BxETcK7K52 *Payment for participation fee will be accepted on-site on the day.

Capacity:

30 people (for workshop participants)

*Registration will close once capacity is reached.

*Information on whether same-day tickets will be available will be announced on the official website.

◾️A Museum of Cultural Experimentation, from Tradition to Manga, Music, and Space. About MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives

The acronym "MoN" in The Museum of Narratives holds two meanings: "Mon" (gate) to a new world where you can encounter a new self, and "Mon" (question) for thinking about and creating the future.

Photo: Yasuyuki TAKAKI

Official Website: https://montakanawa.jp/

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montakanawa/ (@montakanawa)

Further details will be announced sequentially through the official website and social media.

Name

MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives

Operator

The General Incorporated Foundation JR East Culture Creation Foundation

Site Area

7,977.31 m2

Total Floor Area

28,952.55 m2

Height

44.98 m

Number of Floors

6 floors above ground, 3 floors below ground

Main Use

Exhibition hall, hall, dining facilities, etc.

Designer(s)

Shinagawa Development Project (Phase I) Design Joint Venture

About The General Incorporated Foundation JR East Culture Creation Foundation

This foundation was established on April 1, 2022, as an organization to contribute to Japanese cultural creation through the planning and operation of "MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives." With the mission of "Connecting culture to the next 100 years," we fuse traditional and cultural heritage cultivated to date with contemporary values and technology, and engage in international co-creation, exchange, and dissemination with a broader temporal scope and partners both domestically and internationally.

*"MoN," "MoN Takanawa," and "MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives" are registered trademarks of The General Incorporated Foundation JR East Culture Creation Foundation.