Floodplain: invasive species along Tsurumi River

City of Yokohama has three main rivers, Tsurumi 鶴見川, Katabira 帷子川, and Ohoka 大岡川, pouring into Tokyo Bay. Tsurumi River is the longest, with the largest basin. Its source is in Machida City of Tokyo. From there, it runs through northern Wards of Yokohama, i.e., Aoba 青葉区, Tsuzuki 都筑区, Midori 緑区, Ko’hoku 港北区, and Tsurumi 鶴見区. The river basin of Tsurumi has a good size. A large part of Tsurumi Ward is made of it. It created the space in Ko’hoku Ward for Shin-Yokohama Park with the Nissan Stadium where 2002 FIFA World Cup Final was held (and will be the main venue for football / soccer in 2020 Tokyo Olympics). Nowadays, especially its middle basin maintains “natural” riverbeds which are enough to have petit forests. From Shin-Yokohama Park to upstream, the river side has lots of wild Japanese walnut trees (Juglans ailantifolia) that I guess are the survivors of rampant urbanization of Tama Hill 多摩丘陵 during the last 150 years (; my post on October 28, 2016). This area is a pleasant place. Many enjoy relaxed walking, jogging, or cycling with refreshing winds from the river. In summer, kids play riverside laughing. In a very urban environment, the floodplain of Tsurumi River is a precious breathing space for us, residents of Yokohama.

Japanese walnuts in Yokohama as of July 2019

Floodplain environment receives frequent floods that wash over the previous living things and brings some other ones from upstream. It’s a peculiar, fast moving place. Japanese archipelago is destined to have lots of natural disasters, such as storms. Our fathers have spent huge amount of money and energy to lessen the impact of force majeure. Japanese hydrologically engineered our rivers for hundreds of years in order to control floods. This has made riverbeds very “artificial” place, especially in Kanto Region 関東地方. It is rare to find rivers in Megalopolis Tokyo area without undergoing concreted riverbeds or heavy dredging. Yeah. Thanks to that, we has not have yearly flooding of, say, Tsurumi River that was once seasonal things some 70 years ago. There is a price to pay. In Kanagawa Prefecture, we have Aster cantoensis kitam, which is Japanese endemic and endangered species (IB category). The reason why the chrysanthemum it has reached thus far is, we concreted the riverbeds for controlling the flow. It drastically reduced its habitat of sufficiently gravelly sand in floodplain. OK, that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve never seen Aster cantoensis kitam. The discussion has been something of abstraction. Then, one day while I strolled along Tsurumi River, I had a kind of Eureka! moment.

Although it looks natural, I noticed the vegetation in the riverbed for Tsurumi River has lots of invasive species. Their presence is definitely larger than, say, in Niiharu Citizen Forest which situates near the middle basin as one of the water sources for Tsurumi River. Disclaimer: in Niiharu, we Lovers are sentinels to spot and stop the invasion of non-endemic species that can run over precious endemic flora. Thanks to that, I’ve become somehow watchful about the existence of invasive ones. Yap, the floodplain of Tsurumi River is often undergoing drastic treatments. Of course, several times during typhoon season every year, the place is inundated with muddy river water, probably containing polluted materials from upstream cities of Tokyo. In addition to concreted banks here and there, once in a year or so, the municipality controls the growth of its vegetation with extensive mowing and chemical weed killers. Perhaps thanks to global warming, the frequency the plain receives such extreme is, it seems to me, increasing. No matter, the grasses and trees come back every time and cover the riverbed quickly. That’s itself impressive. And the survivors of the harsh condition are truly tough ones, I presume. And in the list of stayers, the species which come to Japan not long ago stand out with their energy.

Invasive species 1:
 English plantain (Plantago Lanceolata)

Invasive species 2:
 A colony of Wandering jew (Tradescantia fluminensis) …
 I’ve just noticed its English name suggests something …

I’m not sure if we can call this invasive …
 Orange Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva var. kwanso)
 originating from China,
 and came here in prehistoric time.
 (We have 8^th century poems describing this flower.)
 What is non-endemic, then?

That’s telling something. Those that can remain in an environment different from their home town are … strong. Can we really manage and preserve our endemic species with such formidable new comers that try to expand its territory no matter what? To begin with, the reason of their thriving along Tsurumi River is our city development, excavating old forest floor, pouring concrete over it, building factories and houses, bringing in foreign species from somewhere, etc. etc. Nature conservation … what does it mean?

If you find an 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/

Hide-and-Seek: mysterious Trichosanthes cucumeroides in a concrete-jungle

When early winter comes, we can sometimes find bright orange fruits dangling within forests of Yokohama. By then, autumn leaves are ending, and the scenery in the forest turns into dark green and brown. So, the orange color stands out. It’s Trichosanthes cucumeroides, aka Japanese Snake Gourd, a climbing plant endemic in China and Japan. The fruit is well-known here, but not many people have seen flowers of them. Well, to have a fruit, a plant needs flowers, doesn’t it? Of course, Trichosanthes cucumeroides has flowers. The reason not many people have noticed them is, it opens only after sunset. Wondering into a dark forest is not a popular sport, and so flowers for Trichosanthes cucumeroides are not known widely. But, it does not mean the flowers are not seen actually. The case in point: one early August morning very near from my home, a typical suburb of Yokohama with lots of houses and concreted car roads, I noticed Trichosanthes cucumeroides is profusely blooming over a wire fence covering a culvert. They were flowering about 2m down from a parapet of the bridge of a main street, without being noticed by busy commuters of the city. 

A typical bush of Trichosanthes cucumeroides found in a autumn forest of Kanagawa.
 The orange dots in this photo are its fruits.

Young flower buds of Trichosanthes cucumeroides found in Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森 this July.
 The time of their flowering is August in Yokohama.

When the sun rises, the flowers of Trichosanthes cucumeroides look like rolled-up cotton balls (and so is my photo.). The fully bloomed 5-petaled flower is like a white star with lots of complicated threads encircling the flower-body. When the sun set, their bud starts to open and completes in several minutes to show off their delicately-laced flower. They set up their night shop in haste for welcoming long-mouthed Sphingidae that can pollinate them in spite of a thin funnel-like structure of their pistils and stamens. Theirs is business of limited edition: after a week or so of opening, a flower of Trichosanthes cucumeroides closes its door. Hmmmmmmmm … They are like samba dancers of favelas in Rio de Janeiro. To stand out in dark summer nights, they have a strikingly white flower with halo-like ornament on their back that can be deployed quickly. All year long, they must have been preparing for their carnival of just a week. It’s a wonder of the nature how they manage to spread so swiftly such a complex structure without being entangled (; this You Tube video shows their process captured by a high-speed camera). They are strong. They don’t care the concreted space over a culvert. As long as there is some soil for them to establish, it’s OK. That’s amazing! 

This is what I found early morning.

They are looked like these before sun-set.

But during night, they open their petals.
 I’m so sorry for this out-of-focus photo …
 It’s the best shot I managed with my smart phone.
 You see? The place was dark,
 and the flowers were near the bottom of the culvert …

Unlike its Indian cousin, Snake Gourd with long snake-like fruits, Japanese Snake Gourd has only a round fruit. It contains peculiarly-shaped seeds covered by slimy fibers. (The slime makes it easy for birds to spread the seeds as poops.) Some of our ancestors thought they were similar to a magic gavel, called a “Malletof Luck 打出の小槌” held by a legendary Buddhist monk of China named Hotei 布袋. Hotei symbolizes wealth and abundance and his mallet is a cornucopia that materializes fortune by just one swing. So! Seeds of Trichosanthes cucumeroides are a talisman that can invite lots of money to your wallet!!! And then, what’s good for your bank account is good news. Hence, the language of flowers for Trichosanthes cucumeroides in Japan is, “Good News,” and “Sincerity” which is desirable characteristics for bankers, of course. OK, OK, OK … Huh, another language for the flower? “Misandry.” Oh dear ... Why do these words coexists in Trichosanthes cucumeroides? 

When you open a fully-ripen fruit of
  Trichosanthes cucumeroides, it’s like this.

It’s Japanese version of cornucopia.

And they are the seeds of
  Trichosanthes cucumeroides.
 For me, they look more like croissants …

When I was a kid for a kindergarten decades ago, the area I’ve found flowers of Japanese snake gourd this summer was a vacant semi-riverbed covered with lots weeds. I remember we played hide-and-seek in the untamed grass field, could be with Trichosanthes cucumeroides. That was a thrilling sport for 4 years’ olds. Come to think of it, I did not have any “shocking” feeling to find Trichosanthes cucumeroides anywhere in the forest. I may have been accustomed to be around them thanks to the hide-and-seek … Before long, housing development drained our playground completely, built a well-paved road connected to the main street, and made sprouting more than 10 detached houses along the alley. By then, we kids were busy in homework, entrance exams for grade schools, and jobs. The beloved place for hide-and-seek was completely disappeared together with our memory … so I thought. Then, this summer, I’ve suddenly noticed Trichosanthes cucumeroides flowering under the concrete bridge, almost hiding from the eyes of busy city folks. It’s like, “A Man-hater night lady wears a gorgeous white dress with intricately laced collar. She may have a superpower of attracting large sum of money. Though, honestly she does not care to attract humans whose utility for her is far lower than that of Sphingidae.” Now I found them in a concreted and sweltered city. Are they doing another hide-and-seek? 

If you find a problem in the Forests of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Yokohama Municipal Government Creative Environment Policy Bureau 横浜市環境創造局
Phone: 045-671-2881
FAX: 045-641-3490

http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kankyo/

Harvesting chestnuts in Niinaru

In Niiharu, the last weekend of August is the start of collecting chestnuts. So, in sweltering weather, we entered the old chestnut orchard and looked down to find chestnuts in burrs. The place was once a property of local farming family, but the current patriarch is now old and could not find the way to take care of it. He transferred the deed of the place to the City of Yokohama, in exchange for tax concession. Sure enough, the trees of 30 or more years old are growing on a very steep hill … It would be difficult for a senior citizen owner alone to collect fallen chestnuts. Niiharu Lovers are in charge of managing the place including harvesting. So, we collect chestnuts there. Telling you the truth, I’ve never done serious chestnuts harvesting in my life before. It was a fun!

The place is this steep.

A Niiharu Lover is operating down there.

First, we looked around to find burrs. I learned when a burr did not have an opening, even when I pried it open, inside did not have chestnuts mature enough to be collected. So, we had to find the burrs whose mouth was open. Sometimes, when it fell off nicely, the matured chestnuts popped out from the burr and scattered around leaving the burr empty. Otherwise, we widen the opening of the burr with foot, and raked out the chestnuts from the burr. “Careful! Spikes of burrs are really prickly. Better using the pig-skin working gloves.” My seniors advised me. Usually, long metal tongs are to collect the chestnuts, but “Using biggish screw driver is easier for amateurs, you know.” It was a delicate task to be performed in a steep slope of bushy hill. We soon became very quiet and concentrate for finding good chestnuts. “Look carefully. Some have worm-hole. The blackened skin is a sign that part is damaged. Better to leave them in the forest.” “Well, I don’t think so. They are edible if you just cut the damaged part off. The place produces chestnuts certainly organic!” According to the senior Niiharu Lovers, this year’s harvests are “wow, big.” We collected about 100kg of chestnuts in just 1 hour operation. The forest of Niiharu was generous.

Hello!

Lots of chestnuts! There are normally 3 nuts in a burr.
It was difficult to find a burr containing all 3 matured nuts
… many had one huge nut and 2 flat siblings in a burr …

Then, a week later,
we could find many siblings of fat 3 nuts.
I was amazed to see what a week could do.
A burr has a 3-layered structure.
The outermost part is spikes,
then, there is a kind of skin similar to a bark of a tree.
The inner part is for chestnuts.

Some burrs are in two-toned.
When we opened it,
the nut under the browned burr is fully matured,
but the nuts behind the green burr are not at all matured.

“Hmmm, those trees are too tall for commercial cultivation of chestnuts.” “Yes, normally they are 3m high at most. But here …” “The previous owner did not manage the growth well.” I asked if it is possible to coppice chestnuts. “No. If you cut the trunk, that’s the end of the tree. Here, as the ground is too steep. We cannot bring mechanized tools to dig out the large roots. So, if we cut these old trees here, we have to leave the roots.” “Yes, the management of the ground is tricky.” “And too much pruning will kill the trees.” “Yes, yes.” “No wonder the previous owner took the deal with the City.” “Actually, cultivating chestnuts is a demanding job.” I see … I imagined our ancestors in Japan who started to plant chestnut trees around their settlement some 10,000 years ago. Properly taking care of trees is not a piece-of-cake. Collecting the nuts out of the spiky burrs sometimes hurts us. Even though, the archeological remains, such as San’nai-maruyama Remains of Aomori Prefecture 三内丸山遺跡, keeps the evidence Japanese already nurtured huge chestnuts forests in some 5500-4000 years ago. And now, some chestnuts orchards are under the management of the municipality due to maintenance issues. The relationship between the forest and us is … not simple.

Carrying one of the crates of chestnuts

A bounty!

But with sub-par nuts.
Those with wrinkles, with worm-holes,
with blackened skins were thrown in the “outlet bag.”
I brought some less-bad nuts from the bag,
and peeled the skins.
Sure enough,
I had to cut rather big damaged chunks off before cooking.

Anyway, the chestnuts from Niiharu became chestnuts pilaf next day for our family. Yammy. 😋

If you find a problem in the Niiharu Forest, 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/

Coordination Saves Niiharu Forests’ Lives, Continued, continued …

The other day, I’ve joined a preparation walk within Niiharu Forest for this year’s Forest Volunteering 101 course. With a person from the City Office, we were checking the locations in the Forest where the trainees will study. When we approached to one of the farming fields surrounded by the Forest, a young farmer who worked there came to us. “Hey, you’re from the City Office, aren’t you? I really need to know ASAP when the City weeds the grasses over the land next to my field.” From the conversation between them, I surmise the land almost neglected next to his farm was the property his family owned but transferred the right to the City for (probably inheritance) tax purposes. Do you remember the owners of the land within a Citizen Forest have a preferential tax treatment? From his point of view, the new, non-local (in a sense), and non-individual owner of the land is the City Office who has neglected the care of his (formerly) ancestral land. Worse, the high grasses, including thriving field horsetails, in the municipal land were incessantly invading into his commercial farm that could cause harm for his crops.

“You mandarins charge us hefty tax when we cannot take care of our land due to severe labor shortage. (My father is not well these days, you know.) And, now, this. Your bosses have been telling me for several years the City is short of money so that it’s difficult to hire people for orderly weeding. Don’t you think all sound strange? Your way of doing makes huge problem for my business. If your Office continues this way, I will consult with the City Council Member. I also know our representative for the Prefectural Assembly, and the member of the Diet (Parliament) of our district, for your information.”

Wow.

Er, well,
tall silver grasses are dominating the space, for sure.

“And you guys, the people working in the Forest. Your cars use this old road along our farm for your activity. You know what? The heavy trucks of yours create deep ruts here and there, and go off-track. You often invade into my land. What are you thinking, huh?”

Oh, dear … we are so sorry for this … we’ll be more careful when we drive.

“Who’s going to mend this mess of the ground, then.”

“Er, road maintenance within the Citizen Forest is not under the jurisdiction of the Environment Policy Bureau, but the Road and Highway Bureau ...”

“So?”

“ :’-( Yes, I’ll talk to my boss when I return to the office today.”

“There is more. You open this place as a ‘Natural Park’ or something to the public. And do you know what this ‘public’ does to my land? They unleash their dogs to run over my crops, leaving poops, pull-off the sign pegs marking the border between my and my neighbor’s lands, dig up potatoes before they have tuber. All for just having a fun. Who’s going to be responsible for those bastards? I have estimated how much it costs if I build a barrier with barbed wire. A fortune. Then, the old guys of Niiharu Bounty Community said fences are not suitable for peaceful scenery of Satoyama. I love to quit such nonsense.”

Although it looks very peaceful …

Actually, it was not my first time to smell a sort of generation gap among landlords for Niiharu. Those who discussed the planning of Niiharu Citizen Forest 20 years ago are somehow content with the current arrangement. Then, after March 11, 2011 of the Great Tohoku Earthquake, younger generation of urban farming family in general is returning to their household business by quitting rat-race in downtown offices. One of the popular allotments near my home has recently converted completely into a professional spinach field by the proprietor. The city folks who enjoyed doing the cucumbers for more than 10 years were kicked out. The new generation of Niiharu farmers too could have different idea for sharing their land with the community.

Young or not + urban or rural, labor shortage in Japanese agriculture is present for sure. Some young Niiharu landlords lend their farmland as allotments to urbanites who after 3-11 became very keen for “food safety and mileage.” Although it is extremely competitive among townies to secure a lease agreement with a farming owner, the idea of “grow your own” among them is often sub-par for healthy land. One of my seniors for Niiharu Lovers told me the management of allotment business by young farmers often faces very basic misunderstanding of their customers. In Niiharu town, the farmers often create allotments next to their professional vegetable field. Unless the lease-holders keep the land OK and synchronize their activity with the calendar of landlords’ business, the entire property stumbles with troubles.
“You see, young Mr. Y (the landowner) of my allotment told all the members of our field to clear the tomatoes by such-a-such date in order for him and us to plant another crops 2 weeks later. As I’m the most experienced allotmenter I know the in-between 14 days are very important for Mr. Y. He has to prepare the land for the next planting. Many newbies do not understand this. They complained ‘Well, he’s going to plant the new plugs on that date. Why can’t I clear my place the day before, instead of 2 weeks before? I’ve paid for this, haven’t I?’ I understand how frustrating for Mr. Y to explain the importance of the agricultural calendar …”
To be fair, it is true that there are not many people these days in metropolitan Tokyo who know hands-on how tomatoes grow in the field ...  Having said that, together with such irritation, if strollers from the nearby flashy condo destroy their land and crop, the young landholders can get angry and express their doubt for the whole idea of Citizen Forest that was created by the previous generation. The things become trickier as the old-timers sit at the Niiharu Council “by representing the idea of their constituents (including the new generation of professional agriculture).” 

“This photo is not directly connected
to the topic discussed here.”

There is another aspect for complicated coordination in Niiharu. In Yokohama, Lovers of Niiharu is the largest volunteer organization who takes care of a Citizen Forest, with the cumulative total 2341 active volunteers for FY2015. Even though, 67ha of a hilly forest is large enough for us to be very busy every weekend. One of the tasks Lovers are assigned by the Niiharu Council is the maintenance of visitor roads. If the weeds are covering the route, or a dangerous tree is falling towards the way, the volunteers are in action, weekends only. For farmers, when a road within the Forest to his/her field is covered by vigorous grasses, the Citizen Forest arrangement means waiting for another weekend till the Lovers come to clear the route. Especially during summer, such setup is not at all suitable for the business of agriculture. Naturally, they take the issue with their own hands, including by the usage of weedkillers. For casual visitors to Niiharu who consider the place is a “Municipal Park,” it is certainly unsightly the rufous lumps of dry grasses with the chemical along the road. When Lovers notice the situation (and the visitors complain), clearing the dead vegetation is in the to-do list of ours. One weekend of late summer, I joined the task to sort such a jumble where there stood a mulberry tree where it was watched by entomologists since the tree acts as a rich nursery for Xylotrechus chinensis Chevrolat which was once common but now is extremely rare scenery in the Kanto Region. (I won’t tell you which tree … sorry.) The opposite of the tree is an active commercial vegetable field, and between the tree and the farmland run a narrow road wide enough for a tiny Japanese pickup could come in. Operating a mowing machine to remove the completely dead vegetation very near to the tree, I could feel the exasperation the property-owner could have had as a professional farmer when s/he spread the herbicide in this beautiful scenery …

The work to clear the chemically treated material

On our way to another point for volunteer training, the City guy who heard complaint from the young farmer was muttering if it was possible to arrange money for warning signs about trespassing of private property within the Forest. The next weekend when we had another activities, the professional landscapers were mowing the grasses in the land owned by the City … I don’t know if it was due to the complaint from a landlord, or just a planned budget mobilization for the Forest management ... In any case, no one wants to destroy our Niiharu Forest. Coordination saves lives, of any kinds in Niiharu, yeah.

A work in progress

If you find a problem in the Niiharu Forest, 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/

Blowin in the Wind: Coordination Saves Niiharu Forests’ Lives, Continued

Quiz:
Do you see ecological problem in Japan from this photo?

The area for Niiharu and Miho has the richest colony of ferns in Yokohama. Do you remember Miho Citizen Forest counts 100 kinds out of 600 known ferns in Japan? In Niiharu, the area surrounded by the route B-4 to 8 is a beloved place by botanists of major universities in Japan who are marveled by the level of conservation in the middle of highly developed suburban environment. Even though, it shows strain these days. The place is bordered by a narrow unpaved trekking road which separates at the ridge of a hill the forest from Kirigaoka Town 霧が丘. Kirigaoka is a completely developed suburban residential community. The standard issue in Yokohama between urbanites and forests always exists there. “Dark forest is scary.” “Lots of fallen leaves are nuisance.” Etc., etc. 10 years or so ago, the Residents’ Association of Kirigaoka, the Niiharu Council 新治保全管理計画協議会, and the City agreed to cut large trees along the border road in order to make more space between the houses and the Forest. Now we can see rays of sunshine and roofs of houses from the forest floor with ferns. The problem was solved for Kirigaoka. However …

Jurassic!

And this is the road between
the “Jurassic” and “the 21^st century suburbia.”
It’s certainly nice to have such an unpaved road
for cross-country training …

According to Dr. Kitagawa who presided this spring the volunteer training titled “30 Spring Flowers in the Forests of Yokohama,” the tree-cutting brought problems to the cedar / fern forest. She said, “Look. We can now see roofs of the houses from here. It means the winds can blow down from the ridge. Both cedar and ferns are humidity-loving vegetation. The dry winds from the housing area dissipate the moisture of the valley and change the ecology. Could you see the grasses growing between the ferns? They are invading the kingdom of ferns. It’s lamentable.” (I don’t think she used “deplorables” to express the situation …) It is true the place, especially near the housing, has fewer pteridophyta, but more of bushes of spermatophyte.

Not so Jurassic … with sunshine anyway.

The issue is a topic among Niiharu Lovers. The relatively new volunteers are a kind of impressed by the indication of Dr. Kitagawa who is an author for popularvisual dictionary of Japanese pteridophyta. “Yeah, broad-leaved evergreens are invading.” “Aucuba japonica is spreading, have you noticed?” “In the end, Niiharu is an island surrounded by the ocean of houses. The tree-cutting exacerbated the deterioration.” In contrast, those old guards are not convinced by her theory.

“Hey, the place has water sources, which must have connected to the 5 springs at the bottom of the valley in Rouba 篭場.” “Yeah, the drying of the place has been continuing for decades nonetheless. When the Citizen Forest began in 2000, the place was like that already.” “Winds caused by cutting several trees on the border few years back cannot cause a drastic change in the 1.5ha valley. The place has a complicated geography.” “Sure, those spermatophytes were already there before the operation.” The alternative theory about the desiccation is the housing development of Kirigaoka itself. The community was developed during the 1980s by Japan Housing Corp that was a half-governmental entity (; now it’s called UR, Urban Renaissance Agency). The Corp realized the western slope of the hill in Niiharu is ideally situated from Yokohama IC of Tomei Expressway, in addition to the not-so-far distance from Aobadai Station of Tokyu Denentoshi Line going directly to the center of Tokyo. They bulldozed the place for housing. The conjecture is, now the tree-less western slope cannot help the eastern side to hold water as before. “The streams running within the cedar forest are thinning every year.” “Have you noticed one of the 2 ponds along the road between B4 and B5? It’s shrinking these days.” “Yes, yes. Our plan to create a biotope for dragon flies there was scrapped consequently, do you remember?” “Yeah. Mr. X hand-dug the water way from the cedar valley for months in order for the biotope. Nothing came out from his toil.” Oh, my …

From B5 to B4,
the road is often muddy due to
the water from the cedar valley.

Even though, one of the ponds is shrinking.
Could you see the wall of mud at the bottom of this picture?
That part was under water before.

In addition, the issue becomes complicated due to one of the landlords whose property is running a part of the border between the cedar / fern forest and the developed town. The title-holder is not an individual, but an incorporated educational institution, Horii Gakuen. They do not participate in the Niiharu Council so that they are not a part of coordination for forest management. They do not abide either by the understanding written in the Niiharu Conservation and Management Plan 新治保全管理計画 that is a gentlemen’s agreement anyway. The Lovers seniors said the institution did tree-cutting and weeding 6 or 7 years ago, but since then no maintenance work is present … It seems to me Niiharu Council is wondering how to approach to the school whose HDQ is in the downtown … It’s an example that forest management becomes complex when a property owner is not local, nor individual, and do not have much stake for the forest. At least in Niiharu, this tricky proprietor does not bulldoze the middle of the forest … I recalled the billboard-shouting match between a temple in downtown and the local community surrounding Shinbashi Citizen Forest.

Somewhere up there on the left is
the property of Horii Gakuen.

Almost at the center of Shinbashi Forest last year.
Sengenji Temple 浅間寺 from the downtown was
constructing cemetery that would divide
the Shinbashi Forest in half.

Having said that, the communication within the Niiharu Council may not be so easy either. I’ll report you further about the things of coordination in Niiharu next week.

Everybody agrees this sign post needs renovation …

If you find a problem in the Niiharu Forest, 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/

Cohabitation Agreement: Yokohama Children’s Amusement - Botanical Park and British Common Wealth War Graves

This week, I report you a bit different greenery in Yokohama. One component for Yokohama Green Up Plan is to train volunteers for the Plan. Roughly speaking, there are two kinds of volunteer education programmes. One is to acquire management skill for the greenery hands-on. The introduction of this module is Forest Volunteer 101 I attended last year. Another is several training courses to assist public relation of volunteer organizations such as the sessions for homepage making how-to, or an introductory course to be a nature interpreter. This latter category training is often held in Yokohama Children’s Amusement - Botanical Park in Hodogaya Ward. Hodogaya is one of the Citizen-Forest-less Wards of Yokohama. i.e. Children’s Amusement Park is located almost in the downtown, and the Park is, as we can imagine from its name, a horticultural creation. Even though, the place now has a well-established 14ha of greenery that includes British Common Wealth War Graves. I tell you a rough history of this place that is, I think, reminiscent for the evolution of Japanese thinking about forests.

First, the location of this Park is important to remember. To go there, take bus from JR Hodogaya Station (East Exit). The available services to our destination are City Bus #106 (time table here), City Bus #28 (time table here), Kanachu Bus #77 (time table here), Kanachu Bus #205 (time table here), Kanachu Bus #Ho-06 保06 (time table here), and Kanachu Bus #To-38 戸38 (time table here).  i.e. A lot. We get off a bus at Gontazaka-ue Stop 権田坂上, or Jido-Yuenchi Iriguchi Stop 児童遊園地入口, both of them are on National Route 1. Yokohama Children’s Amusement - Botanical Park is spreading east hills along the Route 1.

Gontazaka-ue Stop arriving from Hodogaya Station

Jido-Yuenchi Iriguchi Stop

The place has a parking. JPY100 per 30 min.

A direct translation of Gontazaka is “the Slope of Gonta.” Gonta is a male name. People said, once upon a time there lived somewhere around here an old guy, Gonta. One day, a tourist asked him the name of the long slope, and he mistook that person enquired his name. He replied “Gonta” and it became the name of the slope … More formal explanation is (from 1938 ethnographic study, “Hodogaya Kyodoshi 保土ヶ谷区郷土史.” You can ask librarians for the book in Yokohama City Library), a civil engineering work in the 18^th century for the slope had a project manager called Fujita Gonzaemon 藤田権左衛門 … Gonzaemon, … Gonzamon, … Gonza, … Gonta … You’ve got the idea. When people travelled on foot from Edo (Tokyo) this very hilly area was the first chokepoint of Tokaido 東海道, the main arterial road between Tokyo and Kyoto. The historical Gontazaka is now a bit west from Route 1, running in a quiet residential area. When a developer bulldozed the area in the 1960s for housing, they found a deep pit along the old route beneath the ground, which was full of bones of animals, humans inclusive. Ancient chokepoint was a tricky spot for travelers who may have succumbed with exhaustion, or met unfortunate end with robbery. Their remains were thrown in the pit, which was called Nagekomi-zuka 投込塚. I did a bit of investigation for historical agriculture around Gontazaka. I could not find a reputation of the place for “productive agricultural village.” I guess as there were lots of traffic for centuries, the area was more for commercial activities such as restaurants and inns. The forest spreading over the both side of the highway was a tricky thing where “not-so-good” elements could hide.

This is the arterial road of the nation 200 years ago.

Route 1 now in Gontazaka.
On the left is the Park.
Every Japanese knows this name, Gontazaka.
This slope is one of the most thrilling stages, called
“the Magnificent 2^nd Section,” for Hakone-Ekiden 箱根駅伝.
“Ekiden” is marathon relay game very popular in Japan.
Hakone Ekiden is the most prestigious college marathon
where the elite 20 colleges,
the survivors of a year-long elimination matches,
compete for 200K marathon relay of a round course
between Tokyo Otemachi 大手町 and
Ashinoko Lake 芦ノ湖 of Hakone
on the 2^nd and 3^rd of January every year.
The 2^nd Section of the course is long with steep Gontazaka.
Every team designates the fast runner
for the 1^st Section from Otemachi, which
made passing the baton at the beginning of the 2^nd Section
in Tsurumi 鶴見 a sort of congested.
Then, during long and almost continuously climbing,
the 2^nd Section presents a good opportunity
for the star runner of a team to beat the opponents.
It has often made a huge drama like the 20^th
(i.e. the last) team at the beginning of the 2^nd Section
passes the baton first at the relay point
between the 2^nd and 3^rd sections in Totsuka 戸塚,
which actually occurred in 2009
for the team of Nihon University.
Hence, the nickname, “the Magnificent 2^nd Section.”

Nagekomi-zuka

In 1911, Japanese government decided to celebrate 1922 as the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of modern education system in Japan. Very intriguingly, the prefectural government solicited donation from school children (I think, in Kanagawa Prefecture) by the amount of 10-sen per head in order to procure the land along Gontazaka and to make a Children’s Amusement Park. It certainly is NOT Disney Land. The value of this money was something for luxurious lunch of adults in the downtown at that time … why did they ask such an amount to kids? Anyway, with this money, they developed previously dangerous forest into a modern city park opened in 1929, equipped with a picnic field, a swimming pool, and an athletic space. Before the World War II, the Park was THE destination of school trips for Yokohama kids. When Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces in 1945, the City of Yokohama was under the jurisdiction of Britain. When they arrived, they found lots of their comrades died in Japan due to the abysmal treatment of POWs by Japanese. In addition, they have 1917 decree to bury their fallen soldiers at the place they passed away. So the British government decided to use Yokohama’s Children’s Amusement Park as their official cemetery. After San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, British and Japanese government continued the negotiation for the project, and in 1955 Yokohama sold 8ha of the Park to Britain for 10 million yen with the condition the cemetery should be managed by the British government.

A picnic field with rain

An athletic field of the early 20^th century.
These days,
Yokohama people often hold time-trial running event here.

A heated swimming pool.
The heat is coming from the waste incineration plant
next to the Park.

The entrance to the Cemetery is located
beyond the entrance to Botanical Garden.

Since then, Britain made very British cemetery for Common Wealth POWs, and Japan has redeveloped the rest of the Children’s Amusement Park in Japanese way. In 1979, 3ha of a former flora genetics labo for Dr. Hitoshi Kihara was added as a botanical garden of the Amusement Park, which has completed the construction of the 14ha Park and Grave in the present-day form. The Botanical Garden has the city office for Yokohama people to bring any gardening question. The rest of the Garden is really a “garden” where the design is to facilitate biology classes during grade school trips. Non-grave part of the Amusement Park keeps picnic fields, athletic fields and a swimming pool, and added educational centers for the citizens. In addition to PR-related courses for forest volunteers, the place offers Yokohama urbanites to learn the technique in allotments using the farming field within the Park. The dangerous forest in the 18^th century is now a training place for urbanites who don’t know how to grow foods …

You can bring your gardening problem to this office
in the Botanical Garden.

The Garden has a corner where an exemplary natural grass field
in Yokohama is recreated.

The glasshouses for gardening/farming training

The farming labo for Yokohama citizenry

In the middle of the Park, there is this pond,
always with the crowd sketching.

The right corner of this admin building is
a visitor center for the Park.
The full-time nature experts work there
to answer your question about the Park.

The BritishCommon Wealth War Graves is an English Park, really. It is NOT like those tiny “English Gardens” with roses we find here and there in Tokyo or Yokohama. Even though their trees and flowers are common in Japanese parks, the way to keep them is English … like Hampstead Cemetery. When you go there after strolling in Japanese Children’s Amusement Park, the subtle difference in landscaping approach between Britain and Japan could come out. Take ground cover. It seems to me Japanese landscaping do not care much for baring the soil in the forest. In contrast, Common Wealth War Graves are covering the ground with hedges … The place is the resting place of 1853 Common Wealth POWs where the largest population is from Britain. I had a feeling of uneasiness when I reach to the section where the tomb stones held Indian names written in Hindi or Arabic. They fought for British Empire … Whenever the British dignitaries, from the Queen to the PM, come to Japan, they visit here to pay their respect. Otherwise, the place is very quiet and calm, which is another difference from the Children’s Park where lots of local kids are running around. At the entrance there is a stone structure containing a guest book and some references for the place. They have hand-written letters, which look like the original correspondence between the family and the soldiers resting here. The stone structure in humid Yokohama is cold and damp space where, it seems to me, the air is damaging probably historical documentation. I hope the letters are just copies …

At the entrance for the cemetery

The map of the Cemetery

The resting place for British soldiers

Australian Section

New Zealand and Canadian Section

Indian Section

He shouldn’t be …

It’s an English Park.

We can have written information from here.

I don’t think we Japanese share the view of Louis XIV about the nature to be conquered. But the entire space of Yokohama Children’s Amusement - Botanical Park is a kind of conclusion about “subduing” forest during Japanese westernization. The place even includes British cemetery. The Park is not a traditional Japanese garden. Certainly not the presentation of Satoyama as Niiharu. Maybe it’s very-Yokohama place, where 160 years ago the first large community of Europeans were established in Japan …

At Sakaigi-jizo Temple 境木地蔵 near Nagekomi-zuka.
Cute =)

The City Office who’s in charge of execution of Green-up Plan is

Yokohama Municipal Government Creative Environment Policy Bureau

横浜市環境創造局

Phone: 045-671-2891

FAX: 045-641-3490

http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/kankyo/