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.
FRIENDS OF MUKAI VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING ON AUGUST 17, 2020
Between August 1st and August 14th, Friends of Mukai will conduct elections via email to elect new Board members and ratify two changes to the corporation’s By-Laws. The Annual Meeting will be held on Zoom at 4:30pm on August 17th, where we will ratify the election and receive a brief update on our activities by President Rita Brogan.
Only current dues-paying members of Friends of Mukai are eligible to vote. Members will be sent information on the Board nominees and By-Law recommendations by August 1st, with instructions to cast their votes by August 14, 2020. If you have not yet paid your dues, please click HERE to join our renew your membership in Friends of Mukai.
On August 16th, members will receive the log-in information for the August 17 Zoom Annual Meeting.
Please take a moment to:
- Join or renew your membership in Friends of Mukai
- Vote for our new slate of members
- Join our Zoom Annual Meeting on August 17, 2020
Become a Friend of Mukai
Youth for Mukai – $10/year
Individual – $30/year
Family/Friend – $100/year
Supporter – $350/year
Patron – $750/year
As one of the only surviving Japanese farmsteads in the US, the Mukai property has significance extending beyond Vashon Island and the Pacific Northwest. Over the last three years, volunteers and generous funders have restored much of the Mukai home, Japanese garden and pathways to their original pre-war beauty. We’ve come a long way in a few short years. The Mukai Farm & Garden is today a place for peaceful garden contemplations well as a center for learning and building a multi-cultural community. It is a place for children to practice Japanese language, for Islanders to experience the boisterous and joyful sounds of Japanese taiko drumming, for gardeners to marvel at he designs of stroll garden, for Asian Americans on Vashon to discuss their common experience, for art, for music, for students of history and students of life.
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
A great article about Ruth Asawa!
The Japanese-American Sculptor Who, Despite Persecution, Made Her Mark
www.nytimes.com
Seven years after her death, Ruth Asawa is finally being recognized as an American master. What can we learn from this overdue reappraisal?We had a lovely socially distanced dinner at the pond - while supporting local restaurants!
Friends, we have decided to open Mukai Farm & Garden on Friday evenings in August for Picnic's by the Pond. It'll be like picnic-ing at the beach or at the park (or even in your own yard - but we've done that sooo much already!), but with guidelines so that we all feel safe and can enjoy an evening around a beautiful garden and pond. Our trial run with Mukai Board members went really well, and we all felt the importance of being in community at a safe distance. We invite you to register, support local restaurants and our organization and have a serene dinner. In this very challenging time, it feels good to know that we are all still connected, that we can see each other and be seen, and that we all matter.
Mukai Farm & Garden Picnic's By the Pond
docs.google.com
Summer has sprung, and in the midst of a global pandemic, we are choosing to see the beauty that surrounds us, to celebrate nature, to support our local economy, and to be in community in a socially r...