"Locally grown for local consumption" is a common practice in many cities in Japan. Small plots of urban land dedicated to farming can be found in cities of all sizes. Kunio Tsubota of the Kyushu University Asia Centre writes in Urban Agriculture in Asia: Lessons from Japanese Experience "The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) estimates that about 1.1 million hectares of farmland exist in "urban-like areas" and are producing ¥2.6 trillion worth of products."

Tsubota states that municipalities desire some farmland in urbanized areas because the land provides open areas necessary for emergencies, residents don’t want buildings constructed on green spaces, and that it’s more cost effective to grow crops than to convert urban farm plots into parks, and then maintain the parks. 

Tsubota’s report  cites the efforts of Nerima ward, Tokyo as a typical example. Nerima’s Agricultural Promotion Plan consists of about 55 activities to promote agriculture. The plan includes using locally produced vegetables for school lunches, providing small subsidies and office space to citizen-farmers, and promotion of locally grown produce.

Kawasaki City began its "Reborn Agriculture Plan" in 2005. The campaign promotes the sale , freshness, and safety of city farm products. Kawasaki also organizes distribution of produce to schools for use in school lunches.

Some other cities and prefectures with "Locally grown for local consumption" efforts: Sagamihara; Himeji City; Kushiro; Nagoya; Nobeoka City; Hiroshima; Yokohama.

related: Kitchen gardens enjoy a comeback in Japan
photos: Hiroshima; Kanagawa; Kawasaki crops; Kawasaki sign; Nerima; Setagaya-ku.

A monkey scampered through a residential neighborhood in Ibaraki City, Osaka prefecture, and ate a dried persimmon.

A passerby called police around 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13. "There is a big ape in the East Ota neighborhood," the woman told police. The Japanese macaque monkey snacked while police kept watch. The police pursued the monkey as it scampered along rooftops and power lines.

Around 5 p.m., the monkey jumped onto the Hankyu Kyoto Line railroad tracks and fled across the border into the Takatsuki City limits. The police lost sight of the monkey.

It is unclear if the Ibaraki City monkey is, or is related to, the Tokyo Shibuya monkey. If the Shibuya monkey travelled to Ibaraki City by train, it would have had to pass unnoticed through several stations, a difficult task for a dirty, smelly, yen-less, stressed monkey.

The appearance of a second monkey running wild in an urban area in Japan could be cause for concern. The Shibuya monkey apparently is stealing food and supplies. The Ibaraki City monkey stole a persimmon. The Shibuya monkey uses Tokyo train routes without paying fares. The Ibaraki City monkey also utilized public transportation facilities. An influx of lawbreaking, mass-transit-riding impish monkeys would divert police from other efforts, such as their never-ending campaign to inform every person over the age of 65, in person, twice, about frauds targeting the elderly.

The Ibaraki City monkey is on the police Most Wanted list for fruit theft now. Scientific studies have proven that stealing persimmons leads to a desire for stronger fruit – fresh ume and aomikan for example. The monkey could eventually become addicted to ginnan nuts.

Perhaps police have reason to worry. If the Ibaraki monkey teams with the Shibuya monkey, it would be another organized crime gang to be put down. The monkeys could take over the illegal ginnan nut trade.

We don’t believe the lovable Shibuya monkey could turn to a life of crime. However, if the two meet, the influence of the Ibaraki monkey may be too strong. Monkeys high on wild ginnan may dare to call senior citizens, convince them a relative is a monkey, and swindle cash for the monkey’s ultimate fix: bananas.