I Never Thought I'd Be Excited About a Garden Bucket – Until I Found This Beautiful Japanese Design That Does It All (It Even Doubles as a Seat)

Gardening buckets are not usually known for their aesthetic value. Nor for their usefulness beyond carrying weeds, soil or water. But essential they are. And I have just found one that goes beyond the functional. This is a bucket you will actually want to have on show.

None other than interior designer Shea McGee tipped me off about the Japanese Hachiman bucket, which you can purchase from Amazon, when I interviewed her for Homes & Gardens' Garden Diaries series. She raved about it so much, that I had to discover this product for myself. And she was not wrong. It is a lot more than just a bucket.

What's So Great About a Hachiman Bucket?

Err, basically everything. This is not just a bucket. It doubles as a seat, tool storage, a drinks caddy, compost bin, small side table with storage, or even a planter, and can be used indoors or outdoors.

Made of durable metal, the uncomplicated design is timeless and considered, and epitomises Japanese style.

As Shea McGee told me: 'My absolute favorite thing is this Japanese bucket called a Hachiman. It's designed so you can sit on it, it has the perfect height, and it has a lid. So you can use it as a stool when you're tired, or you can use it to transport compost and garden debris. It's beautifully designed, and I use it constantly.'

Thanks to the minimalistic, ribbed design, a Hachiman bucket looks stylish stacked with others of different sizes, so you won't want to hide this from view in your shed.

It's yet another example of Japanese design taking a humble, everyday object and making not only aesthetic but also hard wearing.

'Japanese gardening tools are just amazing,' says Shea. 'They're beautifully designed and they last forever.'

Shea also told me she likes to carry a caddy around with her when she is gardening to hold her tools, as it's too hot to wear a tool belt.

Hachiman also have a waterproof gardening tote bag for tools, available from Amazon. It has a removable pouch, built-in partitions, and is washable. I want to buy one immediately.

What Shoppers Say

Don't just take my word for it. Shoppers give the Hachiman a 4.3 star rating out of 5 on Amazon, with the main drawback being the price.

It is, definitively, a lot to pay for a bucket, but as we have come to realise, it really isn't just a bucket.

'Beautiful, precisely fitting lid. Looks gorgeous next to my black cedar panels in the yard and insects can’t get in,' says one review.

Another adds: 'I love these practical buckets for storing pet food and other supplies. They're a bit expensive but much better looking the other options.'

'The buckets both stack and nest inside each other which opens up a world of storage possibilities,' says one shopper. 'They are definitely pricier than hardware store utility buckets, but the cheap buckets can’t serve as an attractive compost bucket to sit out in the kitchen, or a patio drinks table that’s secretly hiding your potting soil and tools.'

What to Shop

Japanese tools are known to be durable and timeless, and often they become the most hard-working pieces of kit in a garden. This is my essentials edit, mixed with a few extras I would never be without.

Sometimes it really is worth investing a bit more in a product, even if it feels a little basic in function. It's so often the things we use the most that we wish could look more stylish, and I still can't believe how considered and chic these Hachiman buckets look.

Of course, Japanese design is incredibly hard-working in the home too; take this shoe storage solution for narrow entryways, for example. It's next on my shopping list.

Love beautiful design ideas, expert advice, and inspiring garden trends? Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.