1926
BD Mukai, a Japanese immigrant from Osaka, Japan, and his family, purchased 60 acres to farm and process strawberries.
1928 to 1942
The entrepreneurial Mukai family enjoyed impressive success, with berries shipped all over the country.
1940s
The Fruit Barreling Plant and craftsman bungalow were completed in the late 1920s. But racism and xenophobia caused the family to flee Vashon in 1942 in response to the Japanese Exclusion Act.
TODAY
Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the restored Mukai house and Japanese Garden is beautiful and storied. Mrs. Mukai installed a Japanese Garden around the home, hosting many community events.
VISIT
Come stroll, walk, picnic, tour, attend an event or party. Learn about Vashon’s Japanese American and agricultural heritage at this important island treasure.
Covid-19 Testing on Vashon Island
Mukai Farm & Garden is closed in the mornings until 10:00am Monday through Friday during the testing project. Please visit the gardens after 10:00am weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday, stroll the grounds while socially distancing, and enjoy all the haiku displayed in distanced stations around the house and garden. Please keep pets on a leash to help them keep social distancing too!
Safety and confidentiality mandate that only specially trained people, and islanders with an appointment, be on the property during periods of testing. To read testing information for Vashon Island: https://testing.vashonbeprepared.org/
We appreciate your understanding as Mukai continues to share the site with our community.
Feature: Kuni’s Garden
Peonies blooming in the North Garden
The Japanese Garden: Designed and installed during the 1930’s by Kuni Mukai, a Japanese immigrant, her “hill garden” features extensive rockwork, plantings and a surrounding pond.
Great progress has been made on the garden over the last two years. We hired a well known Pacific Northwest Landscape Architect Karen Kiest who completed a technical guidance plan for plant selection, rockery, site circulation and hardscape.
In the fall of 2018, the 90-year-old Japanese Garden pond was restored. How? Watch this video!
Landscaping in the North Garden, hill plantings and lawn restoration completed in June, 2019.
Come and see the revived garden!
Related article:
– “Kuni’s garden” – November 13th, 2018
– “A historical garden restoration: Kuni’s Garden” – June 21st, 2019
VCA Garden Tour & Garden Party – June, 2019:
Over 750 visitors toured Mukai Farm & Garden as part of the annual Vashon Center for the Arts Garden Tour, June 22-23, 2019. At the kick-off “GALA” dinner on June 21, Friends of Mukai welcomed 150 guests including the Consul General of Japan, Yoichi Yamada to the property, just as Kuni Mukai shared her garden with the community 90 years ago. Read more: https://mailchi.mp/mukaifarmandgarden/lively-weekend-at-kunis-garden
2019 Vashon Japan Festival Report:
The 2nd annual Japan Festival, a celebration of Japanese culture, was held on Saturday, September 14th at the Mukai Farm & Garden on Vashon. In the spirit of Kuni, who opened her garden to visitors, the Friends of Mukai invited the Vashon community, Japanese Americans and visitors from around the region to celebrate Japanese culture this Festival. Click here to read more.
A Short Movie About Mukai Made by King County:
As part of a series on historic properties in the region, Vaun Raymond, Pam Davis and Brian Starr produced the 4 minute clip. Thanks to King County TV and 4Culture.
Click here to watch.
Events
News
On May 26, The U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) brought together a panel of experts and community leaders for a webinar to discuss the outbreak of racism and xenophobia targeted against Asian American communities during the coronavirus pandemic. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D0ZQp7zoTk
[Webinar] Coronavirus & Discrimination Against Asian Americans (May 26, 2020)
www.youtube.com
The coronavirus pandemic has seen an outbreak of racism and xenophobia targeted against Asian American communities, which has garnered critical media attenti...Join us for a free watch party of Fujitaro Kubota and his Garden! Did you know that the Kubota and Mukai families were friends who shared garden advice? We will be joined by board members of Kubota Garden Foundation to answer questions. June 5 @5PM. Please register to receive the link: bit.ly/2XeY9w5
Thank you Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle for mentioning us! Our grounds are open to the public after 10AM Mon-Fri, and all day on the weekends.