Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2012

With spring signalling the grow season, even the tiniest of Tokyo apartments offers windowsill space or a ledge where potted plants can flourish. Try growing these Japanese favorites for health, decoration, and cost-saving too.

Shiso

This jagged-edged herb, known in English as perilla, often appears alongside sashimi or tempura, in part due to its ability to preserve and sterilize other foods. Belonging to the mint family—known for antioxidant properties—shiso has a hard-to-describe bitter taste. This green gem goes way beyond garnish, however. Salted shiso leaves make an excellent alternative to nori as onigiri wrappers, or you can fry them up alone as tempura. I marinate several leaves with garlic pieces in soy sauce and use as a dip or cooking sauce.

Mitsuba

The Japanese version of parsley is also very versatile, with a taste similar to celery. Mitsuba has a decent amount of vitamin C and calcium and works well in soups, hot pots, and salads. It’s not such a bushy plant, making it a great candidate for a sunny window.

Shishito

Literally “Chinese lion,” this pepper falls somewhere between jalapeño and capsicum, with a usually mild flavor. The peppers are long and thin and regularly seen at yakitori restaurants between pieces of chicken or on their own, chargrilled and salted. Shishito can easily be cooked in the fish broiler at home or fried in oil. Go crazy and fry them up with some shiso-garlic soy sauce once your garden is in full swing. It’s best to pick the peppers once they grow three to five inches, but you can let some mature longer into a red color to decorate your dishes.

Seed shoppin’

Hit just about any home or garden store. Since it’s prime sowing season, you might even find some baby plants at nurseries around town. Most of these greens are easy to grow; no green thumb required. Just water once soil is dry to the touch—about every other day—and ensure pots have good drainage. Oh yes, and plenty of sunshine. Some gardeners recommend soaking seeds overnight before laying them in. A fertilizer or compost doesn’t hurt, either. Sow the seeds about three inches apart in the pot and start picking leaves and buds off when there’s enough to spare. By June you should be ready for your first harvest.

Field Trip

Tokyo’s oldest botanical garden makes for a lovely and informative outing for aspiring gardeners. Koishikawa Botanical Gardens, an active research center at the University of Tokyo, was originally founded as a medicinal herb garden in 1684 under the shogun at that time. There’s a herbarium in addition to sprawling grounds with meticulously labeled trees and plants, including an apple tree supposedly grown from clippings of Newton’s gravity-inspiring original. Koishikawa is also a secret spot for viewing some gorgeous cherry blossoms.

3-7-1 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku. Open Tue-Sun 9am–4:30pm. Nearest stn: Hakusan. http://meturl.com/koshikawa