How Many Greens for Forests in early summer?

From late May to June, it is the time in Kanagawa Prefecture when forests have the most intricate variety of greens. One day, my senior forest instructor told me, “You see? In Japanese words, there are lots of varieties to express color green. You’d better look for the list.” So I did, and found this web site for 79 Japanese words for the color. Wow. (They show English translation for explaining colors.) Yamaaizuri 山藍摺; bluish green with a hint of grey obtainable when we dye unbleached fabric with Mercurialis leiocarpa. Shikocha 市紅茶; deep and highly cray-tinted green. Wasabi-iro 山葵色; color of freshly grated wasabi. Tonocha 殿茶 or 沈香茶; bluish green with grey tone. Hanamoegi 花萌葱; strong green of young Japanese leeks. Shinpeki 深碧; color of green jasper. On, and on, and on, and on …

Infinite variety of greens in
 Yadoriki Water Source Forest やどりき水源林 in May

Many people love this time of the year with mesmerizing combination of green for forests. Can we name each of these by 79 words? I don’t know. Forests are more like gradation from one spectrum to another … Beautiful they are …

Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森 in the middle of May.
 How many greens can we count?

Currently, I’m also drying leaves of chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata) for herbal tea. Recipe is simple. Pick leaves of the plant growing in non-contaminated area. Wash them softly, and dry them in shade. When they are fresh, its leaves have chameleon like variety of greens … how will they turn out when they become tea leaves?

Drying leaves of chameleon plant for herbal tea.

Oh, by the way, now organizing process is in full-swing for volunteers of 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The committee building recommends everybody to bring “drinks by Coca Cola, the Worldwide Partner for 2020 Games.” Yap, of course. One of the popular drink from Coke Japan is Sokenbicha 爽健美茶 whose main ingredient is herbal tea of Chameleon plant. If you visit Tokyo next year, please try it. They of course sell them in the venues for 2020 Games. 😊 The taste of Chameleon plant tea is very soft and smooth …  Its color is Shikocha 市紅茶; deep and highly cray-tinted green. 😄

Sokenbicha

If you find an 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/