Flower arrangement with living cedars: Pruning in Hakone 箱根

Hakone Sengokubara 仙石原

Last year’s monster typhoons threw Hakone 箱根 into a mess. Lake Ashinoko 芦ノ湖 overflew. Town’s roads system was destroyed by landslides. Railroads lost their tracks with collapsed mountain slopes … One year has passed since then. Fortunately (or not), according to this analysis, Japanese have accumulated the know-how to swiftly deal with such problems. The transportation system in Hakone has restarted its normalcy this July, 3 months earlier than the original schedule. Recently, I’ve been there. Yeah, in spite of the COVID-things, Hakone is resuming its tourism business. Traffic congestions were here and there. Impressive.

Fukuzumiro 福住楼,
 one of traditional Japanese hot-spa inns in Hakone

Though, the effect of Japanese oak tree wilt (; my post on August 23, 2019) is remaining in Hakone. The area was the first in Kanagawa Prefecture where we noticed the dying trees, some 3 or 4 years ago. Several mountain slopes in Hakone are now covered with desiccated brown patches that are definitely-not autumn leaves. Sad. Despite of ferocious typhoon winds last year, those dead trees keep on standing … It is remarkable, certainly. But, how long will it take for Hakone to recover mountains covered with healthy greens? I wonder.

The restored train operation,
 and unrestored mountain with oak tree wilt
 in Hakone

Hakone is also seeing the problems of overpopulated Shika deer. Tanzawa 丹沢, Hakone’s eastern neighbor, is having this problem for years. When we enter Tanzawa mountains we must cover our foot against vampire leeches carried by deer population (; my post on 14 July 2017). Shizuoka Prefecture 静岡県, the western neighbor of Hakone, also having the issues with the animal. Hakone has spared such challenges so far, but it could be a matter of time if its adjacent areas are full of deer (; my post on 21 July 2017). Actually, when we mow the forest floor in Hakone, saplings and young trees are often become lunch for hungry deer. As the place is the National Park, the authorities are more alarmed if such popular tourist destination having bold mountains and pestering vampire worms as her neighbors.

Lunch for deer

So, one day when we pruned the boughs of young pollen-free cedars (my post on December 16, 2016), the Prefectural office asked forest instructors to have a novel measure to protect the trees. Trees can withstand a bit of bites on their body, but once stripping of their skin becomes substantial enough, it dies. Voracious deer don’t care if a forest is dying due to their eating habit. So it comes the novel way to protect the young trees. We covered the foot of pruned cedars with its removed boughs, just like wearing skirts. Our intention was, by protecting trunks of young trees, deer cannot gnaw barks of the forest. “You see? Christmas wraths made of cedars keep its green for at least 2 years. The protection we made today would last for some time. Trees can grow stronger meanwhile.” I see. “You try to have a viewpoint of hungry deer. They come here and try to chew the vegetation within the reach of their mouth.” I imagined myself entering the forest on all fours and extending my neck to have a lunch. “Well, this lower space looks appetizing.” i.e. We had to cover that part. We fastened the branches leaned on a trunk by tying them with a longer cedar bough. They were flexible enough to be a securing band. “We cannot do this with cypress, you know.” It was a fun operation. We were becoming more artistic to make an interesting barrier around the trunks. It was like doing a flower arrangement in a forest.

Cedars wearing skirts

This installation is figurative,
 don’t you think?

We don’t know if our approach is effective to protect the forest from insatiable herds of deer. In any case, something is happening for forests of Japan. This fall, we’ve heard so many news about hungry wild animals, like deer, serow, bear, boar, … wondering into human settlement for food. It’s rainy fall this year. Winter is approaching …

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/

Under construction: Yadoriki Water Source Forest, Fall 2020 やどりき水源林

 

Now we know we have to learn to co-live with COVID-19. Kanagawa Forest Instructors Association has resumed our activity in Yadoriki Water Source Forest やどりき水源林 with new measures. When we guide the forest for visitors, we wear face masks and carry hand sanitizers. We check enough supply of soaps in toilets frequently … Having said that, actually, Yadoriki Water Source Forest is closed for its 4/5 coverage for the rest of the year.

The latest map for Yadoriki Watersource Forest.
 The area enclosed by black arrows are
 the only part we can enter now.

Kanagawa Prefecture decided to utilize this “with-COVID” situation when we are a sort of hesitant to go out. They are doing the civil engineering works to restore forestry roads that were destroyed last year by monster typhoons (; my post on November 1 and 22, 2019). The prefecture is also busy in forestry for the afforested area, especially in the westside of Yadoriki Stream. That was a part devastated by the typhoons last year. They are clearing the broken trees. In addition, the contract foresters are thinning the forest for the “fittest” cedars and cypresses, hoping they become large enough trees to secure the soil against future huge storms.

Restoration work for the embankment of the Open Space.
 I guess, their idea is piling up huge rocks along the bank
 would lessen the damage of flush flood.
 Er … let us see.

So, trucks loaded by rocks are busy commuting
 between the forest and some depot for rocks.

Especially during Monday to Saturday, when you visit Yadoriki Water Source Forest now, you will be greeted by thunderous noise of road constructions, for creation of embankments, and of thinning chainsaws … It’s totally up to you to enjoy the scenery, or not. Yeah. The noise is not non-stop for sure. That’s the difference between the construction works in city center and in deep forest … We forest instructors are a bit sad to find our beloved hazelnuts trees were cut to make a new forestry road. My seniors were also disappointed a pillow lava, which they polished to confirm its crystalized surface due to its formation millions of years ago, was thrown away as a trash … The area where we instructors have been doing the forestry is now inaccessible due to bulldozers. *Sigh*

Where is the polished lava?

The Prefecture plans to end all of these hubbubs by the end of the year. We are waiting now … Anyway, by the time the new forestry roads are ready in Yadoriki Forest, we may have some remedy against COVID-19. Let’s be patient and keep crossing our fingers.

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/

Rhapsody in (spring) Blue, ctd.: Covid-19 in early spring for Yadoriki Water Source Forest

On March 10^th, to tackle Covid-19 the PM of Japan asked us to keep steady-on for at least 10 more days with school closures and national “well-behaviors.” The annual tree-planting event for Kanagawa Forest of Growth かながわ県成長の森 was cancelled. This March, there is no tour for admiring Edgeworthia chrysantha in Yadoriki Water Source Forest やどりき水源林. (Please see my post last year on March 29.) Frankly, we Kanagawa Forest Instructors are bored. So, although we do not do instructor-things, we are checking how Yadoriki Forest is doing in March 2020 after super-typhoons last year. The Prefecture, the landlord of Yadoriki Forest, limits public entrance to the Forest (; for the detail by map, please check here), yep. My seniors obtained a sort of OK from the Office that we enter the forest for patrol, provided we do not congregate in closed cabins for lunch or meeting. Sure, we are good boys and girls of out-door types. We do not like to picnic indoors when we’re in a forest. No problem. We’ve been there recently to see how Edgeworthia chrysantha was this year. We have found some scars of storms …

Probably, the biggest cedar in Yadoriki Forst.
 It was planted around 1900.

As I posted several times since last autumn (; the latests were the posts on January 3rd and 10^th), Yadoriki Water Source Forest has received substantial changes, such as broken and fallen trees and massive landslides, with the storms. I imagined chrysnatha’s bushy trees of fragrant yellow flowers could have been affected. In addition, this unusually warm winter may have done something for the flowers. Yeah. My guess was right. The Edgeworthia chrysantha this year has reached its peak flowering early March, 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. They did not smell much as they did last year. Their yellow looked weaker … Many have been hit by fallen branches of surrounding cedars and cypresses. The droppings of larger trees were still dangling in the canopy of Edgeworthia here and there. Worse, some of them were completely knocked down and uprooted by the impact. Sad.

Hmmmmm.
 It looks not that bad in this photo this year
 … Is it because of me choosing this angle?

But don’t you think their flowers are
 not that much plump this year as in last year?

We had lunch surrounded by the not-so-vigorous yellow flowers, listening singing of Eurasian wren. My senior instructors were philosophical. “You see? I’m entering in this area for 20 years every spring to check Edgeworthia chrysantha. When I first came, they were more on that ridge, but not here. Now they have moved this much, and the place where once they were does not have any.” “During all of these years, they flower spectacularly one year, and disappointing for the next. It’s just a natural thing.” Pro foresters were busy clearing up broken cypress with chainsaw over there. The singing stopped. “It would take more time to sort out the mess here, don’t you think?” “At least, this year we will not invite visitors. Not much dangers. In the end, Covid-19 might have done something OK.” … 

Men at work, over there.

Edgeworthia chrysantha were once
 spreading on the ridge with sunshine over there.
 It is some 100m away from the points where they are now.
 Wow.

Although hikers to Mt. Nabewari (鍋割山 ASL 1272m) hurried to Ameyama Pass 雨山峠 in the morning, not many people hung around in Yadoriki Forest. It was very calm and quiet, unless motorized sound of chainsaw roared. As a forest instructor, I should have felt upsetting for the situation … Instead, I found myself relaxed, and relieved. Omphalodes japonica has started flowering. Even violets opened their petals. Mosses already shot up their sporophyte for their procreation. Eurasian wren, Japanese bush warblers, Varied tit, … early birds were singing. Spring has come! Under blue open sky, I didn’t feel Covid-19 threatening …

Omphalodes japonica.
They are positively cute, aren’t they?

Sporophyte for Bryum capillare

Skimmia japonica has large buds, as usual

And now, I have a problem. When can I go to my hair salon!? I’m watching my untidy hair every morning in the mirror. It would take more time to sort out the mess here ... I don’t like Covid-19!

Lindera obtusiloba, the first caller of spring in Yadoriki

Lindera unbellata is still sleeping …

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/

How to Train Your Dragon: Tsurumi River and a pond near Niiharu Citizen Forest

On the eastside of Niiharu Citizen Forest, there is a man-made pond, connected to Umeda River that is a second tributary for Tsurumi River 鶴見川 via On’daRiver 恩田川. The existence of it has been always a mystery for me. The pool is made of concrete walls, although now it is full of aquatic life with muds flown in from the forests. The size of Niiharu Forest gives us a feeling we are standing in a traditional agricultural area. It is not at all true. Just 5 minutes’ walk from the pond, we are surrounded by ordinary suburbia of Megalopolis Tokyo. There is no agriculture needing water reservoir for their business. Then, what’s for that pond? It must have costed lots of money to build such structure. I know it’s not a private property, but of the City. So, that pool is made of taxpayers’ money. There must be a good reason for the existence of the pond. Recently, I learned the raison d’être of it. It has a VERY serious duty to perform, I realized.

This is the pond.
 The forest over there is the eastside of Niiharu Forest.

If you’re familiar to ordinary towns of Yokohama, you may notice there are lots of signs like this:

The panel says, “Below this building, there is a storm water reservoir.” It is a way of controlling flood often caused by small rivers running in our city. You see? Yokohama is a port town, i.e. we have many small but steep hills falling down to Tokyo Bay. Such geological feature makes the place good for port. At the same time, in Yokohama very tiny water streams go down the ubiquitous small valleys between the steep hills. They may be pequeños, but for a densely populated city can be troublesome enough with torrential rains. As they are small, they can quickly reach to the capacity, and cause floods in downtown. How to control such incidents is always the important issue for ages in Japan.

Small Umeda River

The other day, Prof. Yuji Kishi of Keio University explained to us Kanagawa Forest Instructors the basic method of controlling such flood. Before, when our society was mainly for agriculture, the flat places where water entered easily was used for rice paddies. The sites were good for staple cultivation, and acted as an important buffer for overflow caused by rains and rivers. Many traditional rice cultivars in Japan were resilient for floods so that their quality was not affected much, even after several weeks of inundation in late summer and fall. Those were the days. Now, especially Yokohama and Kawasaki in Metropolitan Tokyo area, the places prone to flood are developed for factories, offices, housings, shopping centers … with millions of people. Meanwhile, rivers won’t change their course when we build our sweet home on their way. When a storm comes, nature wins, and humans face devastation with deluge.

The mouth of KatabiraRiver 帷子川 at the Port of Yokohama.
 Here, we have brackish water, but not yet of sea.
 You see?
 Global HDQ of Nissan stands at the lovely waterfront,
 but if flood occurs,
 the building does not stand at the pole position.

The professor pointed out, especially for Tsurumi River (my post on August 2, 2019), its geological condition presents THE serious threats. It’s a very short river; 42.5km in total starts from a spring at ASL170m in Machida City of Tokyo. Direct distance between the origin to its mouth is less than 20km, whereas the river creates 235km² of catchment area. i.e., The flow is meandering the relatively flat flood plain before ending at Tokyo Bay. No wonder it overflows very often when strong typhoon comes. The flood plain of Tsurumi River is home of huge population larger than the City of Osaka. During the high growth era of the 1960s, regularly 20000 households of Yokohama and Kawasaki suffered a lot with the flood of Tsurumi River. I imagine the situation could be similar to the current problem of people in Dhaka, Bangladesh … In the early 1970s, the mandarins of Japanese government reached the conclusion they could not contain Tsurumi River with a “standard way.” In terms of civil engineering, Professor Kishi continues, the easiest way to avoid inundation in Yokohama and Kawasaki area by Tsurumi River is to cut all the trees in upstream hills, including Niiharu Forest, concrete every slopes for rain water to pass smoothly, and widen the river by removing all the human activities from the flood plain. In this way, rainwater would smoothly flow into the sea. BUT, of course, we cannot take this method in Megalopolis Tokyo.

Recent Tsurumi River near Kamoi Ohashi Bridge 鴨居大橋.
 People are busy restoring the bank
 destroyed by Typhoon Hagibis
 (; my post on January 17, 2020).

Even though, if we can control the amount of water flowing into the river at least to some extent, we can protect our life. People living along Tsurumi River including municipal governments + the central government gathered their brain to come up with a plan. In 1980, the Integrated Flood Management Policy for Tsurumi River went into the effect. 2020 is its 40^th anniversary. The measure is unique in Japan as this is a cross-municipal arrangement where the central government and civil society organizations act as a mediator, or connector, of sorts among 3 regional governments; Machida, Kawasaki, and Yokohama along the river. Prof. Kishi presides TRnet 鶴見川流域ネットワーキング which is a civic organization covering the Tsurmi River itself and sits at the Inter-municipality + National Office Council regarding Tsurumi River Basin 鶴見川流域水協議会.

Despite of a substantial flood last fall,
 water birds are surviving ...

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport is executing civil engineering projects to fortify banks, smoothing out the river flow with various measures (including underground aqueducts) to lessen the impact of flood water running down the sea. It also created the huge multipurpose anti-flood pond which is the New YokohamaSports Park with Nissan Stadium for 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2019 Rugby World Cup. (More to this next week.) The inter-municipal arrangement is also engaging in the measures to improve the quality of forests along the river in order to advance forests’ ability to retain rainwater before washing down to Tsurumi River. Each municipality supports civil society activities to maintain the health of forests along Tsurumi River. Yokohama has 12 Citizen Forests in Tsurumi River Basin. Each has Lovers Organization of volunteers that receive financial and technical assistance from the City with Green Tax funding. Lovers of Niiharu Citizen Forest is the largest. We are busy with maintaining our forest to keeping its ability of retaining water. For Niiharu Forest, also the Council for Fun Learning along Umeda River 梅田川水辺の楽校協議会, a member for Niiharu Council together with the Lovers (; my post on April 22, 2016), works closely with TRnet. Machida and Kawasaki too have their own scheme to promote civic activity for the health of forests in Tsurumi River Basin. In addition, municipal governments constructed numerous storm water ponds not only for Tsurumi River but also for the other rivers under their territory. The pond next to Niiharu Forest is one of them.

The New Yokohama Sports Park with Nissan Stadium

Umeda River becomes maddeningly beautiful
 with Spiraea thunbergii in Spring.
 Please come in late March to early April
 for your relaxed walk along the river, next to Niiharu Forest.
 The Council for Fun Learning along Umeda River is
 in charge of picking up garbage and mowing in the riverbed.

I was a little taken aback to the map shown by the professor which showed the location of flood reservoirs along the river. The shape of the basin for Tsurumi River looks like a cute tapir. Then, the dots representing ponds were like polka dots decorating the entire body of the animal, like some object created by Yayoi Kusama. In total there are more than 4900 ponds for flood control of Tsurumi River. Woooooooooow. The professor told us this arrangement was possible because it is for Tsurumi River that runs the richest municipalities in Japan, very near to the offices of the central government. The place has money to mobilize all the relevant actors, national and local governments + civil society, to control the flood. “I think the only place possible to replicate Tsurumi River model would be in Osaka whose budgetary scale could support such project. However, the local governments of Osaka are at odds with the national offices in Tokyo so that mandarins in Tokyo do not like to touch it …” Prof. Kishi told us. That’s sounds depressing. If such coordination is rare even for tiny rivers, what would happen for those rivers flowing internationally? How can people manage natural (or otherwise) disasters caused by their river when your neighbor speaks completely different “language”? 

A tapir wearing a coat of polka dots

Prof. Kishi added more in his seminar; with such ferocious downpouring these days, the era we can count on the ability of forests to retain rainwater is over. Yes, healthy forest with enough mulch absorbs droplets from heaven, up to a point. If an extreme shower occurs in a very short period of time like that of Typhoon Hagibis last year, or, if substantial raining continues for unusual period of time like we had last October and November, any forest cannot keep water beneath the system of roots and soils. Once the ground reaches to the max capacity, it gives in to the law of gravity, and causes landslide. Any landslip with lots of living trees causes the max devastation. Debris flow contains not only earth and rocks, but also logs, huge roots, and anything that was once a part of a forest. The impact of such avalanche is far worse. Say, if they reach to the river, mixture of logs and earth destroys bridges far rapidly than the slide only with tumbling rocks. “The arrangement for Tsurumi River is not yet at all adequate to tackle frequent ‘once in 100 years’ typhoons. Considering its extremely urban circumstances, we may have hit the technical limit already.” Hmmmmmmmmm … At least last year, the reservoir attached to Niiharu Forest retained water while Umeda River next to the forest run maddeningly to On’da River. How long it can go that way? At least, we Lovers of Niiharu Citizen Forest are every weekend busy maintaining our forest with its mulch, hoping it retains rain …

The collapse

By the way, this Sunday, February 24^th, from 13:30 at Tsurumi River Watershed Center  鶴見川流域センター next to Yokohama Sports Center, Prof. Kishi will have a workshop about Tsurumi River and the New Yokohama Sports Park with Nissan Stadium. RSVP at

Tsurumi River Watershed Center

Phone: 045-475-1998

FAX: 045-475-1999

https://kokucheese.com/event/index/591430

The participation fee is 100 yen for a cup of coffee served there. Anyway, when you find issues in Tsurumi River, please make a contact with

Keihin River Office, Kanto Development Bureau

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan

国土交通省　関東地方整備局　京浜河川事務所

2-18-1 Tsurumi-chuoh, Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama, 230-0051

〒230-0051 神奈川県横浜市鶴見区鶴見中央2-18-1

Phone: 045-503-4000

A Hidden World; From Ameyama Pass to Yushin Valley 雨山峠からユーシン渓谷へ

Although Kanagwa Prefecture is a part of Metropolitan Tokyo, we have one of the most secluded places in Kanto Region. It has a legendary beauty. The place is called Yushin Valley ユーシン渓谷. The valley is the narrow middle to downstream of Kurokura River 玄倉川 that starts from the east point of Lake Tanzawa 丹沢湖, at Kurokura 玄倉 community. Kurokura River runs to the east for about 12km. The scenery of Yushin Valley from the forestry road was/is gorgeous. In addition to seasonally changing vista of mountains, the water of Kurokura River is so pure. As it runs on the bedrock of white granite typical for deep Tanzawa mountains, Yushin Valley looks like a stream of sapphire blue in fine days. It is named Yushin Blue. People who saw the place told me, “You don’t have to go to Capri for Blue Grotto!” Wooooow. Unfortunately, the area is not possible to enter now.

At least on map, there goes a forestry road, named Kurokura Forestry Road 玄倉林道, along the Kurokura River up to the point where the valley diverts to Hohkisugi Stream 箒杉沢 and Nabewari Stream 鍋割沢. The access to Kurokura River by public transportation is from Odakyu Shinmatsuda Station 小田急新松田駅. We have to catch a bus to Kurokura operated by Fujikyu-Shonan Bus 富士急湘南バス. It’s about an hour bus-ride. From the bus stop we walk a forestry road, called Nakanosawa Forestry Road 中ノ沢林道, to the north for about 1 km to meet with Kurokura Power Plant #1 玄倉第一発電所. The beginning of Kurokura Forestry Road is about 2km north from the Power Plant #1, diverting to the east from Nakanosawa Forestry Road. Moving along Kurokura Forestry road itself was an adventure. It has 9 tunnels all of which do not have any lamp. Several of them have even cranks inside. The forestry road climbs up only slowly for about 300m with 12km. It may be long, but walking surrounded by gorgeous nature, Yushin Blue inclusive, was not so demanding for casual visitors. Say, if you’re a guy who wants to show how macho you are to your city-girlfriend in a stunningly beautiful scenery, the setting was perfect, with a series of pitch black tunnels … There was Yushin Lodge ユーシン・ロッジ at about 8km point from the beginning of Kurokura Road (; er, “there is,” actually, as the building is standing still). The Lodge was managed by the Prefecture. The Office used to allow people who reserved nights’ stay at the hut to drive to Yushin Lodge. The premise was popular among mountaineers as a base camp to the main peaks of Tanzawa, such as Mt. Hirugatake 蛭ヶ岳 (ASL 1672.6m), Mt. Hinokiboramaru 檜洞丸 (ASL 1601m) or Mt. Tanzawasan 丹沢山 (ASL 1567m).

There is a reason why the Prefecture constructed a forestry road in such a deep mountain. Before the diversion point of Hohkisugi and Nabewari Streams, there is a hydroelectric dam, named Kumaki Dam 熊木ダム. Kumaki Dam drops the water via underground aqueduct to another dam, Kurokura Dam 玄倉ダム / Kurokura Power Plant #2, which is in the middle of Kurokura River. At the Kurokura Dam, the water from the catchment area of Kurokura River is gathered. A part is used for electric generation at Kurokura Power Plant #2, and the rest is sent into another underground canal for electric generation at Kurokura Power Plant #1. The electricity produced in these two plants is sold to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and fed into the electric grid of Metropolitan Tokyo. So if you’re in Kanagwa, or Tokyo, you may use the power generated there now. It’s the thing of dam in Japan, and so, we can collect dam cards by visiting these places. (About dam cards, my post on April 19, 2019.) In addition, the place has legendary beauty! If you collect the dam cards, please take your selfie with the Kurokura Power Plant #1, and bring it to the Admin Office of Lake Tanzawa at Miho Dam 三保ダム (my post on April 19, 2019). Officers there will give you 4 cards at once: one for Power Plant #1, then for #2, Kurokura Dam, and Kumaki Dam. i.e. You don’t have to visit the power plant #2 and the dams. Why is this short cut? Because Kurokura Forestry Road is closed at the moment. There is no reason for human side to close Kurokukra Forestry Road, right? Mother nature thinks differently, perhaps.

Basically, the area of Kurokura River is a tricky place. Do you remember I told you a famous 1999 drowning accident of 13 people near Kurokura Dam? (My post on August 24, 2018.) It’s a really remote place. In 2006, the Prefecture checked the safety of the Forestry Road, and found large cracks in the third tunnel, named Aozare Tunnel 青崩隧道. The bonus treatment for the customers to Yushin Lodge was terminated, and the Lodge was closed in April 2007. New tunnel was excavated and opened in 2011 as New Aozare Tunnel, but the car usage of Kurokura Forestry Road was strictly limited for the holders of governmental permission … I think it made the legend of sleeping beauty Yushin Valley definitive … Then, on 17 January 2018, a troop of hunters who engaged in prefectural tasks of culling wild deer found another large fractures in the slopes along the route between tunnel #3 and #6. (I know this date, as one of the hunters is my Forest Instructor pal.) It snowed heavily next week. When people returned there after snow, huge landslides happened here and there, and the forestry road was completely blocked. The collapsed soil poured into the river so that, according to a person who went there, the Yushin Valley was not blue, but of whitish mud. As of January 2020, Kanagawa Prefecture sets up locked wire fences at the mouths of tunnels between New Aozare Tunnel and Tunnel #6. The beauty of Yushin Blue is off-limit for us …

Although currently we cannot approach to the middle to downstream of Kurokura River, we are able to enter, a sort of, the upstream of Kurokura River. How? Here comes Ameyama Pass 雨山峠 I reported the devastation last week. At least till the autumn of 2017, from Ameyama Pass to Kurokura Forestry Road, there was a relatively well-organized hiking road which ran from Ameyama Pass along Ameyama Stream 雨山沢 pouring in Kurokura River. We’ve been there last month to find almost all the hiking road is washed away up until the last few hundred meters of a metal plank path secured by bolts and nuts to the bedrock of Tanzawa. Below are the photos I’ve taken there.

Basically, the route from Ameyama Pass to Kurokura Forestry Road is
 on the riverbed of Ameyama Stream.
 We guessed the right-hand side of this photo was the trace
 where once a hiking road ran.

So, there are lots of “ruins” like this, dangling from the steep slope.

Still some installments are still working. Thank God.

The scenery tells why there is no route anymore here …

Smaller dry valleys tell us eloquently what happened.

Hmmmmmmmmm.
 Debris flow will happen again, and again, don’t you think?

This precarious red ribbon shows we’re on the right track.

This section of the route has a better condition.
 I was amazed water runs over the huge white granite.
 The bedrock remains, really.

Almost suddenly, a metal plank path appears. Strange …

Kurokura River is over there.

The route from Ameyama Pass joins with Kurokura Forestry Road at Ameyama Bridge 雨山橋. We proceeded further on Kurokura Forestry Road to Yushin Lodge … I think there have not been many people entered there. The Forestry Road has lots of collapses so that we did a bit of rock climbing in order to progress. Although the remnants of the road are paved, they were buried by thick piles of fallen leaves. Many dry valleys along the road were filled with large debris flow covering the forestry road. We glimpsed the entrance to Yushin Lodge across Kurokura River, and returned to Ameyama Pass due to time constraint. (Remember? Walking the route via Ameyama Pass after dark is suicidal.) The upstream of Kurokura River has a wide riverbed owing to frequent and massive debris flows. It gives us a feeling of “wide open space,” which is actually not at all safe. Large bridges and weirs were standing. I found them a sort of fruitless human struggle … It was the end of autumn. We met many large mosses that can be seen only in deep mountains. The whole landscape was so serene and beautiful …

At the crossing of
 the route from Ameyama Path and Kurokura Forestry Road

Ameyama Bridge is over there.

We recognized lots of footsteps of deer and large mammals on the road.
 It was paved route, but the sandy debris covers the road.

To Yushin Lodge

The collapsed Kurokura Forestry Road

Another collapsed part.
 Huh, it takes an effort to make this route passable again for cars.

The debris flow is covering …

Hmmmmmmm

The bridge to the entrance to Yushin Lodge.
 The weir over there is standing.

Don’t you think it’s beautiful?
 The forest over there is designated as
 one of the best 50 forests in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Kanagawa Prefecture is having a hard time for managing Kurokura and Kumaki Dams both of which are now beyond the locked-off area from Kurokura community. The only way for the officers to go there is on foot via Ameyama Pass. The Office has asked Kanagawa Forest Instructors to give them any information about the access to the area. The senior Instructors are presuming the Prefecture could not leave Kurokura Forestry Road as such because of hydroelectric power generation. At the moment, the prefectural government plans to start repair works this spring, and to open the entire Kurokura Forestry Road by the end of March 2023. Until then Yushin Valley remains as an inaccessible secluded place in our neighborhood. I’m just waiting for the time we can go there more easily. But, if such days come, those lovely large mosses would be gone by lots of tourists. Sad. Which is better in the end?

Climacium dendroides

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/