Now we are in November, and finally air gets chilly in Yokohama. Though, Meteorological Agency says compared with the annual average it’s still about a week late for having this temperature … As I posted on 11 October 2019, in Yokohama and Kanagawa we have time for prep to enjoy the climax of autumn colors till early December. This week, I tell you one of the picnic spots for autumn leaves in Kanagawa’s forest, i.e., Kanagawa Prefectural Nanasawa Forest Park 神奈川県立七沢森林公園 in Atsugi City 厚木市.
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| Pertya scandens |
The park locates itself at the entrance to Nanasawa Spa village (Nanasawa Onsen 七沢温泉), and so, it has 3 ample parking spaces for tourists (; map of the Park is here). If you go there by car, please set your navigation system to Nanasawa Onsen, and done. The Park has three car-accessible entrances. One, Central Parking Lot, is at the main gate from Nanasawa community 七沢, and another two, Third Parking Lot, and North Parking Lot, are from residential Morinosato community 森の里. From the Third Parking Lot, the entry to the Park is Morinosato Entrance. From the North Parking Lot, the entrance is from North Entrance, obviously. The Main Gate area has park’s admin office and a multipurpose hall named Mori-no-Minwa-kan (Folk Tale House of the Forest 森の民話館). North Entrance area has Mori-no-Atelier 森のアトリエ where artists and crafts people come and create their work using the material mainly harvested from the forest. Both places have maps and the other information about the park, but inevitably the amount of info available is larger in the main entrance area. Please choose your gate.
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| The Central Parking of Nanasawa Forest Park |
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| Approach to the Main
Gate is recognizable from Nanasawa side with this bridge which connects north and south of the forest. The car road goes through a tunnel after this bridge to Morinosato side. |
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| Admin Office of Nanasawa Forest Park |
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| Inside of Mori-no-Minwa-kan |
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| When you enter from
Morinosato Entrance, you’ll find this wooden chair comfortably situated at the view point named Yamayuri (Golden-rayed lily) which is the official flower of Kanagawa Prefecture. |
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| Mori-no-Atelier |
If you use public transportation, please take Kanachu bus services from Odakyu Hon’atsugi, Aiko-Ishida, or Isehara Stations. (From Hon’atsugi, we have to go Atsugi Bus Center, 5 minutes, walk from the station.) To the main entrance of the Park, catch Atsu 厚-33, 34, or 39 services from Atsugi Bus Center (; time table is here), Ai 愛-11 service from Aiko-Ishida Station (; time table), or I 伊-31, 34, 36 from Isehara Station (; time table). The nearest stop to the main entrance of Nanasawa Park is Nanasawa On’sen Iriguchi 七沢温泉入口 that is a 30-45 minutes’ bus ride. To Morinosato entrances, please take Atsu-43, 44, 45 from Atsugi Bus Center (; time table here and here), or Ai-15, 16, 17 (time table is here and here) from Aiko-Ishida Station. To Morinosato Entrance, the destination bus stop is either Morinosato 3-chome 森の里三丁目, or Morinosato Chugakko (Morinosato Middle-high) Mae 森の里中学校前. To the Atelier, please get off at the terminal stop, Morinosato 森の里. These are also 30-45 minutes’ drive by bus.
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| Nanasawa On’sen Iriguchi
Bus Stop, near the fire station. Next to the fire station is Tourism Info Office where we can have info about Nanasawa Spa area. One option of your weekend is spending a day in Nanasawa Park, and relax in Spa afterwards. How’s that? |
I think the best approach to a park anywhere is to visit its info center first. For the case of Nanasawa Forest, the admin office of the main gate distributes a free English map so that you may find this route is easier to enjoy the park. Bonus: the admin office is doing a questionnaire survey (in Japanese) about the park. If you answer, and submit it to the office, you can have a small objet d’art in pottery created in Mori-no Atelier, free of charge, as a souvenir. They are cute. 😊 All the roads, paved or otherwise, in the park are well-maintained. Fully equipped toilets (in western and Japanese styles) are here and there. In the middle of the park, they have an amphitheatre where regular performances are held several times in a year. Near Morinosato Entrance, they have a space of field athletics equipment for kids. Mori-no-Atelier and Mori-no-Minwa-kan have regular classes for crafts, music, yoga, and physical activities. (Please check here for enrollment.) Walking leisurely from the main entrance for about 15minutes, there is a quasi-restaurant for BBQ, open during March to November. RSVP (from here; you have to complete your order by 5 days before of your visit). We can go there without any preparation, rent tools and buy BBQ ingredients from them. Or, you can bring your veggies, meats, et al and pay only for rental fees of tools and places. I guess final weeks of November would be the best time to have an outdoor BBQ party there surrounded by autumn color. All in all, Nanasawa Forest Park is a nicely prepared and taken-care-of place for family. So, you may think “Huh, it would be a boring place.” Please, not so fast.
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| The toilets near the admin office. Fully equipped! |
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| The park has traditional
Japanese pond gardens near the admin office, with carps. |
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| Nanasawa Park’s amphitheatre |
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| My souvenir 😊. We can choose one out of about 20 pieces. |
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| The road to BBQ place. |
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| Going up these steps leads us to … |
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| A picnic open space, called Oyama Open Space おおやま広場, observing Mt. Oyama (ASL 1252m) in front. |
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| Before BBQ place, we
have this forest scene. This is a well-maintained Kanagawa’s forest. Trees are thinned and mantle vegetation is nicely developed with sunshine. i.e. The park is managed enough. |
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| BBQ Place. |
The facilities within the Nanasawa forests are connected not only by paved ways but also standard trekking roads. They are fun. If lucky, we can meet wild animals like sika deer, Japanese serow, and Japanese macaque within the Nanasawa Forest Park (as I did). From any entrance of the Park, we go up to the ridge way that has several view spots to observe Kanto Plain to the east. Near Mori-no-Atelier, the ridgeway meets with Junrei Pass 巡礼峠. The place has a legend. The roads in Nanasawa forests were once utility roads for villagers of the area. One of the routes was a pilgrimage road to Mt. Oyama 大山. Once upon a time, a farther and a daughter came to the point now it is Junrei Pass for praying in temples and shrines along the route. Alas, they were so unlucky to meet with burglars there and killed. Villagers found them dead in the pass, and mourned them by locating a Jizo statue (Kṣitigarbha) there. We are still welcomed by the statue at Junrei Pass …
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| The ridge way. Could you see the road sign in the left corner? They are ubiquitous within the Park so that we can walk safely. |
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| And the ridge repeats
ups and downs. It is a popular training route for local trail runners. |
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| Looking Kanto Plain and Pacific Ocean. |
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| Beautiful silver grasses … |
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| Junrei Pass |
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| The exhibit at the Pass explains the story. |
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| For the killed … |
Actually, we have visited this place, a bit, last year (my post on November 30, 2018). The exit from Hakusan 白山 - Iiyama Kan’non 飯山観音 Hiking Course was Nanasawa Forest Park. At that time, we’ve just gone down the park to Nanasawa On’sen Iriguchi bus stop. Hakusan - Iiyama Kan’non Hiking Course is a part of registered trekking route for Kanto Fureai no Michi (関東ふれあいの道・首都圏自然歩道 Metropolitan Natural Walk Way). Park’s ridge way going from Morinosato Entrance meets with Kanto Fureai no Michi from Hakusan Hiking Course at Junrei Pass. It then descends into Nanasawa Spa and goes to Hinata Yakushi Temple 日向薬師 and Mt. Oyama 大山 we’ve visited on 21 April 2017. Area-wise, the park situates itself within the atmosphere of Oyama Pilgrimage Road.
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| An approach to Junrei
Pass from Hakusan-Iiyama Kan’non Hiking Course |
Junrei Pass is a crossing of 5 roads, one from Hakusan Hiking Course, the road to Nanasawa and Hinata Yakushi Temple, another to Mori-no-Atelier, the ridge way of Nanasawa Park, and the road going down along a small stream, and ending with the main entrance of the Park. The flow is a tributary of Tama River 玉川 which runs through Nanasawa Spa and joins with Sagami River 相模川 eventually. This route, though steep, is a gorgeous trekking course with well-maintained board passes and mini suspension bridges. It goes within afforested cedar forest whose floor is covered by large ferns. Chirping of birds is above somewhere near tree canopy. Sounds of water stream is very calming. It’s amazing to enjoy such adventure so near the residential area. I loved that.
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| The direction to the
road along a stream from Junrei Pass. |
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| One of the suspension
bridges. Don’t you think it’s a nice scenery? |
Eating lunch in one of the view spots along the ridge way of Nanasawa Forest Park, I find it interesting to be on the border between the busy metropolitan Tokyo and calm forest pass. In front of me was an expansion of Kanto Plain, and just below me were several research labs for Nissan, NTT, and the other big names. Around me was a chorus of brambling waiting for my bread crumbles … Birds, could you please wait for just few more minutes before I complete my lunch?
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| This was a nice point for lunch! |
<Park
administrator>
Park Administration
Office, Kanagawa Prefectural Park Association
901 Nanasawa, Atsugi,
243-0121
Phone: 046-223-1711
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657Phone: 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/
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