Small wonder: Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest 2

 

The lab by Prof. Yasuo Nihei for Tokyo University of Science is studying concentration of microplastic contamination at different points of river systems in Japan. They studied rivers in Kanagawa Prefecture as well. The researchers collected 1m3 of water from each point, then using their special tools counted the number of microplastic particles. The result was in a sense predictable. Immediately before ending in the sea most Kanagawa’s rivers go through downtown areas of large cities. At that point, a river has collected garbage from its entire basin, and so the pollution becomes worse when the lab measures the contamination. That’s that. In contrast, the water source areas of Tanzawa recorded the minimum number of microplastic particles. Long live Yadoriki Water Source Forest!

Minimum microplastic count in Yadoriki Stream

Another interesting found was when a river has large basin of suburbs, the level of microplastic contamination can be serious. The case in point was Hikiji River 引地川 whose water source is Izuminomori-Forest (泉の森; my post on February 19, 2923). Immediately out of 42ha forest, Hikiji River is sandwiched by Atsugui Naval Air Facility of US Navy and heavily developed housing area. After saying goodbye to Americans the river goes on in the middle of suburbia and commercial farms until it ends at Kugenuma Kaigan 鵠沼海岸 seaside for Sagami Bay 相模湾. When we check Google map, the basin does not have a large mass of forest, but lots of small dots of “green” for gardens of detached houses. The level of microplastic contamination turned out to be the worst in Kanagawa Prefecture for Hikiji River. Nihei Lab checked the origin of plastics, and identified more than 50% of them were from artificial lawns made of plastics. Come to think of it, these cheap alternative plastics for organic lawns are regularly stamped, kicked, and pressured by pedestrians and vehicles. They’re rapidly worn out. Inevitably, the basin that is surrounded by green plastics of artificial lawns are covered by microplastic particles. When it rains, they are washed down to the river. Hikiji River becomes sewage for microplastics. Poor river …

A stream immediate to the water source of Hikiji River.
At this point water runs through Izuminomori Forest
so that the possibility for plastic lawn particles
 comes in is minimum.
It‘s a pity we cannot keep the condition.

In November 2021, Nihei Lab checked water systems in the City of Kawasaki for microplastics. Area-wise, the most contaminated point was at the confluence point of Yakami River 矢上川 and Shibukawa River 渋川 (or, I would say heavily constructed Canal) in the east of Hiyoshi Station, near Hiyoshi Campus of Keio University. It was in the basin of Tsurumi River. Checking Google Satellite Map, the basin of these two rivers is heavily populated downtown. Lots of plastic trash would pour in to the rivers. They eventually push up microplastic contamination of Tsurumi River. The lab also studied the area around Shinyurigaoka Station of Odakyu Line, which is in the basin of Tama River. Compared with the studied point for Yakami River, the area is more residential with a large golf course, university campus, and TV studios which provide more green in satellite photo. Moreover, the local shop owners of commercial areas of Shinyurigaoka area are regularly clean their area for customers visiting a comfortable environment. Unfortunately, the place was still contaminated, though not as for Yakami River. Moreover, the pollution was heavier for pure residential areas than for commercial areas (e.g. golf courses) or business premises (like shopping areas). In such neighborhood, the clean-up effort is completely entrusted with the homeowners of suburbia. Er, well … (; my post on November 24).

One of the forests in Shinyurigaoka area.
 It’s small, but maintains the remnants of
yesteryear’s biosphere for Tama Hills.
It’s completely surrounded by housing.

Nihei Lab also measured the contamination at the confluence point of Asao 麻生川 and Tsurumi Rivers. According to the YAMAP Basin Map, the basin for this point originated from the south slopes of Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest. With Google Map, the area is also crowded by housings but not as heavily as Shinyurigaoka area, or the basin of Hikichi River. For easy garden-maintenance, it would be understandable for homeowners in Kurokawa area also love to use plastic lawns et al, wouldn‘t it? Lots of microplastic could be found in the confluence ... Nah.To everybody‘s surprise, the river water from Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest はるひ野-黒川の森 has one of the lowest contamination of rivers in Kanagawa Prefecture, standing together with water source areas in Tanzawa.

Water source area for Asao River
in Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest

There would be many reasons why they are so. Yeah, rivers from Kurokawa Forest goes through housing areas before joining Tsurumi River. But the households in Kurokawa area include old families that have lived there for more than a century. Of course, there are lots of new comers in their neighbourhood. In the end, from Kurokawa Station to Shinjuku Station it takes only 30 minutes. Many urban commuters whould love to move in. But strong local tradition may have protected the enviroment from the invasion of plastic lawns. Veteran locals in Haruhino-Kurokawa area are the people who created volunteer associations managing the Forest. Their leadership must have done a very special thing. And their activies provided scientifically endorsed result for the environment. Wow.

When we enter Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest
from Haruhino Station, we first meet
with a ridge way running along Metropolitan Road 18
 that is the border between Kanagawa and Tokyo.
The ridge way is an old commuter route
carrying products of Kurokawa Area
to Hachioji or Edo (Tokyo) for centuries.
Now it is a nice strolling path for locals.

And the maintenance of this old route is done
 by local volunteers who invite mates
to do the weekend task.

Well-controlled undergrowth along the route.
Good job!

In the ridge of Kurokawa Forest,
there is one open space with benches.
From here to the south, or to the left of this photo,
is the basin for Asao River.
It‘s a good place to have lunch
if you spend your weekend in Kurokawa Forest.

To reach to the ridge,
we take this road climbing
from the bog for the water source.
It is well-maintained road easy to walk.
This tells the endeavor of volunteers.

Looking the basin of Asao River
from the ridge way of Kurokawa Forest.

So, if you‘re planning your Christmas holiday stroll with your loved-ones in Tokyo megalopolis area, please think about visiting Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest. The starting point is either from Haruhino はるひ野 or Kurokawa 黒川 Stations of Odakyu Tama Line 小田急多摩線. From Haruhino, please turn right at the corner of Buddy Sports Kindergarten located at the end of station square. Please go straight, and you‘ll find steps going up which is the beginning of the forest. From Kurokawa Station, please go first to Farmers’ Market Ceresamos, open 10:00-15:00. They have a good choice for veggies, garden plants, and fruits from local farms. They also sell tofu, fish and meat made in Kanagawa. The road runninng to the west from Ceresamos leads us to the an experimental farm of Meiji University. Along this road, on your right is the mass of trees which is Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest. We can meander into forest from whichever road goes to the north from the road. If you lose your way, just return to your starting point, which is within half-an-hour train ride to the downtown Tokyo. Not bad, huh?

Haruhino Station

The open space in front of Kurokawa Station

Ceresamos

Oh, I have to add this. One of those houses surrounding the forest is the parents‘ place for Takefusa Kubo, the midfielder for La Liga Real Sociedad, who is murmured to be the next Messi. The soccer clubs for kids around Haruhino-Kurokawa area are constantly created Japanese star footballers for Japanese National Teams. Kaoru Mitoma for Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. also spent his kid‘s days not far from here. Mini-footballers of the area are running everyday in their microplastic-free pitches near the Forest. It might be another miracle of Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest. 😉

The blue and white bldg. is
Buddy Sports Kindergarten near Haruhino Station.
In November, they were cerebrating
their teenage alumni who newly obtained
 seats for teams of J League.
The tradition continues ...

If you find environmental issues in the City of Kawasaki, please make a contact with 

Environment Bureau 川崎市環境局環境対策部環境保全課
1 Miyamoto-cho, Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki City, 210-8577
〒210-8577 川崎市川崎区宮本町1
Phone：044-200-2516
Fax：044-200-3921 

30hozen@city.kawasaki.jp

Great Divide: Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest 1

 

This year, Japanese map app YAMAP has rolled out a new product showing basins of rivers, large AND small, in Japan. The accuracy of the info shown there sometimes needs more refinement. (Example: why has Takigo Stream for Yadoriki Water Source Forest been cut into 2 in the middle?) But the creator of the app, Mr. Yoshihiko Haruyama, said the project is in its infancy. They welcome suggestions and new ideas from users with their new service. I found the app is very interesting. It’s often the case forests in our area spread along ridgs of hills and mountains. This means sometimes a forest which is considered as one unit can be divided into one or several areas when its valleys supply rainwater to different rivers. Unexpected borderlines can be found in YAMAP Basin Map. That’s what I found in Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest はるひ野-黒川の森.

We’re going up to the ridge of Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest.

Last month, Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest in Kawasaki City held an autumnal art show, their 9th. My impression from the recent show was not much different from the murmur in my previous post (on December 2, 2022). I’ve been there during its opening days and met several artists who installed their work. In sum, many of them found the wide-open space they could use attractive, and decided participating the project. OK. That’s that. May I mention they might not have thought much about communication with the multilayered ecosystem of the forest? … The artists approach would be similar to the newcomers to Western Nakagawa of Kohoku New Town (; my post on November 24, 2024). That’s unfortunate. The forest clearly shows the existence of people who care about the forest itself and engage in the maintenance works, not-so-flashy-as-art, continuously. Great Divide between two kinds of people, maybe …

Having said that,
this installation by Toshiyuki Tanaka
tries to capture mutual communication with the forest:
 "TANAKA Toshiyuki, Eyes in the woods."

“ISHIZAKI Kouji, Hope”

“TAKEMOTO Suguya, Floating Object in the Valley.”
This installation would be
from the same idea of Tanaka’s installment above.
But I was horrified to see this plastic seats floating
above the abandoned rice paddy.
Reason? Please wait till my next week’s post.

“SATO Hideyuki, Dinosaur Egg.”
Ditto for this fiber-reinforced plastic.

“LYU Dian, Fountain.” Ditto for this.

“TACHIKAWA Mariko, Surrounded by Delicious Sunlight.”

“HARADA Riito, Convey my heart.” This I like.

“MURATA Yuta, Place of Soil.”
His continuous work from the previous show.
I’d like to see how he develops
his way of communicating with the land.

“MACHI Kiiko, No!”
She emphasized she was strongly against all the wars of the planet,
and said NO in a large voice …
but why in this forest, I wonder.

“TSUKASA Kana, Scene.”

“UTSUMI Hitoshi, Secret Base.”
This one is also I like.
He tries to have a fun with the forest as a kid.

“ABE Yasumichi, Loop.”
He’s not the only artist of this show
who presented a sculpture made of stone.
In a sense, it’s a traditional way of humans in the relationship with nature.
What does it mean, I wonder.
Is it the beginning of gigantic stone palace of Versailles
with completely geometrical garden?
I suspend my opinion about this …

I have not yet met people from groups who engage in regular maintenance work for the forest. But according to this page, the area has lively communities, some of which do forestry works for the Forest. Moreover, they’re proud of their dirt-work beyond the desk theory. I had a feeling they are clearly succeeding in it. When I’ve been there last month, it was still a bit early for trees shedding leaves. Yet, the general impression Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest showed was bright with rustling sounds of leaves. The paths inside were well maintained for strollers to enjoy. People are controlling the undergrowth of the forest nicely and treating the damage by oak tree wilt. That’s something. As long as I know, the tenure of the land for Haruhino-Kurokawa Forest is a mixture of governmental, private and corporate entities. The teamwork of volunteers from many corners of Kawasaki and some help from pros hired by the City has done a really good job. Their endeavor in the end created the wide space the artists installed their work. Moreover, the success of such handiworks was scientifically measured in terms of basins.

When we check Yamap Basin Map, the ridgeway of Haruniho-Kurokawa Forest is the watershed between Tama River and Tsurumi River. The streams go down the north slope to the direction to Haruhino Station provides water for Tama River. The water from the south slope including an experimental farm of Meiji University goes to Tsurumi River. From 2015 this water to southward was checked by the group of researchers from Tokyo University of Science. The result was amazing. I tell you this next week. Please stay tuned!

If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター

657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121　厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323 

You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/

Ready for Winter: Making firewood in Niiharu Citizen Forest

 

On November 19, Japanese Meteorological Agency issued 3 months forecast for December 2024 - February 2025. According to them, Yokohama would have ‘average’ winter. i.e. The temperature and the rainfall would be around the average of 1991-2020, the recent 30 years. In this world of “approaching +1.5°C,” this means we may not have a freezing winter. But winter will be winter, and we’re expecting such days will come. In Niiharu Citizen Forest, we’re busy making firewood. Actually, since COVID-hubbub, many people become enthusiastic about bonfires and barbecue outdoors, all year around. Niiharu Lovers often have enquiry if we’re selling firewood. Yeah, as we’re thinning and mowing for forest maintenance, we have inventory for the material. But it’s hard to promise a stable supply of firewood. So, we rarely sell it at our workshop. Even though, we use firewood during winter for stoves, and, yes, for baking bamboo charcoal (; my post for March 3, 2017). Almost every winter, we use up all the firewood we prepare during late autumn. Firewood cracking is an important task for Lover’s winter prep.

This year Niiharu’s Reineckea carnea had lots of flowers.
It’s a short delight (for less than a week) of late autumn.
They do not have flowers anymore,
if you visit Niiharu now. Sorry!

Some of you may have an experience using ax or machete. It requires certain skill to make firewood, doesn’t it? Especially when we need firewood used every weekend for at least 3 months, it’s a heavy task. Before, during our charcoal baking we wielded ax or machete on the go to cover the shortage of firewood. I confess I’m very bad at using ax. I aim, brandish the ax, swing it downward, and miss the target log … Sad. However! This year, Lovers get a tool for 21st century firewood making. It’s a motorized ax run by gasoline … er, well, a perverted thing in this world of Global Warming, just like COP meeting in petro-producing places … Anyway, the job done by this machine is certainly quick, and I can make good firewood. This is news, considering my skill level of making firewood, honestly. Let me show you how we’re doing it.

First, this is our material for firewood,

And here is the machine,

Set a log under the ax,

Put down the lever to lower the ax,

Done!

We (temporarily) store firewood here.

During the task, I found not only humans but also the other creatures were preparing for winter. When we cracked a log, lots of larvae made inside log their winter bedroom. Oh, so sorry to break your sleep in this way …

A larvae for beetle (sp.)

ditto!

This year, lots of Porostereum crissum sprouting …

Anyway, autumn this year is too short for Yokohama. *Sigh*

If you find a problem in the greenery of north-half of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North
北部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government Green Environment Bureau
横浜市みどり環境局 

Phone：045-353-1166
FAX：045-352-3086
mk-hokubukoen@city.yokohama.jp

My Garden: Yokohama’s Green Up Plan and management of neighborhoods environment 3

 

The project for Western Nakagawa is 90% funded by the City of Yokohama for FY 2022-2024. For three years, the money from Green Tax they received was about 96 thousand dollars. Wow. With this money, people of Western Nakagawa formed Nakagawa Group for Green, Water and History 中川緑と水と歴史をつなぐ会 (NGWH) overhauled shrubberies along commuter pedestrian roads in the area starting from Nakagawa Station. They also developed “garden” in the bank of Hayabuchi River 早淵川. This garden, named HRG (Hayabuchi-Robaya Garden早淵-老馬谷ガーデン), was first created in 2017 at the time of the National Urban Greenery Fair for Yokohama (; my post on March 31, 2017). The objective of the project this time has been to brush-up HRG after 5 years of its inauguration, and gentrify the route connecting Nakagawa Station and the garden. The target is, hopefully, with Green-up booster money, the commuter routes achieve certain degree of autonomous maintenance system, supported by the locals who live and own their sweet home in Western Nakagawa. As this is the final year of the project, it is too early to evaluate whether their target is met, I think. Anyway, let me introduce you to what their work looks like at this moment.

A member of
the Nakagawa Group for Green, Water and History

We started our tour from the Community Center for Western Nakagawa, near Nakagawa Station. It was still warm October afternoon. Around the Center, there were lots of lots of kids engaging in afterschool activities. I thought it was a promising sign of the community in this extremely aging nation. The town had potential for sustainable development for their greenery in the long run, hadn’t it? In front of the Center is a bamboo forest for Karasuyama Park, which is maintained by the City and Park volunteers. The basic design of the commuter route was done when the place was developed in the 1970s as a part of Kohoku New Town. The area around Community Center is public land so that the City’s engagement must have been continuous from the beginning. It had a nice atmosphere with well-maintained greens. Yeah, moms and dads should be relaxed for their kids to spend their afterschool there. The east of the Center and the Park was a 4-lane car road, and the north was condos. These two directions are in public domain. The responsibility of maintenance is mainly bore by the City and UR (Urban Renaissance Agency, a semi-public institution for housing in Japanese cities). The work by Nakagawa Group is in the west and south of the Community Center / Park.

Community Center for Western Nakagawa

Well-maintained environment around the Center

Beautiful bamboo forest

Basically, Japanese law defines land-tenure VERY important. Corollary of this stance is, the responsibility to manage one’s own property should be entirely taken by the landlord, even if that “lord” is an owner of small house. Many original owners of the detached houses to the west and south of the Center/Park bought and moved in the place roughly 30 years ago. Yeah, some household well transferred the ownership to the new generation. But not all of them may be so successful. It’s inevitable the appearance of the shrubberies on private land along the commuter road is getting untidy. One of the original intentions of the project was to treat this problem with subsidies from Green Tax. The members of NGWH include the neighborhood associations of the area. They asked and funded households along the main pedestrian route to plant unified ground cover, Sasa glabra 'Minor' to be exact, on their land and trim private shrubberies matching with the Sasa glabra. If the front yard space is paved as a car port, NGWH provided containers with plants suited for the color scheme of Sasa glabra. I thought it was a generous arrangement. Some pots may have costed USD 100 or so and it was funded by tax. Hmmmmmmm. Yes, by doing so if the security of the area is maintained for kids to grow up without worry, it should be worthwhile investment. I felt the determination of the people of NGWH to keep their hometown comfortable.

The private property replying to the request
for beautification of the corridor.

Publicly funded front yard of a private house

The above two photos have
a black plate telling it is funded by Green Tax.
Another sign is this one with the mascot “Happy”
for Yokohama’s Green-up Program.
Oh, by the way, in Japanese, leaves are called “Happa.”
So, it is Happy.

Even though, there are several patched with (apparently) invasive silver grasses. A person of NGWH said there is a problem in coordinating the intentions of original member of New Town and recent comers. He said “The new residents moved in after the New Town is fully established. They could take the trimmed shrubberies for granted. Sometimes they do not have an idea of gardening …”

The front is work done by NGWH people.
The background along the wall is
under the jurisdiction of the landlord
living above the stone wall.

I recalled a murmur of a landlady in London where I lived long ago … “Naomi, telling you the truth, I wonder how Japanese people garden their home in Japan. Many Japanese expats do not care the maintenance of their rented home. The property could end up with a very untidy garden after they leave. Because of this, some people do not like to have a Japanese tenant for their property …” Er, well, come to think of it, many urban Japanese, especially in their 50s and younger, may not have an experience to take care of private garden. Many of them live in condos whose garden space is extremely limited. You just glance at the aerial scenery of Tokyo from the airplane window when you take off from Haneda Airport. It’s a vast expanse of continuous houses and buildings sticking together without cushions of greenery. The other day, I met a lady who was excited to see red persimmons dangling from a tree in our garden for autumn. “Naomi, I didn’t know persimmons grew in this way! I’ve known them only in supermarket.” For her, taking care of the home garden should be a VERY new thing. The challenge for NGWH is to persuade such new people to maintain neat shrubberies of their property. Such tasks require commitment. It could be difficult for some to see the point of NGWH activities, I guess …

Keeping a garden is always a task requiring dedication.

One solution to such problem is involving the PTA of Nakagawa Nishi Junior High. The campus sits in the center of NGWH’s project area. It’s big. The corridor surrounding the School is certain length. If that part of pedestrian road could keep the greenery, it can affect the morale of the community. From parents’ point of view, maintaining a nice environment around the school of their kids is surely good for education. Win-win! Currently, the dads’ club of Nakagawa Nishi Junior High PTA engages in gardening for a strip of land of 1m-or-so wide surrounding the campus. They plant several shrubs to renovate the place. It’s only their 3rd year, and the greens are still very tiny. Whether this collaboration is successful will be seen in another 3 years’ time, I suppose.

Dads’ work for Junior High

Another focal point of NGWH’s project is the Garden along Hayabuchi River, HRG. Looking the structure of the land allocated for HRG, I think the place was intentionally made “vacant” by the original planner of the New Town for flood control of the River. The bank of Hayabuchi River at that point is heavily concreted probably after heavy dredging. Now it looks like an artificial canal, rather than a natural river. As Tsurumi River system was ferocious when it flooded (; my post on September 20, 2020), such treatment of its tributaries would be inevitable, especially when the area is developed for housing. Immediately above the river runs a commuter road, then the space for HRG. The detached houses are standing higher up on retaining wall above HRG. NGWH people try to gentrify such no-man’s land with flowers, lovely shrubs and climbers for the wall. Their intention is to make the flood controlling space for a strolling path at least the weather is fine and the river is OK.

A road running immediately along Hayabuchi River

People want to make this space an established garden.

I think this is fun!

As the HRG garden started in 2017, this is their 8th year. It seems to me, there is a long way to go to make the place at the level of environment surrounding the Community Center where we started our walk. Er, well, Karasuyama Park is about 40 years old with heavy involvement of public money. Comparing HRG with Karasuyama Park is cruel. But it is their final year using the resources from Green Tax. I guess there would be inevitable funding problems. Flowers are not cheap. NGWH people plan to raise post-Green Tax money asking donations through fund-raising activities. For that matter, the maintenance of commuter roads after the project is also expected by the home-owners whose property happens to be facing these routes. i.e. Persuading households would be a task of Neighborhood Associations for a long run, say for 40 years, if people of Nakagawa wants to make the result of the project like for the Community Center and Karasuyama Park ... can we call it sustainable?

To some extent, it is a natural conclusion for very strong concept of property rights in Japanese basically green-less cities. Within such legal framework, I think people in Western Nakagawa do extremely well. They are somehow preserving the original concept of housing development plan for Kohoku New Town, i.e. to stop unplanned housing sprawling in Megalopolis Tokyo. Otherwise, the former satoyama environment of north Yokohama could have become like green-less continuation of houses like 23 Wards in Tokyo. But in this rapidly aging society with shrinking population, can they keep going this way? The people I met from Nakagawa Group for Green, Water and History were all senior citizens, probably above 70. I don’t know how many young people are active in their project, especially at the planning and managing level. Unless young generation shares the same awareness as their grandpas and grandmas to make their community abundant in green, grandpas’ endeavor will die out together with them … Telling you the truth, the issue is more challenging for Yokohama’s Citizen Forest recently. I tell you the story soon (after a bit more relaxed topics). Please stay tuned.

If you have any questions about Yokohama’s Green Tax and Green Up Plan, please make a contact with

Strategic Planning Division, Green Environment Bureau, City of Yokohama

横浜市みどり環境局戦略企画課

Phone: 045-671-2712

FAX: 045-550-4093 Email: mk-kikaku@city.yokohama.lg.jp