[A Passionate Gaze from Toledo, Spain] On the Crucially Important Fact That Greenery Is an 'Investment,' Not a Cost!

From under the skies of Toledo in the land of passion, Spain, while being completely captivated by the weight of history and the beauty of living greenery, there is a very important realization that I absolutely, by all means, must share with you all!

As I witness the old stone streets and the lush greenery that exists alongside them, either nestled close or standing proudly, I cannot help but feel the incredibly deep chasm between that beautiful, meticulously calculated landscape and the 'certain coldness' toward urban spaces, public areas, or private residential gardens in our own country.

The spread of a sad 'concrete absolutism' born from the pursuit of efficiency

The country we live in, Japan, is a nation that undoubtedly demonstrates rare talent in leading the world in 'life-hack' ideas to improve daily convenience and streamline tasks, as well as in the development of new technologies.

However, lurking deep, deep behind that brilliant efficiency is a very troublesome 'lazy' nature—a tendency to extremely dislike, as if it were a sworn enemy, the 'troublesome things' that require sustained effort and time!

This passion for 'thoroughly avoiding trouble' sometimes turns our daily scenery into something terribly inorganic.

Even in our own home gardens, which should bring the changing seasons and rich moisture to our daily lives, the scene of covering everything in concrete without any compromise—simply for the blunt reasons that 'pulling weeds is a hassle,' 'there is no time to sweep fallen leaves,' or 'I don't want bugs'—is unfolding all across Japan. The thoroughness with which people seal the soil and pour concrete as if to stop its breath is enough to make one feel a certain kind of madness.

Furthermore, if we look at the management of street trees and park greenery in public spaces, there is an extreme fear of complaints from neighbors regarding fallen leaves, or a desperate focus on cutting even a little bit of the daily maintenance costs required for pruning.

As a result, miserable, heavy pruning is carried out as if it were normal, completely ignoring the beautiful tree shapes that trees naturally possess, leaving them looking like stumps or utility poles. In the worst cases, they are cut down from the roots because 'management is difficult,' which is the current reality of a sad operation that is far too removed from a rich coexistence with nature.

The truth that the world's common sense is that 'greenery is the strongest investment for land'