The Ikeshita area is located along the Higashiyama Line of the Nagoya Municipal Subway, and is a vibrant town with excellent access from Nagoya Station and Sakae Station. This area has many faces, with a busy shopping district, high-end shops, and public facilities coexisting, but in one corner, a quiet and relaxing space is hidden. This is "THE GREEN moss design" by moss terrarium artist Yuka Kohara. In the middle of the bustling city, this specialty store surrounded by the tranquility of the forest brings peace to its visitors.

A moss terrarium is a piece of interior decor where you grow moss in a glass container and enjoy a small natural world. The gentle green of the moss and the humidity inside the container create a small ecosystem that offers a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere amid the hustle and bustle of the city. Though it is located in the busy Ikeshita area, the shop brings visitors a comfortable sense of peace, as if they were in the forest, and allows them to feel a sense of quiet coexistence with nature.

Encounter with moss

"Various hardships had piled up, and I was feeling depressed," Furuhara recalled of those times. One day, while walking along a mountain path, he came across some brown, dried moss, and felt that its appearance overlapped with his own state of mind. "Before I knew it, I was pouring water from a plastic bottle," Furuhara recalled calmly.

The moss instantly turned green again, and she was so moved by the way it shone in the sunlight that she felt a strong desire to be a being full of life, just like this moss. From then on, she became fascinated with moss, and through repeated experiments while studying it on her own, her unique moss terrarium was gradually born.

Moss terrariums grow through encounters with people

"An acquaintance of mine invited me to set up a stall at an event, so I gave it a try, and a long line formed," Furuhara said of her initial experience. "I was really happy to find out that there were other people besides me who loved moss," she said with a smile.

This stall was the catalyst for the creation of the current moss terrarium art, which combines glass, moss, rocks, and small figures. "It evolved little by little as I was featured in newspapers and held workshops at corporate welfare programs and cultural centers," recalls Furuhara. Furuhara's experiences of nature, spending his childhood in the countryside playing with insects and plants, led to his current moss terrarium art, which fascinates many people.

The appeal of moss terrariums is that they are fun to make and to take home.

Moss terrariums are works that allow you to create a small garden-like piece by arranging sand, stones, and moss in a glass container as you like, and because they can be made in a short amount of time, anyone can have the experience of success and think, "I was able to do it." Despite being easy to make, the feeling of accomplishment when it is completed is great, and it can be enjoyed by a wide range of people, from children to the elderly.

"It's interesting that even if you use the same materials, you can make completely different pieces," said Furuhara. One of the attractions of moss terrarium workshops is the fun, natural conversation that occurs. There is no right answer for any piece, and moss terrariums, which allow you to express your individuality, are also attractive as interior decorations. They are easy to care for, and with just a spray bottle and light, they can be enjoyed for 5 to 6 years without withering, and you can enjoy watching them change as they grow. "In the future, I would like to focus on activities overseas," he said, sharing his vision for the future. Furuhara's shop, "THE GREEN moss design," is a space where you can feel the richness of nature.

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THE GREEN moss design

Address:2-28-3 Ikeshitacho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-0066

Access:3 minutes walk from Ikeshita Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line

Website:thegreen-mossdesign.jp

*For details on business hours and holidays, please check the link above.