Friends of Mukai

Founded by Issei (first generation Japanese) pioneers B.D. and Kuni Mukai, with their American-born son Masa in 1926 as a strawberry farm, Mukai is on the National Register of Historic Places with its rare heritage home, Japanese Stroll Garden, and Fruit Barreling Plant. 

Today Mukai Farm & Garden is a beloved community gathering place, a catalyst for multicultural enrichment, a guardian of local history and a place for learning and contemplation. As one of the very few surviving Japanese farmsteads in the U.S., the Mukai property has significance extending beyond Vashon Island and the Pacific Northwest. Open and free to the public, it celebrates Vashon Island’s Japanese American and agrarian heritage.

As stewards of the historic Mukai Farm & Garden, Friends of Mukai works to interpret and celebrate the following themes: 

– The history of Mukai Farm, including the land, the structures, the people who shaped it, and the family’s prominent role in the island community

– Island Agriculture including the evolution and impact of strawberry farming and other forms of pre-World War II agriculture on Vashon Island

– Gardening in the Japanese tradition, with a focus on Kuni Mukai’s garden and its stylistic relationship to gardens in the Pacific Northwest

– Japanese American Presence on Vashon and the region including the experiences, contributions and culture of Japanese immigrants and their descendants including post-war Nikkei-Americans

– Social Justice and Human Rights, with a special focus on past and present day issues related to immigrants of ALL origins to the United States