Rain … for 2026 Laboratory of Forest Art

 

I secretly doubt Mr. Ishiyama, the coordinator for the GROUP the Creation and Voice of the Woods, is a rainmaker. 2026 Laboratory of Forest Art was supposed to have an opening party on September 20, 2026 (i.e. today). From 19th or so, Typhoon Dujuan has begun bringing Yokohama rain and wind in honest. The estimate almost hourly changes the speed of the storm. Now forecasters say the heaviest rain will come Yokohama tomorrow evening. Yet, it is already raining heavily now. Inevitably the opening party was postponed for next week. Still, artists have installed their work in the forest. So, today I will tell you this years’ Forest Lab installations. At the entrance, the group gives us a reference map to visit artworks. I proceed according to the numbers they allocate each. The title of this year’s show is “Forest, From Now.”

1. encounter

ISHIKURO Kazuo

“A tower man born last year here have met another tower man born in Hadano this May. The same work would look different according to the place and the way for them to be shown. This year please be a tower man with both guys.”

2. A Boat Made of White Oak Branches

KANAI Toshikazu

“For these six years, I’m caring a seedling of Magnolia obovate here. I was concerned with a white oak standing next to the baby Magnolia that would take over the place instead of my tree. This year I cut the oak. In the end managing forest means whatever we do with our egotism. I cleared logs and branches with guilty feelings and resignation. Then, suddenly I noticed suckers were already coming from the stump of fell-down tree. When we clear the forest and let the sunlight come in, izzards visit the place for warming up. New plants will shoot up after the oak. The Boat here may already be Noah’s Ark.”

Below, Kanai-san’s last years installation. Together, they started to form a fleet of Noah’s Ark.

3. Where the Gaze Is Directed

CHIKADA Haruna

“I thought I was looking. I realize I did not look.

I thought I was looking this way. You say you look the same thing in another way.

In the forest, surely it would.”

This year Chikada-san takes another approach to the forest. She has not used BBs. She collected them from the forest floor and quietly fumed survival gamers polluting the forest with tiny plastic garbage. She said this year the feeling is not much since the level of new pollution is subsided. Yet … By the way, here work will be completed when the blue cover over each panel is removed and the trunk is covered by flexible mirror. I think she will finish her work after the typhoon is gone.

4. relationship like this in the cockpit.

ASADA

“Last year, a meandering creature reached the cockpit in the forest and realized it is a member of the starship Earth. It took a rest here in the cockpit. This year another creature arrived the cockpit, and they begin new relationship. It is an eternal cycle of birth, mate, feel, think, and decay. It is the energy to move Earth.

The movie version of the story can be seen from here.

5. Here

YOSHIKAWA Youichiro

“In 2017, I made here a large circle and snakely strolling path by replanting mondo grasses from another places in the forest. A year passes from my previous “gardening”, and all the work are covered by sasa-bamboos and ferns. This year, I’ve again done my “gardening” by mowing the covers to make the mondo grasses reappear. I feel happy as I am digging up my last year’s work painted on earth. This year, I build a mark to point my creation.”

Yoshikawa-san is retrieving last year’s work. He said several large trees, including Cerasus jamasakura, surrounding his “garden” fell and the spread of sasa-bamboos are phenomenal this year. To recover the last year’s design of his “garden” he commuted the forest for days. This year’s wheel is heavier, it seems to me. Please try.

6. Layer 2209 or 2232

KIGA Youko

“Standing here, have you heard wind chimes?

Mother nature let the song come out.

It’s beyond our control.

If you can hear it now, you’re lucky.

Otherwise, that’s that.

Fickle and blind.

7. BOND+ (connecting logs +)

HARADA Akatsuki

“Heartwood of thinned trees from the forest was sturdy. Since 2023, I’m connecting these logs with iron-reinforcing bars. Bars are clamps, aka bonds. I hooked up the heartwoods with bonds and built up a circle structure. The work becomes very robust. This year, I added future form of us on top of the construction.”

8. We Made this Pergola Gallery Together

This part of the show is created by coordinating members of the Group, local kids, and the people from the nearby institution for people of intellectual disabilities. Many authors here are amateurs and simply enjoy the creation. It was fun to immerse myself in such environment!

They postponed the opening party for September 27, starting 11:00 AM with “Art Tour” guided by the artists. After roughly 1.5 hours of slow walk in the forest, there will be lunch and art discussion with the artists. If you like to share bento-lunch with them, please email

morinokoe7@yahoo.co.jp

to reserve the purchase of bento. English email is OK. The closing is on October 18. There again will be an Art Tour from 11:00. After the bento-lunch (RSVP), they will have a concert by Thomassons + Akaciq in the forest. For both parties, you can bring your own lunch. It is free of charge just for attending the parties. There will be a small “marche” on these party days to raise funds for their activity. In addition, on October 4th from 11:00 they specially arrange an Art Tour for kids and their guardians. This event has a limited seat for 10 kids and it will cost 500 yen per kid (for insurance charge). RSVP.

2026 the Laboratory of Forest Art is held during September 20 – October 18 in the same forest of the previous years. Since there is no parking, a recommended access to the Forest is by bus. The most convenient transportation is a bus ride to Yokohama Zoorasia, from JR Nakayama 中山 Station, Sotetsu Tsurugamine 鶴ヶ峰 Station, or Sotetsu Mitsukyo 三ツ境 Station. Get off the bus at the North Gate of Zoorasia that is the closest to the art exhibition entrance. When you leave the terminal stop of Zoorasia North Gate, go back a bit along the bus road, and on your left is the sign for the GROUP. From there enter the forest. The road is a relatively wide walking promenade. Soon you can see a big banner over there saying “the Creation and Voice of the Woods 創造と森の声.”

When you find a problem in the site introduced in this post, the best contact address will be GROUP the Creation and Voice of the Woods.

https://morilab.amebaownd.com/

e-mail: morinokoe7@yahoo.co.jp

The city office which is in charge of this forest is

Zoo Division
動物園課
Yokohama Municipal Government Green Environment Bureau
横浜市みどり創造局

Phone: 045-671-4124
FAX：045-550-4650

email: mk-satoyama-garden@city.yokohama.jp

Extinctions ctd: Red List for Fungi?

 

Bugs are living in the middle stairs of ecological pyramid. They are eating vegetables, or the other animals, right? In the pyramid, plants are situated one step lower than the insects et al, but not in the bottom. For all the living creatures from the vegetables and the above in the pyramid, it is relatively easy to “count.” One mosquito is counted one. One tulip is tallied one. One dog is one dog. When we think a creature is endangered, it means probability-wise the generational continuation would be extremely tricky for them because the counting says they have few populations. IUCN set the detailed criteria to define conservation status of living things based on “counting.” Even corals, a tiny polyp individually, are counted mainly in the number of colonies. Any problem with this approach? Oh yes. Mushrooms, myxomycetes and bacteria have problems in counting.

Plants survive on sufficient supply of nutrients processed by underground fungi et al. Roots of plants cannot take complex organic materials directly from the soil. Fungi decompose organic things, and take nitrogen, phosphorus, and the other minerals out from the “organic fertilizer” in a form suckable for clumsy rootlets of plants. If fungi die out, so do the plants due to starvation. If the world of plants deteriorates, the bugs that depend on vegetable extinct, as the bugs nerds lamented last week (; my post last week). The chain will soon reach us mammals ... In Niiharu, now Lovers are engaging in revitalization of Japanese alders. The standard approach we first take is clearing the sky for the trees, i.e. thinning (😊 easy). We think it would stimulate photosynthesis of established alders. We next need seedlings to grow. It is tricky. We realize Japanese alders, especially their seedlings, need specialized mycorrhizal fungi, i.e. Lactarius, Alpova, and Alnicola, underground for receiving nutrients. Er … do you know any way to make it sure these fungi are abundant there, without using moneyed laboratories with microscopes and lots of analytical reagents? Meanwhile the site of the alder trees is rapidly drying up now. It would make the life of underground fungi difficult. We may need some civil engineering work to let the water come in … Anyway, we cannot count underground organisms if they have enough population to conserve alders. It’s like proceeding in a VERY dark road.

The fruits of Gastrodia pubilabiata, a member of the orchid family.
It does not have chloroplast, and hence, depends completely on
 the nutrients provided by underground organism.
 Researchers found the orchid take mycelium of wood-decaying fungi
 in their “root” and digest the fungi completely with
 the disassembled elements from organic matter.
 Wood-decaying fungi are able to destroy cellulose, 
so the orchid would need
 sustenance procured lot from decomposed cellulose.
 Not only that, when they flower they emit rotting odors
 similar to fungi that could attract flies.
 The bugs come and put on pollens,  
then fly to another Gastrodia pubilabiata
to practically facilitate pollination.
i.e. The orchid depend on fungi
 not only for food but also child bearing.
 The story has additional conclusion.
 The flies lay eggs on the orchid thinking
 it is mushroom edible for their maggots.
 Alas, the cradle their baby find does not provide any food,
 and so they die before becoming adults. Terrifying orchid …

The valley Lovers of Niiharu
try to restore Japanese alders.
The place was once rice paddies,
but now rapidly drying.
 Don’t you think the vegetation in this photo
 does not show much difference from dry land?
Drier ground has underground world of fungi
 that love drier environment.
 Such condition may not good
 for the fungi that can help alders.

When we meet a mushroom in forest, we are delighted and say “Here! One mushroom!” Er, the way of counting this way is exact in one sense and completely missing the point from another. A mushroom, that with a cap and stem, is a fruiting body of fungi’s mass of mycelia spreading widely underground. The mycelium is individually so thin as to be measured by micrometers. Counting individual mycelium is unpractical, especially to determine if we have many of it, or not. As they are as such, it is very difficult to apply IUCN’s definition dependent on counting for determining the conservation status. Of course the issue has been known for some time (please see here or here). People are trying to mitigate the problem. The number of red listed fungi is slowly increasing. Still, we should have a sense of urgency, Prof. Nara Kazuhide for Tokyo University said in a seminar recently.

One mushroom, Marasmius pulcherripes
 … or is it?

Mushrooms in the family of Boletes.

Calvatia craniiformis.
At least, we have not heard it is nearing extinction.

In Japan and Asia, Prof. Nara has identified several plants that are for endangered list AND having troubles to procure enough Mycorrhizal fungi for their survival. These include rare species of pines and symbiotic truffles in Yakushima Island 屋久島 and Tanegegashima Island 種子島. To conserve such vegetables, we have to safeguard the underground world of these fungi that are often specialists for endangered plants. In other words, when mycorrhizals are endangered, so are the plants dependent on the fungi. Prof. Nara is a bit cynical for the current status of the thing. “Even how to define endangered status for fungi is facing problems when we try to apply the same counting approach. But we must establish the way rather sooner. Already the endangered fungi produce lots of endangered plants. There are many experts for endangered pandas, but people are ignorant of the fungi and smaller bacteria which are very basic to the entire ecosystem. We must be attentive.” Well. All nature nerds, being for bugs or for fungi, are reaching the same conclusion, it seems to me.

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/

Extinctions: Preliminary result of 2026 Kanagawa Red List for Insects and Spiders

 

In June 2026, Kanagawa Prefecture preliminarily released the latest data for endangered insects and spiders in Kanagawa (; the data is retrievable from here). The reason it is “preliminary” is the announcement is only for the list of endangered ones without commentary or analysis from those researched the field. At least for now, we have only the parade of names in spread sheets. The experts, the members of Kanagawa Colloquium for Insects who made the list, said their research papers are in the process of making to be published in a year or so. We’ll know eventually the meaning of the spreadsheet in detail. Having said that, last week the experts held a public symposium in Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History to discuss their assessment. I would say, in short, their feeling from their study is quiet anger.

Looking the numbers in the list, the source of their antagonism is obvious. Previously Red List for bugs in Kanagawa was published in 2006. This is the revision for the first time in 20 years. The comparison between two lists gives us a gloomy picture. In 2006, the bugs designated “Extinction” were counted 72 species. For 2026, the number is 98. “Critically Endangered (CR)” increased its members from 21 to 139. Slightly relaxed Endangered (EN) category saw the change from 19 to 102. Those which could not be categorized CR nor EN but in dangerous condition showed their sickly growth from 112 to 262. Mr. Haruki Karube, the curator for the museum and one of the organizers of the symposium, explained this time the team employed more rigorous approaches to define the conservation status of each bug. Still, the surge in quantity is without doubt.

An egg for Green Hairstreak (Neozephyrus japonicus),
labelled 2006 EN for Kanagawa Prefecture.

In the symposium the panelists pointed out there are roughly two causes that brought the increase in numbers. One is expanding urban development. It can affect the habitat of many insects and spiders that make flat (former) agricultural areas their home. Many rice paddies and veggie fields are gone to be warehouses, logistics centers, shopping malls etc. for these 20 years in Kanagawa. The bugs for rural landscape were vanquished. Quiet anger from bug nerds ... Another reason is deer. Especially those insects and spiders dwelling deep mountains of Tanzawa are extinguishing. Voracious deer eat up the plants on the ground and rob housing (of grass and leaves), maternity hospitals (of vegetations that serve as holders of eggs), and meals (for vegetarian bugs). The veterans of bugs census lamented when they did research for 2006 version, the ridge way of Tanzawa around Mt. Hiru (ASL 1673m) 蛭ヶ岳 and Mt. Tanzawa 丹沢山 (ASL 1567m) was covered by Japanese beech and the other trees that loved ASL 1600m of rainy temperate climate. From the road, glimpsing Mt. Fuji to the west was possible only from limited number of points where the tree covers were open. In 2026, no more. Almost anywhere on the ridge of Tanzawa, Mt. Fuji shows off her majestic beauty without obstacles. The place does not have trees, or abundant greenery anymore due to the appetite of deer. Poor bugs have lost their place. Many are dying out.

I think it is Phraortes elongatus
as its antennae are as long as the half of its body.
They are in the watch list for 2026 RL of Kanagawa.

Deer themselves have a checked life. Until the 1950s, deer was a good protein for starving forest people in Kanagawa. They reduced their numbers to 300 or so in 1947. The authority made hunting female deer illegal. (Guys were spared from it until 1955.) Scientific reason of the policy was unclear and so very arbitrary birth control resulted in population explosion of deer. Their number reached its max, between 5000-13000 by estimate, in 2006. They ate forest. During the1980s, the collapse of vegetation and hence ecosystem became obvious all over Tanzawa. Soil erosion began to show signs of possible catastrophic debris flow to the downstream. In 1997, Prefectural Government started constructing deer fences here and there in mountains. In addition, from 2003 hunting deer by pros and volunteers became main coping strategy (; my post for July 14, 2017). Currently, the estimated deer population is between 1800 to 11000. Within the fences, the vegetation has returned. Is it harasho? It is promising for plants, but for bugs, it seems to me, it is not.

A scene in Tanazawa now.
Forest floor is only with plants deer do not eat.

Come to think of it, vegetables can wait until the condition is right in the form of dormant seeds underground. But animals will die out when their habitat collapses. During the 1980s, before Red List making started, probably many bugs were already starved to death. Those survived still faced problems. One of the researchers at the symposium said, “True, within deer fences many vegetables returned. But they are patchworks. Take bees. They need continuous flowers during their entire life. The flowering plants within deer fences often lack variety. They flower all at once. The forests have gap periods in terms of flowers. The seasons sans flowers are for starvation of bees. With such precarious condition, insects cannot return to Kanagawa even if they might have survived in more rural prefectures such as neighboring Shizuoka or Yamanashi.” Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

No flower.

That’s would be a typical example of “lost biodiversity.” I hope it is not a forever thing, but the presenters for the symposium were all gloomy. One of them said “People devised their business model of tourism using the nature of Kanagawa. They innocently said Tanzawa, Hakone, and beaches of Kanagawa are so natural and attractive enough to be monetized. Heck. Do they think they know the meaning of Nature?” Well … At least for now, the best option we could choose would be to watch the changing situation and to raise our voice to stop destruction when it may occur. The organizer of the symposium concluded, “So we decided to have this occasion and make the event public. Please hold critical eyes over the habitat for bugs life and take action when your beloved beetles look in trouble. We need many eyes and voices. Citizen science could save the life of small creatures.”

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/

Modesty within Forest: Crown shyness in Meiji Jingu Shrine 明治神宮

 

I’ll tell you about the forest of Meiji Jingu Shrine 明治神宮 someday, maybe in winter. Though, today’s topic is really for summer. So, I will report to you on my petit adventure with the trees of the sacred forest. “Sacred?” you would ask. The entire premise of Meiji Jingu Shrine is considered holy. A part of the reason would be based on the standard theory of Japanese Shintoism that I mentioned in my old post for Minami Honjuku Citizen Forest 南本宿市民の森 (for May 22, 2015). Having said that, I guess there is more than that for this uber-popular tourists’ destination of Tokyo ... Anyway, Meiji Jingu is a forest in the middle of Tokyo and human intervention like thinning and trimming is kept minimum due to its sacredness. Of course, in the precinct of the Shrine the formidable pair of camphor trees, pines, etc. have regular trimming. But the trees surrounding the inner sanctuary of the shrine are intentionally kept undisturbed since 1920. Natural transition has occurred for 100 years. In 2026, many trees we find in the forest of Meiji Jingu are survivors of the Great Kanto Earth Quake, carpet bombings of B-29 by the US Army, and air pollution during the high economic growth era. Result: it’s a forest of very large and tall trees.

Husband and Wife camphor trees
in the precinct of Meiji Jingu, neatly trimmed.

This large camphor tree is another famous one on the premise.
This one is basically left
whichever direction it wants to spread.
Having said that, the Shrine did a bit of trimming
 in order to prevent collapsing the branched out heavy parts.

As it is prohibited to enter the forest of Meiji Jingu, we can simply walk paved or well-constructed pedestrian ways. And this easy strolling gives us astonishing scenery of nature, especially in summer. It’s crown shyness. We walk the roads surrounded by very tall trees, maybe of 30m or higher. We look up. The crowns of the trees are over there. We find impressive regularity. Their branches are sharing the space very neatly, making mutual concessions to have the max result from individual photosynthesis. The scenery dominates the heavens in the summer of Meiji Jingu.

And this is in the middle of Tokyo.

Shinjuku is over there.

It looks like a satellite photo for a delta of large river.

They are conversing with each other above us.

Hm.

Summer hues of green in Meiji Jingu are really an example of eutaxy, maybe of some spiritual way. Though the main street of the Shrine is always crowded with vivacious international visitors, the strolling paths deviating from tourists’ course are calm and cool even we’re in boiling summer of Tokyo. If you’re tired of your deskwork in the megaloplis, try lunch time ambling in Meiji Jingu, and look up to see the cosmos of sacred forest above your head. It’s celestial.

The well-behaved trees give avant-garde patterns
 of shadows on the ground.

Meiji Jingu Shrine 明治神宮

1-1 Yoyogikamizono-cho, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo 151-8557
〒151-8557 東京都渋谷区代々木神園町1-1
Phone：03-3379-5511 

https://www.meijijingu.or.jp/

Fervent Prayer, Japanese Style: Torii-yaki Festival of Hakone Komagata Shrine 箱根駒形神社鳥居焼祭り

 

So, to join the festival of Hakone Komagata Shrine 箱根駒形神社, first visit the shrine itself. Every year, the rites for the festival of Komagata Shrine start around 13:00 of August 5. At the beginning of the festival, two floating Torii were situated in Lake Ashi 芦ノ湖, visible from the shore. The opening rites are for the devotees of the Shrine, and so it is difficult for mere tourists to join. The climax will be after sunset. The visitors would wait somewhere along the south shore of Lake Ashi. Around 16:00 of August 5 we can go to the port for Hakone Sightseeing Cruise on the south shore of Lake Ashi. Already, locals and knowing tourists would start saving the spot along the shore to enjoy fireworks that would start at 20:00. You can join them or go to Komagata Shrine instead. I thought having supper in such situations could be tricky and so chose to have early meals from food stalls busy catering the tourists.

Tourists are busy securing the place on the shore.

Food stalls

My supper, Tako-yaki.

and dessert.
Bananas are coated with white chocolate. 😁

Around 17:00 you would go to Komagata Shrine from the port, which is about 10 minutes of leisurely walk. Along the way, you shall meet locals gathering and find the portable shrine, Mikoshi 神輿, at the entrance of the Shrine outside torii. People are in costumes, aka Happi, typical for carrying portable shrine on their shoulders. On their back each district has their own community’s name printed in Kantei style of calligraphy, just like Kabuki set-up. I noticed they are congregated not only from “Odawara” and “Mishima” districts, but the other district, like Hatajuku 畑宿 and the others, of Hakone Town. I would report you someday, probably next year, about the festival of Hakone Shrine that is the neighbor for Komagata Shrine and one of the most prestigious Shintoism Shrines in Japan. As the institution is so high-class, the Hakone Shrine festival could be a bit difficult for “commoners” to be protagonists for the rite. In contrast, the festival of Komagata Shrine reflects the history of the community it is located. It is more “local.” I tell you next how it goes.

People are congregating.

The standard footwear for such occasion.

Around 18:00, the rite leading to the climax of the festival of Komagata Shrine started. First, the priests for the Shrine conducted purification ceremony in inner sanctuary of the Shrine. Those who were allowed in the sanctuary were the main devotees to the shrine, but we could see how it went from outside, quietly of course. After the ablution completed in the shrine, the priests and community biggies gathered in front of the portable shrine, and the priests again conducted cleansing ritual this time for the portable shrine and for the people gathering in front of the shrine, me included. After the rite, people in Happi began carrying the Mikoshi with energetic shouts, Soiya! Soiya! The Mikoshi paraded the streets of former “New” area created by immigrants from Odawara and Mishima 400 years ago. The festival hopes to fend off evils from their community by the power of the shrine.

First in the sanctuary,

Next for us all.

The offering to the deity of Komagata Shrine

Departure of Mikoshi

After the portable shrine ceremony, torches were lit by fire created in the inner sanctuary of the Shrine and followed the portable shrine with slow traditional Japanese music. The goal of the pageant was the open space east of the pier for sightseeing cruise ship of Lake Ashi. When the Mikoshi arrived at the goal around 19:30, people who carried it danced energetically with the cries of Soiya! Soiya! Meanwhile, the purifying fire behind the Mikoshi departed from the melee in the open space and proceeded calmly with subdued traditional music. The destination was a smaller pier normally used for pleasure rowboats. From the pier, priests and fire embarked in two boats heading to the two Toriis situated in the lake. They set fire on Toriis. For us observers, it was really the mixture of frenzy and meditation. We on the shore were showered with the energy of the dance and over there on the lake burning two toriis quietly reflecting its light on the water. The entire lake looked pitch black under starry sky. We can see the forested silhouette of outer rim of the lake and Mt. Fuji. It is mystical.

Evening for Lake Ashi, August 5, 2026.

Mikoshi was entering the lakeshore.

Pitch black Mt. Fuji showed the lights
from mountain lodges.

People were dancing.

Purification is very important for this festival. Legend says when Shogunate governed the checkpoint, some townsmen, of Odawara? or Mishima?, polluted the lake. The Dragon, the deity of the Lake, was outraged and let a horrible plague ravage the community. The new community of forest people was united and envisaged the way to apologize and to promise treasuring the Lake. Purifying fire for torii was born. The craze and introspection at once are for the peace to return to the community. Forests people are serious.

Hakone Town Hall 箱根町役場

256 Yumoto, Hakonemachi, Ashigarashimo-gun,
Kanagawa 250-0398
〒250-0398 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町湯本256

Phone: 0460-85-7111
https://www.hakone.or.jp/