Sea rising, and falling: Observing forests of Miura Peninsula from sea 三浦半島の森

The State of Emergency due to COVID-19 makes Koajiro Forest 小網代の森 closed. All the entrances of the Forest are locked now … The place was inaccessible for several months since autumn 2019 due to the severe damages caused by typhoons and oak tree wilts. During this period, Kanagawa Prefecture and the major financial backer of the place, Keikyu Co., did an extensive restoration works for the forest. When it was reopened last summer, the forest had renovated roads and brand-new toilets … They are now unapproachable again. *Sigh* … Last fall, before this wave of COVID-19 came, I had a chance to visit there, and boarded on a yacht from the harbor, Seabornia Marina next to the Koajiro Forest. We did a small cruise to Zushi Marina and enjoyed the vista of forests and shorelines of Miura Peninsula 三浦半島 from Sagami Bay 相模湾. This week I report you my voyage at that time. I hesitate to say it was an “adventure” … the reason? I tell you why soon.

Koajiro Forest, late last November

Kanagawa Green Trust Foundation has an annual event for the Foundation members of mini-cruise from Seabornia to Zushi Marina to observe greenery of Miura Peninsula. The seats on the yacht are strictly limited, and the event is popular. Though, thanks to COVID, it seems to me the number of applications for 2020 cruise was small. I hit bingo of the seat. It was a fine warm weekend day of November, just before winter comes. I strolled beautifully restored roads of Koajiro Forest to reach to Seabornia. Passing in front of a large black yacht with a proud logo of “ORACLE,” there was a beautiful yacht we were boarding on that day … Er, that Oracle yacht was a team member of 2017 Oracle Team USA, a person for Seabornia told me.

Looking Koajiro Forest from sea

Looking the forests of Miura Peninsula from Sagami Bay, we could first notice the peninsula has so many small hills and valleys. The land looks like a crumpled paper craft colored by green (for vegetation) and sunburned brown (for beach). Mr. Kuramochi for Hayama Shiosai Museum 葉山しおさい博物館 was on board with us and explained. “Miura Peninsula was once a seabed carried from the Pacific Ocean by Philippine’s Plate. It crushed to Eurasian Plate some 90 thousand years ago. The collision pushed up the seabed and keeps pressing the mass forever. It makes this scenery we’re watching now … Many small hills and valleys. The shoved land was eroded by the sea, which makes the sealine a continuous cliff, and above is a coastal terrace. The friction between two tectonic plates pulls down the peninsula 3mm per year. But occasionally the Philippine’s Plate reaches to its limit of perseverance against pushed-down by the Eurasian Plate. The peninsula bounces back, which is a huge earthquake … In coast lines of Miura Peninsula, we can find so many traces of such violent movements of plate tectonics.”

Coastal cliff and tiny valleys, aka fissures of seabed.
 Basically all the black pines in this area are
 artificially planted.

Typical coastal terrace of Miura Peninsula

Zushi City, seen from the sea

Hmmmm … It was really a sunny afternoon, probably the last warm, calm day in Sagami Bay before Christmas. A tense atmosphere of COVID-19 was left on the land over there created by crushes between tectonic plates … The yacht proceeded to Zushi Marina in comfortable swings of the bay. Sea breeze was refreshing … Eventually, the explanation of Mr. Kuramochi became a soothing lullaby for me … I tell you, having a nap on a yacht is soooooooooooo good … zzzzzzzzzzzzz

The spring sea rising, and falling, rising and falling all day

                                                                                Yosano Buson 

春の海　ひねもすのたりのたりかな　与謝野蕪村

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, peace ……

Er, it was not spring, I admit ... By the way, from Zushi Marina to Enoshima Island 江の島 (my post on June 30, 2017), it is about 10 mile. I noticed several sports yachts, with proud logs of GB and FRA, speeding over there within our sight. Enoshima is the place where SailingCompetition will be held for the Tokyo Olympics … Were they Olympians?

Enoshima Island from the sea

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/

Can Spring be far behind? Japanese butterbur scape

Beside COVID-19, news these days here is about record-breaking heavy snow especially in the north region beyond the mountains surrounding Kanto 関東地方. Cold fronts blowing from Siberia crush with these mountains, dump their humidity, aka snow, there, and run down to Kanto area as dry cold winds … It’s freezing in Yokohama. In the morning, all the vegetations in our gardens, parks et al are ice-solid. Good thing from the State of Emergency with limitation for commuting in dead winter is, we can delay the moment of leaving from bed in the morning … even if it’s just a matter of 10 minutes or so.

And there is a tiny delicious secret in Yokohama’s forest in January. This is the season for Japanese butterbur scape. It’s a bud for Fuki (Japanese butterbur, Petasites japonicus), Japanese endemic edible plant. They are fairly common even in the city of Yokohama. They grow along streams where they have not much wind whooshing. It’s a vigorous plant, multiply by rhizomes. Although it’s edible, it has a peculiar harsh taste due to toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid that must be treated before cooking. I mean, as a prep we must boil them with salt, then soak them in running water for several hours. So, these days people do not care them much even when they are readily available in backyard. However! These are the thing when the plant fully opens with its round leaves and standing stalks.

A private field of Fuki in Yokohama in summer.
 These leaves of round-heart and their stalks are all edible.
 But the landlord here, it seems to me,
 does not care much of his/her property.

Just for 1 or two weeks of freezing January, their very new buds poke their head from the ground to be ready for flowering in warmer days expecting soon. They are edible too. Moreover, they do not require elaborate preliminary arrangement to eat. Some enthusiasts eat them row on site. The difficult thing to have them is, finding the right moment to find them. They have such a small window of time for harvesting … Another good thing from the State of Emergency: this year I could check the place without much time constraint as I bear in a regular January. So, this year, BINGO! I’ve found them!

Look, look, look! I’ve found them!

It was so tempting to gather all the visible buds of Fuki from the site. But, but, but, … if I had done so, they would be extinct from the place next year … I thanked the Mother Nature and brought home just a dozen of Japanese butterbur scape. What to make of it? We can simply deep fry and eat them with salt. But that’s the way to have the delight for just one moment. I decided to make butterbur scape miso dip. It can last for at least a week. I can savor the delight of New Year for some time even under the State of Emergency … Here is the recipe for my Japanese butterbur scape miso dip:

My secret place for Japanese butterbur scape.
 Oh, one caution.
 This place is easy to find the safe buds
 with remaining leaves of last year.
 But often, especially when people mow the place in fall,
 it could be difficult to differentiate the buds of butterbur
 from the buds of Scopolia japonica, which is poisonous.
 If the bud has leaves of former year, please check it.
  Scopolia japonica has elongated pointed leaves
 that are totally different from Japanese butterbur.

<Butterbur Scape Miso Dip>

1. Wash the buds, and slice them as you like.

2. Stir fry them with olive oil, but don’t overdo it. When they’re cooked, turn off the heat.

3. Add Kyoto-style white miso paste. For 10-12 buds, 100cc of miso would be enough. Kyoto-style miso is sweet but secretly salty paste, a bit different from more common variety. We can find it in supermarket here in Yokohama. When it’s not available, use the standard miso paste with 1 tbsp of mirin, or with 1 tbsp of sake + 1 tbsp of sugar.

4. Mix miso and buds well, then return the pan to weak heat. Work the mixture over until the dip starts showing a kind of shine, i.e. the sugar in the miso paste is coating the mixture and becoming the glaze. I tell you it won’t take much, maybe within a minute or so. It’s the sign the dip is ready to eat!

Done!

Let’s always look on the bright side of life … and wait for spring to come. It will come for sure, unless the planet earth evaporates, I think.

My breakfast with Japanese butterbur scape dip

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/

The Catcher of the Rye: Homemade rye bread using bamboo

Bamboo is plant that can dominate a forest very quickly. Let them unattended, its strong rhizome ignores any human made barriers in the forest. They can start choking mighty oaks and tall cypresses that are on the other side of the aisle. So, Niiharu Lovers 新治市民の森愛護会 are always busy thinning and managing bamboo forests, all year round. In Niiharu, there are several bamboo forests of different landlords. Often, they are elderly owners who cannot engage in management works of their bamboos by themselves. Once they decided to ask Lovers to take care of their property, the place is, without fail, in a mess. Even normally enthusiastic Niiharu Lovers hesitate to start working on them. “Well, we’re already mouthful with Mr. X’s bamboo forests that would take another 2-3 years to clear. So, new places must wait …,” so the argument goes.

A tall Chinese parasol tree is
 besieged by bamboos …

One of the reasons why it is not a piece of cake to deal with bamboo forest is, we have to think how to clear the cut bamboos from the site. Just cutting bamboos and let them lay on the ground does not solve the problem at all. The number of thinned bamboos, often more than 15m tall, is often LOTS, and the newer ones come every spring en masse. Leaving the thinned ones in a forest simply exacerbates the chaos. Moreover, piling them unorderly can create nice locations for wasps’ nests. They can become deadly for everybody in the forest. So, in Yokohama’s Citizen Forest, the City asks Forest Lovers to “Remove any stems of the cut bamboos; Cut the cleared trunks in 3m a piece; The removed stems should be securely fastened by straw ropes to be a bunch; The treated bamboos trunks and stems must be collected at such-a-such place neatly.” The garbage collectors hired by the City come regularly to pick up treated bamboos for processing factories of garden mulches, or for incineration. Yeah, it’s a very nice system of sustainability. Harasho for SDGs. But the first step we Lovers of Forest, i.e. thinning bamboos in an orderly way, is not at all simple gardening tasks. Besides, the collectors can come only 3-4 times a year. Meanwhile, the piles of thinned bamboos are growing taller, just like sprouting bamboos.

Lovers of Niiharu are creating hand-made goods out of these thinned bamboos, baking bamboo charcoals, using them for facility maintenance, bringing them to nearby elementary to teach kids how to make traditional toys from bamboos … I used it for making a broom (; my post on February 22, 2019). Still, there remains piles of bamboos. One weekend last month, after preparing New Year’s ornament, I saw a pile in Niiharu, with a sort of hopelessness … Then, it clicked: how about using them as baking tins?

My New Year’s ornament, Kadomatsu, for 2021

The mother of invention

During the fall 2020 there were so many incidences in the other parts of Japan where starving bears came to human settlement for food. In 2020, Japanese forests in general had small crops of acorns, the main sustenance for bears. Poor guys. Though, in Yokohama without population of bears, acorns of many variety had a bumper year. Some parts of roads were covered with powdered acorns, where fallen acorns from street oaks were finely milled by car traffics. I fantasized to collect such flour to bake acorn cookies without that memorable effort (; my post on September 11, 2015) ... Then, voilà, here are plenty of bamboos with nice round cups to be ideal baking tins! I didn’t collect powdered acorns, but brought home several remnants of thinned bamboos. What to bake? I decided to make pure rye bread with bamboo baking mold. Here is the recipe I used:

The powder covering the road is
 acorn flour!

<Making rye bread with bamboo mold>

1. Mix 200g of rye flour with 80g of dry molted rice + 1 tsp of salt in a large bowl.

Dry molted rice.
 With increasing demand for “boosting immune system,”
 these days there is a craze for such fermented foods in Japan.
 We can find several brands for dry molted rice
 at an ordinary supermarket in Yokohama.

Rye + dry molted rice + salt

2. Add lukewarm water little by little and knead the dough until the mixture becomes a ball.

It needs more water …

3. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap or put it in a plastic bag. Leave it for 24 hours in warm place. I left it in a sunroom during day and kept the bowl in a living room during night, wrapping it with a bath towel.

The dough is covered by plastic wraps.

4. 24 hours later, coat inside of the bamboo mold with olive oil and put the dough there. If the dough is dry, add little bit of lukewarm water again.

Bamboo mold with olive oil

The dough is stuffed in the mold and settled in a steamer.

5. Steam it with a medium to low heat for at least one hour. If you have a firewood stove, I think you can use the heat for this process.

Steaming …

6. Look! 100% natural rye bread of mine. Bonus: it smells serene scent of bamboo forest!

By using malted rice, we don’t need sugar for this recipe. The bread is tasty with slight sweetness in freshening smell from tranquil forest. Above all, it’s so easy to make. I expected the bamboo mold would be destroyed after cooking. Nope. It’s still fairly sturdy. Come to think of it, Japanese have used bamboos for so many cooking utensils. They can be a good member of kitchen gadget, even as a baking tin … I’m not sure if they can be OK with oven, though … Heck. COVID-19 State of Emergency now in Yokohama. I have time to cook!

Magic of olive oil did a nice job;
 there was no need to loosen the bread from the mold.
 It smoothly came out to the bread tray.

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/

Exquisite: making botanical gin with Asian spicebush

We could not have a cheerful New Year’s Party this year … COVID-19, yeah. But, we are still able to savor alcohol. April last year when PM Abe issued the state of emergency nation-wide, he asked people to stay home, and pubs and bars to stop serving alcohol at 19:00. The consumption of beers et al plunged at drinking venues. But people bought 6 packs and hard liquors in supermarket. They drunk them home without bothering time to go home. Some insisted, in straight face, drinking hard liquor can sanitize our body that could fend off the COVID-19 … Because of this, or not, there is a sort of murmur in drinking community in Metropolis Tokyo. “The next big thing is hard liquor, especially gin.”

The newest addition to Japanese Kawaii, with COVID.
 We can strangely sympathize with
 this cutie kitten’s (called Sounyan, FYI) frustration.

Weeeeel, for such voices bubbling up here and there in pandemic-affected cities, it could really be possible sanitizing power of distilled hard liquor ... In spring last year, we had a severe shortage for supply of sanitizing alcohol. At that time, ordinary households could do with frequent hand washing with good ol’ soaps. But clinics and hospitals had hard time. Japanese government gave OK for brewers of drinking alcohol to provide distilled 98% alcohol as possible alternative for medical sanitizer. I’ve heard clinics bought them in gallons and diluted it to 70% with distilled water for regular sanitizing, to cope with the crisis. Gin may also be a good emergency alternative … On December 10th, last year, Yokohama Bay Brewing Co., a brewery of craft beer in Yokohama, opened a distillery of gin where we can have their craft beer and gin brewed on site … I haven’t been there yet after opening … From today, Yokohama is again under the State of Emergency ... In summer 2020, Suntory debuted Japanese gin, called Sui, that’s in a reasonable price level for stay-home crowd to savor, or sanitize … Er, I honestly doubt this “disinfecting” effect. Rather, I suspect the talk of gin is simply a kind of fashion import from the UK … They say now in locked-down London, people are flavoring Beefeater by adding spices and herbs to make homemade “botanical gin.” Botanical? It clicked my curiosity.

Distillery of Yokohama Bay Brewing Co.
 in Koganecho, Yokohama.
 I took this photo last November.

Actually, it’s nothing new in Japan flavoring spirits with botanical bounty. The most common alcohol drink of this genre is Umesh (; my post on June 28, 2019) made of hard white liquor and Japanese apricot. Ditto for Japanese bayberry (; my post on August 18, 2017). Come to think of it, they are larger fruits than juniper berries. The fruits can dominate the entire drink. I checked ginfoundry.com, and surmised when Brits say “botanical gin,” it’s more emphasis on pure flavor added to hard liquor. Hmmmmmmmmmmm ... Is it something to do with the size of fruits or berries? How about small berries we can find in autumn forests in Yokohama?

One of my homemade umesh bottle.
 I decided to let them age …
In 30 years’ time, they’ll be heavenly …

I first turned to linden arrowwood (Viburnum dilatatum) that bears small red berries in October. They can be eaten fresh, but very sour. When we gather lots of them, we can make good jam from it, but it’s another matter for today’s topic. I hesitated a bit about making “botanical gin” with Viburnum dilatatum as its distinctively sourness in sweet juicy meat. The list in Gin Foundry for making botanical gin does not contain such edible fruit, but more of herbs and spices … In the end I made alcohol drink of linden arrowwood in the same way for Japanese bayberry. In a glass jar, I put red berries and rock candy by the same amount and poured hard liquor of 35°+ just enough to cover the berries and sugar … Result? Waited for 3 months for the sugar to be dissolved completely, the jar has a bright red liquid. The taste of it is … er, yeah, it’s sweet, just like umesh or bayberry drink. But not much dryness of gin …

Linden arrowwood berries in Yokohama’s forest

Berries, rock sugars, and 35+ hard liquor

3 moths later. Pretty ruby red liquor 😋

Another approach I’ve taken this year is, to search intentionally for berries that are not much juicy, but smells nice, just like juniper. The plant also must be safe for human consumption. Small round berries of Asian spicebush (Lindera glauca) have passed these conditions. The fresh leaves of this tree smell very nice, or I would say, noble. I’ve heard we can dry these leaves to make powder and mix it for rice cakes to enjoy its flavor. i.e., we can use the plant as Japanese spice or herb. Lindera glauca is common deciduous tree in Japanese forest. It turns the color of their leaves into yellowish red in autumn, though they do not shed their colored leaves until fresh new green leaves come out in spring. Their way of shedding leaves makes it easy to find them in winter. I found several trees of spicebush in previous winters in Yokohama. This year I waited until they bear fruits in autumn. Their flowers do not stand out at all, and their berries are small black ball with thin fresh. They are not that fecund as linden arrowwood or bayberries. In total, modest plant. I collected a bit of their fruits to put them in a tiny glass bottle, about for 100cc, filled with gin.

Lindera glauca in summer

They becomes like this in late autumn

Berries of Asian spicebush

Now, about a month later, the small bottle of gin with spicebush berries has a pale amber liquid. The contents smell gracious! Its flavor is of hard liquor with soothing and gallant tang. I am seriously lamenting the small amount available of my botanical gin. Maybe, that’s the amount Mother Nature allows us to savor from her jewel. *Sigh*

My gin with Asian spicebush.
 It tastes Ex-qui-si-te 😍

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/

2021 is our learning year: Chainsaw usage certificate in Japan

Hello, first, Happy New Year!

I’ve received an enquiry about chainsaw training session. So, this week is a follow-up of my previous post on January 18, 2019. 

When you plan to use your chainsaw skills in Japan for earning money, you need to attend a course with curriculum defined by Occupation Safety and Health Regulations, and receive a card certifying you’ve completed the course. The regulation became strict from August 1, 2020. You’d better follow the law, I tell you. It’s normally 2 days course at the cost around JPY 20,000. Content-wise, the course is not difficult. There is no exam. Many people attend the course with company money. Some spend their two days napping … er … of course, there are lots of serious learners, too. 😅 In any case, having explanation about mechanics and safety techniques for such a powerful killing machine is very useful. I think I’m using my education for chainsaw almost regularly during my weekend activities in the forest.

The revised law goes like this: any employer who hired somebody without this certificate for tasks with chainsaw will be criminally charged, and the employee without the certificate who is injured, or has trouble in the field, including dispute with landlords like “You’ve cut down this tree and damaged this part of my property! (Yelling, yelling, yelling …)” will be arrested as a trespasser, intruder, and a criminal of inflicting injury. Of course, you can have some pocket money in a black market without certificate, if you like. But Japan is a small country. Such activity especially in rural parts must call attention from locals where people also have serious economic impacts of COVID just like in downtown. Sooner or later police will come.

Pro’s work

This “legal requirement” does not apply for volunteers who DO NOT earn money from yielding chainsaw. Even though, just recently (actually about 2 months ago), several volunteers without proper certificate did their fun “chainsaw weekend” in a part of Tanzawa mountains, and sure enough the locals asked police to inspect their activities. It’s now a scandal among the community of forest volunteers here in Kanagawa. I guess people in this episode will have extremely hard time to find their next “weekend fun” place. So, my advice is, when you plan to use your chainsaw skill in Japan other than in your property (; it’s your place, and you can use it as you like, basically … oh, though, you cannot use your accident insurance if something happens), you’d better have that certificate.

The problem could be, the entire course is only in Japanese. No English course, as long as I know. There is no restriction in nationality etc. for attending the course. I think we must be older than 15 … you’d better ask organizers about age restriction … You see? Rural Japan can sometime be very yesteryear place, especially for such things like “legal / governmental matters.” Internationalization in Japanese forest could be very new subject for each city hall and national government. But if we raise our voices, new things may happen. Everybody knows, we need lots of hands to keep our forests healthy. And Japan is aging rapidly = number of Japanese who can be active in forests are diminishing daily. Why not asking helpers?

The courses for chainsaw certificate are organized by several entities. Some are by private companies and the other by associations of forestry industry in each prefecture. For certificate issuance, all are certified by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. The lecturers and instructors are also national license holders of labor safety education. For private courses, below 3 are popular.

Kobelco
https://www.kobelco-kyoshu.com/batsuboku_special/

Komatsu (Yeah, that company of forklift trucks, et al)
https://www.komatsu-kyoshujo.co.jp/KkjReservation/Subjects/special/CourseDetailSpecialFelling.aspx

Caterpillar (ditto!)
https://cot.jpncat.com/know/?no=32

It seems to me private courses are now waiting for the effect of COVID-19 gone ... I could not find the planned date for their event at least during the next few months.

Having said that, it happens Kanagawa Branch of Forestry and Timber Manufacturing Safetyand Health Association 林業・木材製造業労働災害防止協会 will have the course on 16th and 17th of March 2021 (two days session) at Radian Center of Ninomiya Town, near the City of Odawara 小田原. Here is some detail:

<Date and Time>

March 16 (Lecture and Practice) 9:30-19:15
March 17 (Lecture and Practice) 9:00-18:45

<Place>

Ninomiya Lifetime Learning Center Radian, Meeting Room #2
1240-10 Ninomiya, Ninomiya-cho, Naka-gun, Kanagawa, 259-0123

二宮町生涯学習センター「ラディアン」ミーティングルーム#2
〒259-0123 神奈川県中郡二宮町二宮1240-10

* 7 minutes’ walk from JR Ninomiya Station.
* If you need parking, please use the space in Ninomiya Town Hall next to Radian.

<Cost>

JPY 20,000 (for two days’ course, including the cost of textbooks, certificate, and tax)

<How to register?>

First, please call Mr. Suzuki or Mr. Hirasawa for Kanagawa Branch to ask registration form, payment method, etc. The phone number is

045-261-3731

Email: kanagawa@kenmokuren.com

The number of seats is limited, especially now due to COVID-19. The payment deadline is March 1st, but first come, first served. Good luck!

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/