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.
Notice of Covid-19 Testing on Vashon Island
The Mukai Farm & Garden is proud to be the site of Covid-19 testing on the Island. Our spacious, isolated, but easily accessible grounds are suitable for this important activity. Safety and the need for confidentiality mandate that only specially trained people, and islanders with an appointment, be allowed on the property during periods of testing. To read testing information for Vashon Island: https://testing.vashonbeprepared.org/
Therefore, the Mukai Farm & Garden will be closed Monday through Friday from 9:00am-4:00pm.
The grounds will be fully accessible during evenings and all day Saturday and Sunday. We will let you know when the site reopens full time.
We appreciate your understanding as Mukai achieves yet another significant milestone in its long history of community involvement. Please use the weekends and evenings to stroll the grounds while socially distancing, and observe the cherry trees evolving into full bloom!
And if you haven’t had a chance to, submit your haiku entry to our Haiku Festival and Contest for fun prizes in different categories.
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.
Please Help us keep the Mukai Legacy Strong!
Corona Virus Pandemic has halted our ability to hold events and meetings – an important source of the revenue necessary to build accessible facilities, maintain our grounds and programs. Your gift will help us sustain the Mukai Farm & Garden during these challenging times.
Click here to help us with a donation of whatever you can afford!
Events
News
Timeline PhotosPlease continue to fold! We plan to collect tsuru until we reach our initial goal of 125,000. New deadline: May 15. Please do not mail them to the collection points in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, DC. Hold on to them for now but let us know your count by emailing tsuruforsolidarity@gmail.com and writing “Tsuru count” in the subject line. Take a picture of yourself and your Tsuru, and tag us in social media so we can share! Tsuru for Solidarity is planning a June 5-6 national unity action online and we will ask for your participation with cranes. Details to follow.
THANK YOU 🙏🏽❤️
capaa.wa.gov
Report Hate/Discrimination Community members have relayed to the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) incidents of hate targeting people of Asian and Pacific Islander ...Notice of Covid-19 Testing on Vashon Island
The Mukai Farm & Garden is proud to be the site of Covid-19 testing on the Island. Our spacious, isolated, but easily accessible grounds are suitable for this important activity. Safety and the need for confidentiality mandate that only specially trained people, and islanders with an appointment, be allowed on the property during periods of testing.
Therefore, the Mukai Farm & Garden will be closed Monday through Friday from 9:00am-4:00pm.
The grounds will be fully accessible during evenings and all day Saturday and Sunday. We will let you know when the site reopens full time.
We appreciate your understanding as Mukai achieves yet another significant milestone in its long history of community involvement. Please use the weekends and evenings to stroll the grounds while socially distancing, and observe the cherry trees evolving into full bloom!
And if you haven't had a chance to, submit your haiku entry to our Haiku Festival and Contest for fun prizes in different categories:
mukaifarmandgarden.org/event/first-haiku-festival-and-contest/