Where the wild things are: Miho Citizen Forest 三保市民の森

Miho Citizen Forest 三保市民の森 is located to the west of Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森. The map is here (in Japanese). Roughly speaking the two forests are separated by 6 campuses of educational institutions and JSAT, a satellite operator. So, the area itself is more of one continuous forest rather than 2 forests divided by housing complex or metropolitan businesses.

If you come to Miho Forest by public transportation, take Kanachu-Buses from Tsurugamine Station 鶴ヶ峰 of Sotetsu Line, or from Nakayama Station 中山 of JR Yokohama Line. There are 2 bus routes to choose. One is Route Naka-53, between Nakayama Station and Tsurugamine Station via Imajuku 今宿. (Mind you, there is another bus service between Nakayama and Turugamine operated by Sotetsu-bus withouht going to Imajuku. This route does not come to Miho Forest Park.) Another is Route Yoko-52, between Nakayama Station and Yokohama Station via Kawaijuku 川井宿 and Tsurugamine. (Come to think of it, if you come from Yokohama Station anyway, this Yoko-52 would be the cheapest option as we don’t have to pay for the fare for the trains ...) When you take those buses to Miho Park from Nakayama Station, find Bus Stop Number 1 in the South Square of the station. In Tsurugamine, find Tsuragmine bus terminal from the North Exit of the station. If you come from Tsurugamine Station, here is the time table. From Nakayama Station, the timetable is this one.

Get off the bus at the bus stop for Miho Citizen Forest 三保市民の森 (Miho Shimin-no-Mori) with a bus-stop shelter. I love its simple and rustic design.

Miho Shimin-no-Mori Stop

Next to the bus stop is a small car park, open only for weekends and holidays, for you coming to the park by car.  To find an entrance of the Forest from here is a bit tricky. From the bus stop, go south a bit, just 10 m or so, then turn right for the first small road.

At the end of the way,

there are 2 tiny roads, One-michi 尾根道 (Ridge Way) and Tani Michi 谷道 (Valley Way), both leading you into the Miho Forest.

We can also come to the Forest from Tokaichiba 十日市場 JR station. Go to Bus Stop #1 in the South Square of Tokaichiba Station. The service runs between Aobadai-chuoh Station 青葉台中央 of Den’entoshi Line and Wakabadai-chuoh 若葉台中央, with Yokohama City Bus Service 23 or Tokyu Bus Route Blue 23. Here are the timetables for the Buses to Wakabadai-chuoh from Tokaichiba Station (as of April 2015). The bus stop for the Forest is Kirigaoka Kohkoh (High School) 霧が丘高校. Find a traffic light named “Kirigaoka Kohkoh.” At the crossing, facing Wakabadai Junior High 若葉台中学 take the road on the left. Keep going to meet a T-crossing. Choose the way on the right which eventually becomes Ridge Way of Miho Citizen Forest.

You can see Wakabadai Junior High from O-14 like this.

The 40.5 ha Park was opened in 1972, spreading over a hillside as one of the biggest remaining forests in the City of Yokohama. The tallest trees of the Park are human planted Cryptomeria japonica, Chamaecyparis obtuse, Chamaecyparis pisifera, and natural Quercus myrsinifolia, Magnolias, and others. Under the canopy are rich colonies of various ferns and Sasa palmatas, etc. In Japan, at this moment, there are about 600 kinds of known ferns. We can find 100 of them here in Miho Forest. This is the Forest of ferns.

Mind you, the network of treks within the park is complicated. There is no circular route of the park, Ridge Way (with numbering O-1 to 15) on the east, and Valley Way (T-1 to T-9) in the west both of which connect to the standard paved roads for the surrounding residential areas.  Ridge Way has 15 exit points colored Pink, some of which give us a clear view of Tanzawa 丹沢 and Mt. Fuji in a fine day.

Er, well, Red, yeah

The points for the Valley Way are 9 colored in blue.

Both Ridge and Valley Ways are popular among local joggers, especially for training to trek-run. These 2 Ways are connected by “Promenades” crisscrossing in the Forest. The point numbering is in orange from P-1 to P25, sometimes with a map of the Forest and benches.

If we choose the trek to the right from the Miho Citizen Forest bus stop, we go into the Valley Way that runs (almost) along the graveled road for cars used by locals.

In the middle of the route there is a source of Umeda River 梅田川, a tributary of Onda River 恩田川 which in turn is a tributary of Tsurumi River 鶴見川. The spring now has a name, Kotori-no-Oasis 小鳥のオアシス (“Oasis for small birds”).

You will find a Way climbing upwards which brings us to the northern tip of the Park.

When you go the way to the left from the Miho Citizen Forest bus stop entrance, it brings you to Ridge Way and the treks within the Park.

Just next to the sign to Ridge Way, there is an ancient road sign indicating the Ridge Way of Miho Forest was once a main road for pilgrims to Aburi Shrine 阿夫利神社 in Oyama Mountain 大山 in Tanzawa. 

Soon on the right, there is Miho-daira 三保平, an open space equipped with picnic benches and toilet.

Toilet

… and drinking water

This is the only toilet in the Forest. From here, you can either proceed to the Ridge Way, or turn right to deep inside. If you choose the direction to Ridge Way and check Yellow Point 5, you may find a small farm land cultivating vegetables. The system of Citizen Forest of Yokohama is a kind of public-private enterprise between the municipality and the landlord. The majority of such small farms within the Citizen Forests are by the landlord to preserve their way of farming. Further to the direction of Wakabadai Jr. High, on the left, there is a structure looked like a covered canal. It is a part of 37 km aqueduct from Lake Sagami 相模湖 to Nishiya Water Purification Plant 西谷浄水場 which distributes drinking water to the downtown of the City.

Inside the forest, there are several treks connecting the Ridge and Valley Ways. They are not straight, but winding, crisscrossing and often with steep ups and downs. + Sometimes, especially after rain, several points can suffer land-slides that make the routes impassable. The risk with nests of vespinae and gloydius blomhoffii applies here. Having said that, it is just a small park, surrounded by residential areas of Yokohama. The total length of the trekking network is only 9 k. If you get lost inside, you can either climb up to the Ridge Way leading to Wakabadai Housing Complex 若葉台団地, or down to the Valley Way which brings you to Miho Forest Park bus stop we found before. Grab your map and compass, and examine where you are when you find a check point along the way. No need to panic. 

Some of you may get excited with my description of the forest for its “wilderness.” You are not alone. It seems to me the Forest had problems with Survival Gamers so that you will find many notices saying “Survival Game is prohibited in the Forest.”

I do agree with the Forest administrator for this ban. This is a part of the final front to preserve original nature in the metropolitan Tokyo area. Stomping the ground with survival game surely damages the fauna and flora of the Forest. Miho Forest surely has a charm of many kinds of ferns colonizing the space here and there.

If you manage Japanese, you’ll notice each check point has species name of birds, which are frequent flyers around the point.

Choosing the right time of the day, we can enjoy bird watching there.

Please take your trashes with you when you say good-bye to the forest. There is no trash-bin, of course.

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

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North北部公園緑地事務所

Yokohama Municipal Government Creative Environment Policy Bureau横浜市環境創造局

Phone: 045-311-2016 (I guess in Japanese only)

FAX: 045-316-8420 (I hope there is somebody who can read English …)

Thank you for allowing us to visit your forest: inside of Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森

Niiharu Citizen Forest viewed from Miho Nenjuzaka Park 三保念珠坂公園

The north of Yokohama has two main rivers. One of them, Katabiragawa 帷子川 starts in the south of Miho Citizen Forest 三保市民の森. Another is Tsurumigawa 鶴見川 whose tributary, Umedagawa 梅田川, has its source in Miho Forest. The hills go down from Miho Forest in both direction. Miho Forest is in the south west of Niiharu Forest. So, roughly speaking, the west of Niiharu Forest has higher altitude than the east, and the south is higher than the north. It means, if we enter the Niiharu Forest from Satoyama Exchange Center (aka Okutsu House 旧奥津邸), we must be ready to climb up the hills. (Map, here.)

oh, yes.

In any case, the route of Niiharu Forest is very well-prepared, thanks to the collaboration of landlords and volunteers. Let’s take it easy.

Some routes are closed due to maintenance. Beyond is an afforestation site by volunteers and kids from local elementary schools.

The forest we can see directly from Okutsu House is called Mukaiyama 向山. Mukaiyama means “The hill on the other side.” I guess the name comes from the fact that the area spreads over the opposite side of houses standing next to Okutsu House. Those are the residence of people who actually work in the field of Asahi-Yato 旭谷戸 which we’ve visited in the previous post, “Spring in Satoyama.” Mukaiyama has magnificent Japanese cedars, Japanese cypress, and bamboos.

i.e., Basically Mukaiyama is a cultivated forest for generations. Coniferous forest is for traditional construction materials in Japan, and bamboos are for tools of daily activities, such as baskets and utensils. And hence, Satoyama Center has a regular bamboo basket weaving class. Especially in spring, bamboos provide seasonal delicacy of bamboo shoots, takenoko たけのこ.

If you find bamboo shoots this large, it is too hard to eat already. Let it shoot into the sky.

Normally, people harvest bamboo shoots in early morning. An expert walks in a bamboo forest in soft-sole flip-flops to feel the tip of the shoots still beneath the surface. Finding it, s/he digs it out of the ground, then as soon as possible boils it to get rid of astringent taste. After this procedure, the shoot is ready to be cooked for stew, salad, tempura, etc. It is a typical spring dish in Japan, and hence many people, including thieves, want to dig them. In a beautiful bamboo forest of Niiharu,

there is a warning sign saying “This land is a private property. Digging out bamboo shoots without permission is a crime.”

Aside from culinary and artisanal usage, bamboos were used for flooring at least in Kanagawa Prefecture until the middle of the 19th century. Before Meiji restoration, Niiharu area was a part of land directly controlled by Tokugawa Shogunate in Tokyo. The regulation over the way of living for ordinary people was harsh and strict as Sagami-no-kuni 相模国 (the ancient name for the major part of Kanagawa Prefecture) and Musashi-no-kuni 武蔵国 (the past name of now Tokyo, Kawasaki, and a part of Yokohama) were so near to the castle of Shogun (which is now the Imperial Palace).Ordinary people who lived in the current northern part of Yokohama had to ask special permission from Shogun to construct a house with wooden or tatami-mat floor, as they were more expensive than fast-growing bamboos. Bamboos are easy to be bristled so that it requires frequent changes of floors, i.e. a greater demand for bamboos if they are for floors. The local seniors of Niiharu say in a-matter-of-fact way that any farmers with land (i.e., the ancestors of current landlords of Niiharu) had to have a well-cared bamboo forest. The large bamboo forest in Mukaiyama is the remnant from the time of Shogun. Mukaiyama also maintains the bushes of Sasa veitchii which was once ubiquitous in Yokohama, but now in near extinction.

Sasa veitchii is thriving beneath the canopy.

If you choose to enter from D-1, next to A-1, a small route along the orchard soon brings you to a farm land.

D-1 entrance

I think they are plums.

Mukebara

It is Mukebara 向ヶ原, aka “Niiharu Megumi-no-Sato (Niiharu with blessings) 新治恵みの里,” that is used for educational farming activities operated by local landlords. The harvest from here appears in Farmers’ Market every Saturday.

Between Ikebuchi Hiroba 池ぶち広場 and Miharashi Hiroba みはらし広場, the route is wide enough for a small truck to carry necessary supplies for the maintenance of the Forest. If you are with babies in buggies, you can take the Ikebuchi Route (from A-1 to A-8) for picnic. Ikebuchi Hiroba has faucets for potable water and several picnic benches some of which is under a magnificent canopy of wisteria in full-bloom early May.

Ikebuchi Hiroba also has toilets, with paper, but no soap.

Local mums bring their kids by bikes to Ikebuchi Hiroba for picnic.

The south of Ikebuchi Hiroba and beyond Mukebara is, really, a forest. According to the Revival and Re-energizing Plan for Niiharu Forest, the area is defined as the habitat for (almost) natural fauna and flora of Niiharu. A large group of people (e.g. 100 or more) is positively discouraged to visit the area. A group of 2 or 3 people would be the maximum. (If you plan to have a school excursion, please make a contact with the Office listed below.)

It’s not artificial spot light. I just took a photo of the ground near E-5, one fine day.

Around D-10. The route is really well-kept.

A scenery near D-8. Can you figure out a parking for Yokohama Zoorasia in the middle? 

And suddenly we find logs for Shiitake Mushrooms in the Forest!

The eastern area between Route E and Route D is called Yaman’me Yama やまんめ山. Before, this was the point where people could find many wild silk warm cocoons. (“Yaman’me” means “cocoons of wild silk worm.”) Wild silk cocoons produce the best quality silk so that this hill was really a wealth factory. Now it is the area for regular summer news for wasp and mamushi attacks.

A warning for wasp attack!

The entire experience in the southern part of Niiharu Forest is meditative and really refreshing. Let’s just be modest, as we humans are intruders of family life for wasps and snakes. Don’t be greedy for silks …

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

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North北部公園緑地事務所

Yokohama Municipal Government Creative Environment Policy Bureau横浜市環境創造局

Phone: 045-311-2016 (I guess in Japanese only)

FAX: 045-316-8420 (I hope there is somebody who can read English …)

Niiharu Administrative Office / Satoyama Exchange Center新治管理事務所・里山交流センター

Phone: 045-931-4947

Fax: 045-937-0898

Email: info@niiharu.jp

http://www.niiharu.jp/

Forest needs people: Niiharu CITIZEN Forest

Niiharu Forest is one of the biggests among the Yokohama Citizen Forest scheme. It has 5 suggested routes to hike in the forest as this map shows. If we plan to enjoy typical Satoyama scenary, Route B (called Asahi-Yato Route旭谷戸, with the orange numbering in the map) would be the best. There are 4 more Routes. Route A is with the pale blue numbering for Ikebuchi Route池ぶち, Route C with the pink numbering for Mukaiyama Route向山, Route D with the dark blue numbering for Ridgeway -Onemichi- Route尾根道, and Route E is with the green numbering for Kamadachi-Yato Route鎌立谷戸. As you can see in the map, each numbering goes like “A-1.”

It is a general numbering system in Yokohama Citizen Forest, although it varies slightly from the forest to the forest. (For smaller Forests, they do not have numbering.) For example, in Niiharu, we find a sign post at C-4 point like

Have you noticed the display “C-4,” though it is not in pink? All the points with numbering in the map of Citizen Forest actually have a sign post showing that number. So, if you think you’ve lost in the forest, you can just check the map, and confirm your location easily.

Now for Niiharu. The preservation of Satoyama Forest of Niiharu is the labor of love by landlords and citizen volunteers. Niiharu Forest has a volunteer organization, The Lovers of Niiharu Citizen Forest新治市民の森愛護会. They meet every first and third Saturdays, and every second and fourth Sundays to clean and tend 67.2ha of Niiharu Forest.

The volunteers wear a protective helmet during activities.

So, look!

They have Niiharu Charter:

“We, the people in Yokohama, love the Niiharu Forest of beautiful nature, and appreciate the blessings the Forest provides us.

Niiharu Citizen Forest would be one of the wonders in a big city. It has been maintained by ordinary life of people in Niiharu for generations.

Now, we open the Forest as the place for every citizen to protect, nurture, and carry the memory of traditional scenery of Yato.

We define our motto for Niiharu such that we revive and re-energize the Niiharu Forest through the cohabitation between the nature and human life, in order to pass this treasure to our children and beyond.

We declare Niiharu Charter such as

1.      Passing the cultural climate of the nature of Niiharu, and its Satoyama that has been nurtured by Niiharu people , to our next generations,
2.      Fostering the nature of Niiharu and the next generations of ours to develop more powerful co-habitation between the nature and the humans, through activities to take care of the Forest, and,
3.      Co-owning all the images of ideal forest for any forest lovers, and cooperating each other in order to create the Forest for every citizen.

At the opening of Niiharu Citizen Forest, by all the Lovers of Niiharu Citizen Forest

March 2000"

A member of the club does not have to attend every meeting of the month, but contributes to the activity according to his/her schedule. In the morning (9:00- for April – November, 9:30- for December – April), they engage in the activities for taking care of the Forest. For those who can devote an entire day, in the afternoon there could be a continuing session for cleaning-up, or thematic fun meetings for, e.g., charcoal making, wood curving, grow-your-own-veggies, scientific nature observation, etc.

… and, I guess, it is a result of their activity.

Actually, if you are interested in it, on any activity day you can just go to Ikebuchi Hiroba 池ぶち広場(Map A-4) and try whatever they are doing as a “trial.” Please make a contact with Mr/Ms Ohkawa (as this is Japan, we do not put any gender differentiating salutation) at 045-934-9898. … I don’t know if English is OK here … so sorry.

Ikebuchi Hiroba, which means “Open space next to a pond,”

and so this is the pond next to Ikebuchi Hiroba.

Some of those products created by the volunteer of the Lovers are on sale to support the maintenance of Niiharu Forest. They have an atelier-cum-small shop in Miharashi Hiroba みはらし広場(Map A-8).

Miharashi Hiroba, which means “Open space with a view,”

and so this is the view. Could you recognize the high-rise apartments of Mushashi-kosugui over there?

On sale stands made of precious cherry and Zelkova trees

Cute Taketombos, a traditional Japanese toy. Do you know how to play with it?

Next to Miharashi Hiroba, there is a parking lot open for weekends and public holidays (9:00-17:00). If you come to Niiharu Park via Tomei Express Way weekends, exit from Yokohama/Machida Exit, and find Yokohama Suiryoh High School翆陵高校. This parking is next to their campus. (Oh, yes, this parking is not that far from Indian International School of Yokohama.)

Coming May 10, 2015, the Lovers have an event for kids at Ikebuchi Hiroba for 10:00-14:30. The program consists of

1. Plant your own Shiitake Mushrooms to a log (cost of the log = 200 yen),
2. Try traditional hand-processing for the first flash of green tea,
3. Let’s make whatever you like with bamboo logs, and
4. Play Honchi-sumo (a traditional kids play with spiders).

No reservation necessary. The cost of attending the event is 100 yen for elementary school kids, 300 yen for adults. (Babies, free.) Bring your own lunch and drinks, and a cup and utensil (; they serve miso-soup during lunch). Also, towels and gloves for outdoor activities would be handy. Pls do not forget the attire of Citizen Forest; this time, long sleeves and long pants would protect you from mosquitos and other nasties in the forest ;)

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

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North北部公園緑地事務所

Yokohama Municipal Government Creative Environment Policy Bureau横浜市環境創造局

Phone: 045-311-2016 (I guess in Japanese only)

FAX: 045-316-8420 (I hope there is somebody who can read English …)

Niiharu Administrative Office / Satoyama Exchange Center新治管理事務所・里山交流センター

Phone: 045-931-4947

Fax: 045-937-0898

Email: info@niiharu.jp

http://www.niiharu.jp/