The buildings of Healthian-wood are connected by wood decks that spread like the veins of a leaf. Within each construction is the desire not to contribute to the destruction of the earth. The fact that the designers avoided using asphalt as much as they could is also rooted in this desire.
If you look around, you’ll see gardens with over 50 kinds of herbs, including lavender, as well as rice paddies. These cover about 80 percent of the land.
The herbs and rice harvested here are used with the utmost of care by various facilities. The Garden, then, is the base of Healthian-wood, the place that supports its beauty. Get up close to observe each and every herb, and sit and watch them sway in the wind … While you leisurely pass the time, surely your spirit will also become balanced in its very foundation.
When Healthian-wood was still in the planning stages, there were three conditions required of its location. The first was that there must be a panorama view of the Tateyama Mountains. The second was the view of Toyama Bay should be right under one’s nose. And the last was that the countryside must be wide open, with few utility poles.
With these strict conditions, over 200 candidate sites were narrowed down to just four. Among those, the town of Tateyama was chosen because of its proximity to a local park, where the bright voices of children playing can be heard. And because it hadn’t yet reached the attention of foreign tourists, Healthian-wood could be the impetus to attract them.
That’s why this village was built over an enormous water paddy. Half of it was transformed into an herb garden, but herbs need to have good drainage to grow, so it was rather a difficult endeavor.
It’s because creating the herb garden came with so many challenges that the people of Healthian-wood treasure it, and the water paddies, so much. Maeda and the staff working in the facilities don’t leave all the work up to the farmers; they also go out and mow and harvest herbs.
Maeda considers mowing the herb gardens to be “fitness as well as art.” We could understand why mowing is fitness since you’re moving your body, but what about art?
“Mowing isn’t just about eliminating weeds; it’s also about knowing when to stop because what’s left is beautiful, or you can also mow out paths or geoglyphs.”
Hearty weeds are of the earth, too. With that mindset, any herb garden can look beautiful.