Slicing a cake: Kuzuha Greenery 葛葉緑地 2

There are several options for the access to Kuzuha Greenery 葛葉緑地. It has ample car parking. You set your car navigation to Kuzuha Ryokuchi (Kuzuha Greenery), drive your car along Route 246, and reach your destination. Or, if you’re willing, you can walk from Odakyu Hadano Station 小田急秦野駅 to the Forest. It’s about 30-40 minutes’ walk of mainly paved bus roads … I guess it would not be much fun … The third option is riding a commuter bus from Hadano Station. Take any service from #2 bus stop for the Station and leave at Miyagami Stop 宮上. It’s less than 10 minutes ride. Walk back about 100-150m to the direction the bus came from the Station, and cross the traffic light named Miyagami to the opposite side of the bus route. Then, walk in the direction we’ve come from and turn right at the first corner. Go straight. In front of you is the entrance of the Kuzuha Greenery with the panel of an aerial photo I showed you last week.

At the entrance

Before entering the Forest, please check a house on your right. It is a café named Forest Café and a gallery for local artists. I’ve been there during this Golden Week Thursday, but the place was reserved for a private party. We could not try the place. Actually, not only we but also several other groups were turned down the entry due to the event, which means the place is popular. If you have a chance, it would be a nice place for lunch, especially with organic local veggies. (It’s closed for Wednesdays and Thursdays.)

Forest Café

At the entrance of the forest, you find a narrow pedestrian road going down rapidly towards Kuzuha River 葛葉川. This is a characteristic feature of Kuzuha Greenery. Basically, Hadano 秦野 is a basin which is an alluvial fun created by several rivers running down from Tanzawa Mountains. Before, Kuzuha River took a straighter route running down from the slope of Mt. Ninotoh (ASL 1144m) 二ノ塔. About 60 thousand years ago the plate tectonics of crashing Philippine and North American plates pushed up the land mass of present-day Oiso Hill 大磯丘陵 that was/is on the Philippine Plate. The alluvial fan north of Oiso Hill received huge pressures and several faults were created like creases of linen. At least 3 fault lines, Hadano 秦野, Shimojuku 下宿, and Mitsuya 三屋 lines crossing Kuzuha River were activated and created waterfalls. The upper stream of each fall had a gentler slope where water ran slower. It meandered in the alluvial fan and eroded the riverbed until the fall disappeared when the inclination of the riverbed reached the degree of pre-tectonic change. In this way, the valleys have become deeper as it went down near to the point of a gone waterfall. Inevitably, From the Forest entrance to the river, the pedestrian road is rapidly going for approximately 30m down.

Down, down, …

Going down, we meet a cozy garden with a mixture of native and imported flowering trees. When we stroll along the path, we soon meet Kuzuha House that is an admin office cum meeting place for locals. You enter the house and pick up several info leaflets. Oh, some of them are also downloadable from their HP here. The staff of the House is kind and friendly. They also know the latest about the Forest. Er … speaking of the “latest,” Kuzuha Greenery is in the process of recovery from the devastations due to storms in recent years. In addition, oak tree wilt is rampant and killed several large oaks in the Forest. So, as of May 2023, the path to upper stream of Kuzuha River where fireflies dance in late May to early June is closed for safety concerns + rejuvenation of firefly population. By the same reason, the access to lower stream of the River within the Greenery is also closed. Consequently, the place we can enjoy now is about ½ of Kuzuha Greenery. Having said that, the place has lots of places with richness of living creatures + the planet earth.

Inside the Kuzuha House where community can gather.

They also have a small natural museum.

The Kuzuha Greenery is managed to control different environment among the spots. The place we enter via a steep slope intentionally leaves local trees and some lower shrubs some of which are introduced. Relatively speaking, its floor is wetter and tends to receive less sunlight. The ground herbaceous are those that love such environment. On the left of Kuzuha House to the upper stream direction, there is an open space named Camphor Tree Space. It has several picnic benches that are popular for weekend picnics. The space is surrounded by large trees, some of them are imported variety. The number of trees is smaller than the garden we came from. The floor has more sunlight, and so, the place has the herbs for drier places such as sedges. We can enjoy such difference in just 10 or so meters apart. That’s fun. In front of Kuzuha House, there is a suspension bridge called Kuzuha Suspension Bridge くずはのつり橋. Let‘s walk this to cross Kuzuha River. The other side has more “wild” atmosphere that would reflects less human intervention. Going straight from the bridge and we enter residential area surrounding the Greenery. Today let’s turn right from the bridge to go down the steps. We’ll meet another special feature of Kuzuha Greenery.

After descending the slope,
we enter such cozy path to Kuzuha House.

Camphor Tree Space.
Could you see the difference from the above photo?

Kuzuha Suspension Bridge

The other side is like this.
I guess we’ll see a spectacular autumn colors here ...

In early May, the step was adorned by Pourthiaea villosa.

We go down the steps and arrive at the bank of Kuzuha River. Unless the weather is bad, the River is, frankly, small. There are several points whose water depth is probably less than 20cm. Though, the valley is deep. That‘s the result of plate tectonics. Both side of the river has steep slope, or cliff where vegetations cling to. We walk a couple of minutes from the end of the steps, and on our left we find a large geological formation with plates attached. That‘s special for Kuzuha Greenery. This is one of the few places where we can observe natural cross section of Hadano Basin 秦野盆地. The bottom is named Kuzuha-dai Gravel Layer 葛葉台礫層 which was formed about 120-130 thousand years ago. It contains round rocks that came from Tanzawa Mountains, i.e., the evidence of the former riverbed. Above it, there are several whitish layers that have volcanic rocks from the large eruptions piled up in a short period of time. Between these white layers there are thick brown layers gathering small particles of volcanic ashes, yellow sands from China, and the other things. Among them, the layers with the name starting with “K” received the contribution of violent and continuous Hakone eruptions of 130-80 thousand years ago. A layer some 5 m above the river bottom has the name starting with “O” which is the evidence a huge eruption of Mt. Kiso Ontake 木曽御嶽山 98 thousand years ago that threw out pumice far and wide. Then, the very top immediately beneath the vegetation is Iwakura Gravel Layer 岩倉礫層 where before the tectonic push created waterfalls the river ran there. We can know how the earth is doing!. Wow.

We reached the river.

The slice of a cake

Deutzia scabra is clinging on the cliff.

Yearly, Kuzuha House organizes one year training course for nature observation instructors. The lecturers are pros from museums and research centers of the Prefecture. Though all the sessions are in Japanese, if you’re interested in it, please check their HP. The seat is limited, first-come-first-served base. The cost is 3000 yen (for 2023), and the application starts every March. Checking the member of the lecturers, what we can learn from the training would be useful in all over Kanagawa Prefecture. What Kuzuha House provides about the nature of Kuzuha Greenery is based on their study of the place. They concluded the Kuzuha Forest is a very rich place. I could feel it. Please try.

If you need to make a contact with Kuzuha Greenery, below is the address:

Kuzuha-no-Ie くずはの家
1137 Soya, Hadano City, Kanagawa 257-0031 

〒257-0031 神奈川県秦野市曽屋1137番地
Phone/Fax 0463-84-7874
kuzuhaie@city.hadano.kanagawa.jp

In the Beginning: Kuzuha Greenery 葛葉緑地 1

 

The forest surrounding Hakone Sengokubara wetland 箱根仙石原 is one of the newest additions to Kanagawa’s National Trust movement. Today, let me talk about my adventure in the oldest Trust Forest in Kanagawa. That is Kuzuha Greenery 葛葉緑地 in Hadano City. Strictly speaking the oldest National Trust Forest in Kanagawa is Oyatsu Forest 御谷 in Kamakura. It was established in 1964 with the help of national luminaries such as Yasunari Kawabata, a Nobel laureate. Oyatsu is the oldest Trust Forest in Japan, and has independent and large Foundation that is Kamakura Scenic Preservation Society. To some extent Oyatsu Forest is in a privileged position ... in the ancient city of Kamakura, next to lots of historical temples and monuments, with lots of rich neighbors who are celebrities of Japanese culture … Not all forests in Kanagawa have such condition calling for help to protection. Luckily (or not) Japanese forestry industry experienced a sharp decline since the 1960s and it made prefectural governments to think about it what to do, including the protection of private greeneries. In Kanagawa it created National Trust movement as a cooperation among civil society, private corporations and municipality. At the beginning it was a unique approach in Japan. Kuzuha Greenery was the first case saved by this method. Let me explain.

After losing the World War II, Japan needed to rebuild the cities and towns all over. (Hey, the world! Remember this for Ukraine!) Our grandparents needed lots of building materials, including timber. By 1945, domestic forests were destroyed for sustaining war effort. After 1945, Japanese landlords immediately resumed commercial forestry and afforestation, dreaming to strike big in timber business. The government subsidized the cost of seedlings and labor. Alas, trees need tens of years to be large enough for buildings. In no time, it occurred a huge chorus for buying cheap and large timber from abroad. Timber trade, or import to be exact, was completely liberalized in Japan in 1964. The direct subsidization for Japanese forestry was over. Landlords with still young trees on their land were thrown to a rough sea of international trade and lost the market. They abandoned the care of their young forests in droves. The Offices had awareness of crisis especially for water source forests. Many local governments established Public Forestry Corporation to take care of these near-abandoned private forests with public money. In 1968, Kanagawa Prefecture established Kanagawa Public Forestry Corporation.

Whatever the effort to life-save domestic forestry, Japanese industry lost the ground and many forestry cooperations around the nation piled up huge debt. Kanagawa’s Cooperation was no exception. Meanwhile the thing the society expects to forests evolved from procuring construction materials to environmental conservation and protection. The job description for Forestry Corporations changed accordingly. In Kanagawa for the 1980s, the financial problem and new environmental mission made public relation and environmental conservation sections be detached from the Public Forestry Corporation. Kanagawa Trust for Green Foundation かながわトラストみどり財団 was established to organize the national trust scheme … er … in case you’re interested in what happened since then for the rest of the Forestry Corporation in Kanagawa, they were dissolved last year. The public money invested in private forests via the Corporation was cleared by lands as substitute payments from the landlords. The prefecture is now concentrating on the management of former Corporation forests for water source management and natural disaster prevention. Anyway, the original aim of the Forestry Corporation was helping local forestry business. I think the new approach is more suitable for this era of climate change and sustaining biodiversity.

If you find such panel in mountains of Kanagawa,
it’s the sign the forest here was
under the management of Forestry Corporation.

Kanagawa Trust pooled the resources from Prefectural Government (aka tax money) with donations from private corporations and individuals. It then uses the Fund for purchase and maintenance of the forests by mobilizing volunteers, in the style of National Trust system. The main conservation target here is the greenery not so famous as Oyatsu that can ask donations et al relatively easily, but the places in our backyard prone to be ignored or exploited for non-conservation purpose. You see? The forest next to Sengokubara wetland could be a shopping center for tourists ... As of March 31st, 2021, Kanagawa Trust secured 29 forests across the Kanagawa Prefecture, preventing the encroachment of development into nature. The first forest that was secured by the Trust for conservation was Kuzuha Greenery in 1987. It is surrounded housing developments. A large AEON shopping center is near-by.

It’s an aerial photograph shown
at the entrance of Kuzuha Greenery.
Could you realize it’s surrounded by housing? 

Kanagawa Trust bought 0.56 ha of the area and made a long-term contract for 5.64 ha with the local landlords to protect the forests. The attached public land is combined with these land. In total 17 ha of Kuzuha Forest along meandering Kuzuha River 葛葉川 is designated as a nature protection area. Hadano City where Kuzuha Greenery is located provides a visitor center named Kuzuha-no-Ie (Kuzuha House) くずはの家 with full-time staff for the management of the forest. The city supports several volunteer organizations active in Kuzuha Greenery to promote the civic movement for conserving the Forest. Kuzuha House organizes events to know and enjoy the Kuzuha Greenery especially for kids. Their meeting room is to rent for civil societies organizing community events. More than 30 years have passed since the establishment of Kuzuha Greenery. The place is now a be-loved forest for the people of Hadano City. When you lose your way to Kuzuha Greenery, just ask locals where Kuzuha House is. They will surely give you directions!

The entrance to Kuzuha House

As the Greenery is along the Kuzuha River, it has an interesting feature to stroll. Next week, I tell you what I’ve found there. Please stay tuned!

If you need to make a contact with Kuzuha Greenery, below is the address:

Kuzuha-no-Ie くずはの家
1137 Soya, Hadano City, Kanagawa 257-0031

〒257-0031 神奈川県秦野市曽屋1137番地
Phone/Fax 0463-84-7874
kuzuhaie@city.hadano.kanagawa.jp

The New Plan Is Underway: Biodiversity project for Hakone Sengokubara National Treasure site 箱根仙石原

 

Continuing my spring adventure last week in in Hakone Sengokubara National Treasure site 箱根仙石原, the Botanical Garden is currently the only place for Sengokubara wetland open to the public. Immediately to the west along Shitsugen Street is more or less developed for vacation houses and commercial facilities. Between such places and the national treasure site, there is a forest. It is closed off, open only for the permit holders. The 2.33 ha of the forest was donated to Hakone Town from the previous owner, and the rest 6.83 ha was bought by Kanagawa Trust, Kanagawa version of English-style National Trust. The purchase was funded by a broad donation from the public. The legal process to close off the National Treasure with the surrounding forest was completed in 2021. From 2022 a scheme was started to protect and improve the biodiversity for the wider Sengokubara wetland area. The very first yearly project cycle is being completed now. We had a chance to enter the off-limit site how it goes. For me, the difference in scenery between autumn and spring was astonishing in Sengokubara. The open space of the wetland in spring gave us the opportunity to understand the actual working of the project easily. Let me explain.

First, we have to start with the deer problem in Hakone. As I told you in my 3 postings from July 7th to July 21st 2017, Kanagawa Prefecture, especially in Tanzawa Mountains 丹沢山地, there was/is a serious problem of population explosion of deer. Deer is voracious and fecund. Unless we protect the plants, they will eat all the vegetation they can reach in their habitat. Doe start giving birth when they are 1 year old, and produce 1-2 Bambi every year until they die at around 20 or so years old. When I posted these stories in 2017, Hakone was at a sort of borderline. Governmental panel was concluding their discussion on how to protect the National Park area from the deer, and issuing an advisory report on how to proceed. 8 years have passed since then. Now the prefectural snipers for controlling deer population are deployed to stop the collapse of forests in the National Park. Protecting Sengokubara and its ecosystem from Bambi explosion is urgent. When the acquisition of land around the National Treasure site was completed, the first thing Hakone Town, Kanagawa Midori Trust (for National Trust), and the Ministry of Environment had done was building fences surrounding the entire Sengokubara ecosystem to fend off deer. In last April, there was no tall reeds blocking our sight in the Sengokubara National Treasure site. We can find the long fence, surely surrounding the area. Hmmmmmmmmmmm … At least the deer-issue is taken care of for Sengokubara. Next, people must begin to restore and enhance the biodiversity of the deer-free Sengokubara.

The border line

For centuries people managed Sengokubara by open burning in March. The burnt reeds and pampas grass return nutritional base such as potassium to the soil that helped rice cultivation. The remaining roots soon sprout new shoots that were harvested in early summer for roofs of thatched houses and raincoats (yes!). Such circular management began collapsing during the industrialization in the late 19th century. In the middle of the previous century, the ferocious “nature protection” movement was popular that drove in 1970 the public opinion to halt completely open burning in Sengokubara. On the other hand, with rapid mass tourism development of the area by paved car roads and heavy usage of ground water for hotels, the wetland was pushed quickly to aridification. Natural succession kicked in, which meant for this area the invasion of taller trees, beginning with Japanese alders. When the wetland was designated for the National Treasure in 1934, the place was graced by elegant wild Japanese water irises. They rapidly disappeared during the 1970s. It affected the bottom line of the local tourism industry. Confused people started in 1985 research for managed protection of the wetland. The place for trial was the experimental area of present-day Hakone Botanical Garden which was till then rice paddies. In 1991, they concluded from the study returning the traditional way, i.e. open burning and early summer mowing, was the most effective for restoring biodiversity of the area. The tradition resumed. The new plan from 2022 with deer fence is the extension from here.

If we leave the Sengokubara wetland to its own devises,
it becomes like this within 10-20 years.

And this is the experimental area of Botanical Garden.
In Hakone, Sengokubara is the only place
where the wetland remains
(; my post on October 29, 2021).

In 1991, open burning returned but the surrounding forest where aridification started was left as-was. During the 1990s, the role of adjacent environment for the wetland was not yet clear for humans. People wondered what to do in this place. Besides, it was a private property. Legally, only the landlord can decide for the matter, even if that person was clueless. I guess the previous owner was wondering if it was profitable to bulldoze the forest for new cafés or something for tourists. Luckily, Japan entered “the lost 30 years” after the burst of the Bubble economy. Developmental pressure was not so strong for the area. The forest was sold as a “national trust area.” Eventually the understanding of the importance of ecosystem became mainstream. Pros, including the people for the National Park management, began to consider the entire area for the wetland management. Let’s start with water. Supply of water for the swamp comes from Mt. Daigatake 台ヶ岳 and from one of the water sources for River Hayakawa 早川. (In addition, beyond the Sengokubara Street, there is Itari Pond イタリ池 whose water is pumped up to Oakudani 大涌谷 to be heated and distributed to the hotels as “hot spring water.”) To maintain the wetland, the Offices secured water supply from these places by public works. Do you remember the ditch we washed our boots before entering the closed-off place (my post on November 5th, 2021)? The gutter was one of such result of public works. Next, monitoring devices for ground water level were situated here and there of the Sengokubara to make it sure the water supply is OK. The basics for maintaining wetland water have done. Next is to manage the natural succession.

We wash our feet first there in the gutter.

Measuring the underground water level

The result of water management

The main approach for stopping natural succession in Sengokubara was clear: open burning in March, and mowing in early summer. The issue was how to treat the surrounding forest. From purely practical point of view, the role of forest for open burning was to seal the man-made structures in the area from the burning. But after studying the ecology in the semi-dried forest, researchers have noticed the system there was to buffer the direct impact from touristic development on the ecosystem of wetland. In addition, for Kanagawa Prefecture, Sengokubara is the only wetland and its surrounding forest with Japanese alders is more and more rare in the urbanized cities and towns. The wet forest itself has a rich biodiversity that is to be protected. So, in the new management plan, the adjacent forest is also the place whose ground water level is monitored to be maintained as is.

The border between the forest and the wetland.
After open burning, reeds will sprout from
the wet ground on the rim of the forest.
To begin burning, people first hand-mow these reeds
adjacent to the forest, then ignite fire.
The open space after mowing becomes a buffer against direct fire.
The shrubs at the hedge of forest protect
the life in deeper part of the forest.

After burning, new shoots of reeds are coming, but
not overwhelming to cover the groundof Sengokubara proper.
Potentilla freyniana won’t miss this opportunity
of sunshine and flowering here and there.

Cirsium sieboldii were thriving this year in Sengokubara.
There are many species of Asteraceae in Sengokubara.
Some of them are in the Red List for endangered species.
So, I don’t show you the photo of them today … Sorry.

Actual place designated for National Treasure is
within the area surrounded by wood fences.
It’s not much, really.

Carex thunbergii Steudel that is common
in Sengokubara in spring.
 In general, they thrive in wet soil and sunshine
 on footpaths between rice fields.
Footpath is often mowed for easier access
to the rice paddies that makes a happy environment for them.
 In contrast, in Sengokubara,
once the tall reeds dominate the place,
Carex thunbergii cannot win the game.
Spring is a rare chance for them.

As we’ve completed only the first year of the first phase of the project, no one knows how this approach for the management of Sengokubara turns out. The people, including Mr. Katsuyama, hope once the stabilization is completed for the ecosystem of Sengokubara, Hakone town may be able to extend the pedestrian deck from the Botanical Garden to the Sengokubara for experiencing the wider wetland ecosystem. At such a stage, the wild irises should return with lots of cool purple flowers dotting the large space. It can attract more entrance fee that will support the maintenance of fragile ecosystem ... Anyway, that’s the idea. We’ll see how it goes. I realized the things for Sengokubara are similar to the Satoyama management in Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森. In the climate of Kanagawa Prefecture, without human intervention, the village forest around us will be dominated by large evergreen Quercus myrsinifolia. With its broadleaves, the forest floor of the place is dark with smaller biodiversity. If we control the tree by mowing, thinning, pruning …, forest becomes brighter with more species here and there. Our great-great grandparents utilized the mowed grass, thinned and pruned tree trunks and boughs for daily use and for fuel. That’s the circular economy of rich Satoyama. Rich wetland is the same in our Prefecture … Mr. Katsuyama said “In terms of climate, Kanagawa Prefecture is not suitable for low or high moor. Having Sengokubara is a sort of miracle, and probably the passing scenery in the process of shrinking Lake Ashinoko 芦ノ湖 and aridification of the area for these 60 thousand years. Even so, with the wetland, the number of species dwelling in our home is definitely higher. It’s worthwhile to do our best to protect the fragile National Treasure.” OK. It would be another way for us to talk with the nature in this age of global warming …

Inside the surrounding forest of Japanese alders

The ground was swampy and there were colonies of
Carex dispalata with which people make sedge hats.

They also flower in spring!

There were lots of Viola verecunda in the forest.

If you find environmental issues in Hakone, please make a contact with Hakone Visitor Centre 環境省箱根ビジターセンター

164 Motohakone, Hakone Town, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture 250-0522
250-0522 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町元箱根164
TEL：0460-84-9981
FAX：0460-84-5721 

https://hakonevc.sunnyday.jp/

We’re thinking how to go with biodiversity: Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands 箱根湿生花園

 

In my posts for the fall 2021 (October 29, 2021 and November 5, 2021), I told you my adventure in Hakone Sengokubara National Treasure site 箱根仙石原. This spring I returned there and experienced the place for spring. The people who’re taking care of the site, citizen volunteers, academia, Hakone Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, and the Ministry of Environment of Japan has decided a new plan how to proceed the conservation effort. FY 2022 was the first year of this endeavor which ended just last March. Next week, I tell you what the design intends to do. This week, I report my experience in Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands 箱根湿生花園 in more detail. According to Mr. Teruo Katsuyama 勝山輝男, the Researcher Emeritus for Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of NaturalHistory, and the Chairperson for Flora Kanagawa Association, in the newly started conservation scheme, the business plan of Botanical Garden works as a benchmark in order to ensure the sustainability of the idea. I think knowing the Garden would help understand the new strategy which I will explain to you next week. So, this week let’s stroll the tranquil wetland garden.

The Gate to Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands

A mini review of my posts from 2021. Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands 箱根湿生花園 is owned by Hakone Town and shields the wetland from urbanization by resort development. The place has well-tended native and otherwise vegetations for temperate mountainous area. The majority of the road inside the Garden is barrier-free so that wheelchair users are able to experience nature of National Treasure. The access to Botanical Garden is either by car from Gotemba 御殿場 IC of Tomei Expressway, or by bus from Shinjuku (with Odakyu Hakone Expressway Bus 小田急高速バス) or from Odawara (with Hakone-tozan Bus 箱根登山バス, commuter bus services to Kojiri/Togendai 湖尻/桃源台 Terminal; the timetable here). You get off your bus at Sengoku An’naijo-mae Stop 仙谷案内所前, walk 20m or so to the north and turn left at the corner of Lalique Museum. From there it’s one way stroll of less than 10 minutes to the entrance of Botanical Garden. Individual entrance fee for adult is 700 yen, but they have several discount tickets depending on the group visit, combination of the other museums of Hakone, and of transportation services. So please check their HP. Oh, payment is cash-only … gee. It’s too “bureaucratic” as a facility of municipality ...

Sengoku An’naijo-mae Stop 仙谷案内所前

From the bus stop,
there is this sign showing the way
to the garden. Follow it!

Entrance to the garden.
Immediately after the gate, they have a souvenir shop
that has several garden plants and bonsais.
If you have a garden,
the place could be for your interest.

As this is a botanical garden, it changes its presentation from season to season. In 2021, I tell you my visit for fall. This time it is spring. When we enter the gate and pass the admin office and souvenir shop, there next to the map of the garden is a bulletin board telling us the flowers we can meet for that day. It is helpful referring the list and the map to remember “what to see” at “which place.” As we’re introduced to the numbered place for each flower, we notice the garden is demarcated into 8 sections. They are (1) a forest of deciduous broad-leaved trees, (2) vegetation for dry grassland, (3) vegetation for low moor, (4) vegetation for wetland between low and high moors in altitude, (5) alpine vegetation, (6) vegetation for high moor, (7) plants found here in Sengokubara Wetland, and (8) wet forest. Have you noticed? The garden does not limit its collection to local flora, but introduced non-local species.

The map of the Garden …

With the list of flowers in season

There is a reason why they do not take puritanic approach for the garden collection. As this is the place open to the public for a fee, there is a demand to have flowering something year-round. “In order to fund the conservation plan for long term, we need money, you know? It’s important to encourage people who’re not so “in” for plant-admiring before coming here go home becoming a supporter for natural ecosystem. They can help funding more the place someday. Maintaining easy-to-understand presentation always is the key.” Mr. Katsuyama said. Understand. For that purpose, the inside garden is really well-maintained with variety of flowers. Here are some representations for this idea. Let’s start with Pteridophyllum racemosum.

This pretty flower is Japanese endemic species, but does not exist wild for Hakone. It loves floor of sub-alpine coniferous forest that does not exist in Kanagawa Prefecture. Here in the Botanical Garden, they show us in April pretty flowers under the planted conifers. The same is true for Asian skunk cabbage that does not exist in Hakone for wild, but they are uber-popular as it resonates with “natural beauty of Oze wetland.”

They do not restrict Japanese natives to show possible plants for Sengokubara wetland. Lotus is definitely came from India long ago. Japanese endemic species of lotus family is Pigmy water lily that flowers between June to September. April is a bit early, but we can anyway enjoy Indian pink thanks to the foreign transplants.

So far, I showed you comers that add colors for spring Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands. The Garden also has locals. Here is Marsh marigold commonly seen in the banks of streams in Hakone.

Or, this is endangered species categorized as VU. It’s Elaeagnus matsunoana, belonging to the group of plants called “Fossa magna elements” (; more for Fossa magna elements later in my post).

Or beautiful Paeonia japonica which can be found wild in Hakone, but categorized as NT by the Ministry of Environment of Japan.

These plants are intentionally located by professional botanists in order to show the potential of biodiversity for the area. The most typical representation of this approach is in the area for Sengokubara Wetland restoration experiment. There, the water flow overland or otherwise is carefully controlled from off-limit Sengokubara Wetland and Mt. Daigatake 台ヶ岳to maintain the place “wet.” Then, professional landscapers and botanical researchers annually mow the common reeds and silver grasses by hand. Next week I tell you how Sengokubara Wetland itself looked like in spring, and the way to maintain the place “as is.” The main approach there is field burning that has been employed since the place was used as rice paddies. This traditional way has pros and cons. The experimental area of the Botanical Garden is a sort of identifying “con” element of it. Manually controlled area has wooden decks for visitors to stroll and to watch wetland nature close. Mr. Katsuyama’s ambition is to make Sengokubara Wetland have similar access for tourists that would generate fund in addition to educational opportunity for general public by experiencing the wonder of natural biodiversity. OK. Next week, I tell you my adventure in Sengokubara Wetland for spring 2023.

The experiment area for wetland in Botanical Garden.
All the mowing here is done by hand.
The effort is … huge, I guess.

The spring fruit of such labour.
Lots of Potentilla freyniana were flowering.

The place is wet like this in spring.
Carex thunbergii were flowering.

If you find environmental issues in Hakone, please make a contact with Hakone Visitor Centre 環境省箱根ビジターセンター

164 Motohakone, Hakone Town, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture 250-0522
250-0522 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町元箱根164
TEL：0460-84-9981
FAX：0460-84-5721

https://hakonevc.sunnyday.jp/