Forest is Longing for the Sea 2: with a little bit of seashore … Nojima Park 野島公園 1

 

Yokohama is a port city. Inevitably, we stand near sea, or, to be exact, Tokyo Bay. It does not mean we have lots of beach. Our port has the largest container terminals in Japan (MC3 and MC4 at Hon’moku Terminal), which indicates sea for Yokohama in general has concreted banks and lots of heavy machineries. Forests? Nah. … Er, not so fast. There is at least one natural beach in Yokohama. And it’s near forests. Let me explain.

This is Yokohama’s standard for ‘beach.’
Oh, by the way, could you find a structure on the right of this photo?
 It’s Gundam Factory
where life(?)-sized Gundam robot is on display.
I took this photo not long after this exhibition was opened in Yamashita Pier.
 Gundam moves! (though rudimentary.)
The show continues till March 31, 2023.

Once upon a time, in Mutsu’ura 六浦 area which is on the border of present-day Yokohama, Zushi and Kamakura, the medieval national government of Kamakura Shogunate 鎌倉幕府 （1185-1333） had a commercial port. The place was strategically very important for the City of Kamakura surrounded by steep hills and forests, i.e. the present-day Miura Alps (my post on April 29, 2016). In other words, the port of Mutsu’ura was near forests. It was a beautiful place, with lots of greenery and sea. Inevitably, the area became famous and awarded a name Kanazawa Hakkei 金沢八景 “Kanazawa area with eight beautiful (a kind of Instagram-ready) spots.” There the Regent Family of Kamakura Shogunate built their prayer house and library which is Shomyoji Temple 称名寺 and Kanazawa Bunko 金沢文庫 (my post on December 4, 2015). Fast-forward to 1836, Ukiyoe painter Utagawa Hiroshigue 歌川広重 painted Kanazawa Hakkei, 8 sceneries of the area. One of them was “Sunset from Nojima Island 野島夕照.” The idyllic life on an island of Tokyo Bay not far from Imperial Palace attracted Hirobumi Itoh 伊藤博文, the first modern Prime Minister of Japan and the public enemy No.1 of Korean Peninsula. In 1898, Itoh built his weekend villa on the island. The place became a meeting place for Japanese politicians of the early 20th century. Crown Prince Yoshihito, later Emperor Taisho (1879-1926), visited the place several times.

The former villa of PM Itoh, now a museum of the City.

Frankly, I want to live there!
In a baking-hot summer day,
sea breeze runs through the house.
No air-conditioning necessary.

The vista of Tokyo Bay from the villa.
The structure on the right over the sea is Nissan’s Oppama Factory.

The house is in the late 19^th Century Sukiya Style,
which looks at a first glance very understating,
but the detail is finely elaborated here and there.

Basically, it is composed of organic materials
such as woods, papers, and persimmon tannin,
along with the 19^th century European glasses and metals.
Now, the museum staff polish the wood floor
with organic rice bran.

Those were the days. Mutsu’ura’s sea shores were almost completely reclaimed long ago. Hirakata Bay 平潟湾 where Nojima Island floats at its mouth looks like an artificial canal with concreted bank. Filled former sea is a part of Yokohama’s suburbia. Ditto for Nojima Island. Even though, the island keeps its form as an island and half the Island is a municipal park, Nojima Park, containing former villa of the PM. In the Park starting from the beach front of PM’s villa, there miraculously remains about 500m of natural beach, named Ottomo Beach 乙舳海岸.

Hirakata Bay.
In the middle runs Kanazawa Seaside Line monorail.

Nojima Island seen from Hirakata-cho 平潟町 side.
Beyond the housing, we can see the forest of Nojima Park.
Ottomo Beach lies beyond that greenery.

Non-park part of Nojima Island. It’s an ordinary suburb.

I guess the existence of PM’s property somehow stopped a relentless advance of real-estate developers. The beach is shallow. People must go very far to swim from the shore, which is dangerous. It’s prohibited to swim there. Instead, at low tide people can enjoy clamming up to a certain distance from the shore. It’s a sea of fertility and very near downtown Yokohama. Actually a volunteer organization, named Amamo Revival Collaboration in Kanazawa-Hakkei 金沢八景-東京湾アマモ場再生会議, plants (yes! PLANTS!) and nurtures sea weeds at the bottom of the sea in order for more sea vegetables absorbing CO2 and sustaining marine biodiversity. It’s a co-working scheme of the fishermen, the community, the academia, Toyo Construction Co. (TSE 1890), the City of Yokohama, and the national government. 2018 Environment Management Plan of the City of Yokohama designate this area of sea is given a role to be a place for Yokohama Blue Carbon.

Natural Ottomo Beach.
Tonight’s supper is Clam Chowder!

Clamming can be done under the rule.
No clam smaller than 2cm in width.
No rake of more than 15cm width.
No special fishing tools.
This notice is posted here and there along the beach
+ it has English translation.

In this photo, the scenery beyond the bay is North-east of Ottomo Beach
which is Yokohama Marine Park and
 Yokohama Sea Paradise amusement park.
Marine Park has a swimming beach (and popular for windsurfing).
Both of these places are built on the reclaimed land.
Their beaches are artificial.

There is an explanation why the place is suitable for global warming countermeasures. When we walk Nojima Park and go to the observation platform at ASL 57m, we can see the reason. Let’s stroll the Park next week 😉.

If you find a problem in the Park, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the South 南部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government Creative Environment Policy Bureau 

横浜市環境創造局
Phone: 045-831-8484 

FAX: 045-831-9389

Wet Bulb Globe Temperature: it’s cooler in forests, really

Don’t you find it cool?

As a part of citizen science, Kanagawa Prefecture asks people in Kanagawa to measure “How hot it is” in our home prefecture. They lend us a compact WBGT monitor and ask to report how WBGT number went up at 13:00 every Friday during August. I joined the troop of this fun and have carried the monitor wherever I’ve been during August. Reporting duty is only for Friday at 13:00 and the rest of the time we can just check WBGT number to (yeah) “confirm how hot it is now!”

WBGT monitor.
It’s in “indoor” mode so that
radiation temperature is not calculated.
(Please see below.)

First, I have to explain WBGT. It’s acronym for Wet Bulb Globe Temperature. This NOAA site explains what is WBGT nicely. Or, this site by Japanese Ministry of Environment explains Japanese version for how to read the numbers. (US uses Fahrenheit and Japan uses Celsius.) Anyway, it’s calculated with this formula:

WBGT =

0.1 * Temperature (that we normally find) + 0.7 * Humidity + 0.2 * Radiation Temperature (measurement of heat radiated by things surrounding the monitor, sun included)

The nice thing for this measurement is it somehow quantify the effect of power of heat and humidity our body receives. Japan is very humid country and the same 30°C can have larger damage here than in the other part of the planet where the air is drier. With global warming we in Megalopolis Tokyo feels more vulnerable to frequent heatwave. Having an indicator that can warn us dangerous level of atmospheric heat is very helpful to protect ourselves. That’s the rationale for the Prefectural Government soliciting our citizen’s help to feed the database. Our report will be consolidated nationwide by CCCA NIES (Center for Climate Change Adaptation, National Institute for Environmental Studies of Japan).

Damned hot August day in a park near sea.
 Certainly, there was a sea breeze.

By walking around with the monitoring machine, I realized it is indeed very helpful to decide the contents of activity based on the WGBT number. I also confirmed the magic of summer forest in numerical term. It’s damned hot this august in Yokohama. The WGBT monitor regularly shows higher than 31°C outside in towns, which is at the critical level. Kids should not engage in outside activity under that condition, and sedentary senior citizens could be killed just by sitting or sleeping in such environment.
 

Around 18:00 in my mom’s garden, one day this August.
 WGBT’s still 27°C which is at
 “very dangerous” temperature for vigorous outdoor activity.
In NOAA’s term, it is recommended to have
 at least 40 minutes of rest after one hour of outdoor.
 Understandable.

The story is different in forests. During one weekend mowing in Niiharu Citizen Forest when the activity was under the shade of forest trees, we did not feel that much strenuous for carrying powered grass cutter. The WGBT stayed 25-26°C for 10:00-12:00. Gosh. According to NOAA, it was the level if our operation had been under the direct sunlight, it could have been OK to take 15 minutes break for every one hour. (So we did.) Our experience matched with this recommendation. The life within forest is indeed cooler at least in Kanagawa Prefecture.

This is a measure taken one day in
Yokohama Nature Sanctuary (my post on January 22, 2015)
at around 13:00.
With the temperature and that much humidity,
WGBT 28.5 was thanks to the trees surrounded my lunch,
 I guess.

I also measured WGBT on the bank of Yadoriki Stream at 13:00. It was only 21.7°C. The point had approx. ASL 600m and it was a bit cloudy lunch time. I guess heat radiation was subdued thanks to the clouds. Yet, even with more than 90% of humidity the place was definitely easier place to enjoy outside lunch. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, a stream of pure and cool water and deep mountain forest ... Let’s go to forest during heatwave and nurture our forest.

 Lots of families enjoyed a cool weekend in Yadoriki Stream.

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/

Open Economy, or Not: sustainable evolution of mycoheterotrophic plants?

 

So, a sort of folk interpretation about the status of orchids says, they are the most advanced plants as they economize the process of eating (and procreating) by utilizing fully mycorrhizal fungus. The spring orchids I listed last week are commonly found in the forests of Kanagawa prefecture, Yokohama included. In addition to beautiful flowers, they have green leaves which could fool people to believe they are not much different from tulips or pansies that can be nurtured easily in ordinary gardens. ... Many people casually dig them up for a flowerpot, which makes them starve without proper soil ecosystem of fungi they critically depend on for nutrition. They are, though, at amateur level with regard to the dependency on ecosystem. There are flowers without leaves altogether during their apparition. Many are called mycoheterotrophic plants. I recently encountered them in forests of our prefecture.

I found all of these plants without leaves have ghostly feature. Their entire body is white, or transparent. At a first glance they could be mistaken for mushrooms. But inspecting them closely, they certainly have flowers with petals, or petal like calyces. They are completely dependent on the underground network of fungi that can transfer nutrition made by the nearby photosynthesising plants. Another common thing among them is they are quite precarious plants. Say, this year we find it in such-a-such place, but it does not guarantee we can meet them at the same place next year. In this regard, those orchids I talked last week have more stable home and we can meet them at more-or-less the same place year after year. Compared to that, it’s like a news flash when we meet mycoheterotrophic plants in a forest. “Look! We can find them this year!!!!” Here are the photos for some of such plants found in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Monotropa uniflora. The photo is near max for the opening of this flower. Its leaves are degraded to scale-like features on its white stem. It comes out from the ground around mid-July, flower to procreate, then bear a so-so hard fruit that will drop near its parent. It’s not in the family of orchid, but in pinesap family. As it is mycoheterotrophic plant the seed should stay near its parent where underground fungi can provide nutrition of survival, I guess.

Hitaeria sikokiana. It is the endangered species at CR level for 2020 Japanese list. It is said it likes natural forest of broad leaves trees. i.e. Its fungi loves such environment. Commercial afforestation with conifers destroyed its world of happy life, and now its survival as a species is at the critical stage ...

Cymbidium nipponicum. This is a photo in which they are still in buds. It’s in EN category for 2020 Japanese List of Endangered species. They still keep some green on their stem, but obviously their ability for photosysnthesis should be minimum. They are in the family of orchid ... so not only their adult version but also dust-like seeds need help from underground fungi for nutrition. It‘s very demanding plant for forests.

Phacellanthus tubiflorus. Its way of receiving nutrition could be a bit different from these flowers above. It has roots that intrude deep into the root of host plant and sucks nutrition directly from it. I guess fungi play some role in it, but I couldn‘t find a research paper that studies such possibility ... Only during the monsoon season of Japan, it comes out from the underground to have flowers like this. The rest of its life is underground attached to the other plant‘s roots. Comparatively speaking, people say it‘s not so picky about the host, but the condition of its survival as a species is not robust ... 2020 list of endangered species for Kanagawa Prefectue does not register it in the list but several prefectures designate it as NT species.

Lecanorchis nigricans Honda var. patipetala Y.Sawa

I noticed these plants may have evolved to utilize fully the environment to get nutrition, but their way of doing it is so demanding for forests. Maybe because of it, they are in the list of “endangered species.” … While I was meeting these curious plants in the forests, the world is going into more and more mess. In my neighbourhood, food prices are getting higher, and shortage of wheat and corn world-wide is affecting the price of bread et al. We’ve noticed we Japanese have very low food self-sufficiency. Ministry of Agreculture, Forestry and Fisheries calculated ours is only 38% in terms of calories ... similar for Shunran. We’re like mycoheterotrophic plants in Japanese forests, utilizing global environment fully and eating what we’ve imported from outside with a help of stable, fungi nope, global supply chain. It’s cozy way to eat while the ecosystem lasts, but once we’re dug up, or the environment is broken, like maritime blockade in the other side of the planet, we soon find we have a problem … Scholars call mycoheterotrophic plants have reached to cul-de-sac of evolution; they are so good at exploit a specific condition, but actually very vulnerable for envorinmental change. Open economy or not; that’s the question for these plants to obtain nutrition. And maybe so do we Japanese.

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/

Touchy Beautiful Madams: popular spring orchids in Kanagawa’s forests

 

You may be surprised to hear that Yokohama’s forests are homes for wild orchids. The most known and popular wild orchid we meet in Yokohama is Cymbidium goeringii, aka Shunran シュンラン. It opens its flower first in spring, which is the reason of its Japanese name: Shun = spring and ran= orchid. They are so popular that we can sometimes find it in high-end garden centers. Frankly speaking, no one has succeeded in artificial nurturing of it. So, I bet those Cymbidium goeringii in shops are brought from wild. It has bushy narrow leaves. People can think it can produce enough saccharine by photosynthesis for urban life in lanais of high-rise apartments. Nah. Recent study found their photosynthesis covers only 40% of energy necessary for plant’s survival. The remaining 60% comes from mycorrhizal fungus that transfer saccharine made by nearby plants. Inevitably, keeping Cymbidium goeringii in artificial environment is extremely tricky. They will die out within a couple of years or so in your pretty pot. Many associations of forest volunteers in Kanagawa situate out-door notice to tell possible “thieves” their labor to dig out the Cymbidium goeringii is futile. In Niiharu, the damage these days are kept minimum. But we’re watchful, especially when they open their flower early spring ...

Cymbidium goeringii in Yokohama.
I won’t tell you where I’ve taken this photo 😉

Another popular wild orchid in Yokohama’s forest is Cephalanthera falcata, aka Kinran キンラン. They come out in April after Shunran. Kin means gold in Japanese. At the tip, about 30cm high from the ground, they have a cluster of bright yellow flowers in the form of tiny tulip. They stand out in dim forest. It‘s understandable their flower language is “Brilliant Beau.” Though this beauty is also very hard to please. Unlike Shunran, it cannot last not long when it’s transplanted in a pot. It has seemingly robust green leaves which would do vigorous photosynthesis but that’s obviously not enough to sustain gorgeous presentation. Compared with Shunran, it is bigger Kinran’s dependency on mycorrhizal fungus and the habitat that sustain the world of fungi. The lady is difficult … Kinran is categorized as “VU” in the 2020 Red List of Endangered Species in Japan.

Cephalanthera falcata

When there is “gold,” “silver” appears unsurprisingly. A few days later than for Kinran, Yokohama’s forests welcome Cephalanthera erecta, aka Ginran ギンラン. Gin means “silver.” The size of this orchid is about 10-15cm high with smaller number of flowers in one cluster. Their flower language is “Modest lady.” Having said that, the degree of fastidiousness from these unpretentious madams does not differ from Kinran. Ginran is not able to survive either in a flowerpot. As they are choosy for their environment, we humans become very careful to maintain the habitat of their home. If we take care properly, we can meet them every spring in the same area. If you meet Kinran or Ginran in a forest, please admire them in situ, and come back same time next year. 😉

Cephalanthera erecta

These 3 very popular spring orchids in Yokohama’s forest have green leaves. They do some photosynthesis, if not vigorous enough to sustain themselves alone. Come to think of it, almost all vegetation needs network of mycorrhizal fungus and the other plants for survival. The standard way of plants’ way of life is like this: plants do photosynthesis that create amino acid as food for themselves; fungus receive some portion of such nutrients created through photosynthesis and in return give the plants minerals the fungi digested from the soil. Many plants can produce enough carbon for their survival and the spills for fungus. It’s just like international trade, as Ricardo recommended for easier economic development. “You’re good at this, and I’m at that. Let’s exchange the product at an agreed price and all are happy!” Orchids cannot join this circle.

Cephalanthera longibracteata.
It looks like Cephalanthera erecta,
but its leaves are longer and
grew taller than the cluster of flowers.
It’s another orchid we can meet
in Yokohama’s forest in spring.
They cannot survive in pot, of course.

Yep, orchids also create some nutrients by themselves with their nominally green leaves, but they cannot survive only with their product. They definitely need suitable environment that can carry enough food from outside via fungi. Moreover, they choose the fungi that specializes in delivering food for them. If they cannot have their chosen carrier, they die. Yeah, orchids provide nice home for specialized mycorrhizal fungus, maybe like human body for COVID-19 virus. Still, it seems to me scholars themselves are wondering what the fungi gets in return from orchids. Some say orchids provide some carbon for fungi in return to their service, but the amount orchids receive is disproportionately larger. Many plants do not care much for the kinds of fungi that can help them to obtain minerals from the ground. By becoming picky for fungi and hence for environment, some say orchids exploit the specific environment the fungi need for survival. Orchids economize the energy of photosynthesis they otherwise would have to spend to get food. ... I one day heard that’s one of the reasons why orchids are at the pinnacle of plants evolution: they are in that sense very efficient to earn nutrients for survival. Oh, OK, yeah, humans these days do not spend a whole day running around the field for protein or nuts to eat. We’re using the other creatures producing food for us … But, is that really so? What do we give in return to animal and vegetable? If it is the world of comparative advantage, such relation could be unsustainable ... And there are more “advanced” plants if hanging-on fungi to eat is a clever move for plants’ evolution. More to them next week. These days I’m thrilled to meet such wonder of nature so near in our backyard …

Calanthe discolor.
This is also one of the spring orchids
categorized as “VU”
in the 2020 Red List of Endangered Species in Japan.
Technically speaking,
propagators can use similar technique
as for tropical orchids to nurture this plant artificially.
But the market price of the flower does not pay
for the cost of commercial production.
It means if you find them in a garden center,
it should be brought by theft,
or the landlord does not care his or her forest.
OK, when you’re ready to take care of it
properly as for Phalaenopsis orchid,
you can own it.
Otherwise, it will soon die in your pot,
and the degree of biodiversity of the planet is reduced.

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/