Enjoy Tokyo

While images of towering skyscrapers and bustling crowds come to mind immediately when thinking of Tokyo, the metropolis' forests make up nearly 40% of its gross area. However, just like the population, those forests are aging. Thus, Tokyo Metropolitan Government is currently carrying out various measures to restore its forests, such as felling, planting, and growing, as well as using the trees as a resource. Tokyo Forestry Support Crew is carrying out this work.

Throughout the year, Tokyo Forestry Support Crew volunteers to participates in forest maintenance work in the Tama region, such as weeding and planting. The volunteer work receives many applicants, and members are chosen by lottery if there are too many applications. On the day of our interview, the crew was fully staffed. Volunteers included a high school student and female participants.

After meeting at a building of Tokyo Metropolitan Agriculture And Forestry Research Center's called Hinode Chosha, they are instructed and trained carefully in safety management, such as what to wear and how to use a sickle. Heatstroke measures and protection against insects are also important when working in the summer. The crew is fully prepared because they had been notified about the clothes to wear and items to bring.

After the training, everyone changes into safety boots or jika-tabi (split-toe shoes featuring rubber soles) with spikes. There is a friendly atmosphere in the air as volunteers get on buses according to their teams before heading to the site.

After a warm-up exercise, volunteers start their day's work. On this day, they weeded an area around seedlings, to help their growth. Beginners can relax while working as there are experienced participants and instructors on-site to assist them.

Volunteers cut weeds with a sickle while placing their foot next to seedlings to avoid them being cut by accident. It is strenuous work that needs to be done consistently for about five to seven years after seedlings are planted. Even though beginners were moving awkwardly at first, they seemed to get into the groove after several tries. Though working on steep slopes is not easy, everyone seemed to be having fun. The clear air and the vast mountain views must have played a part in soothing their fatigue.

On the day of our interview, participants reported signing up for various reasons. One man said he came because he wants to spend his retirement helping society. Another participant wants to learn the skills required to restore a mountain he owns. There was one teenager in the group: a high student attending a school in Nagano. He was participating for the first time, to learn the skills needed to work on a mountain with like-minded friends and local residents.

As forests retain water and help prevent natural disasters, such as landslides, they are an indispensable resource. Tokyo Forestry Support Crew's activity is about protecting the forests, which support life in Tokyo, using the hands of volunteers. It will continue its efforts with the help of many people. Through volunteer activities, you can get familiar with the mountains of Tokyo while making a contribution to society. Why don't you participate in this cause too?

 

Tokyo Forestry Support Crew

Contact: Tokyo Forestry Support Crew Office, Division of Forestry Projects, Tokyo Development Foundation for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Tel: 042-528-0564 (9am-5pm, except Saturday, Sunday, and holidays)
Website: https://ringyou-support.tokyo (Japanese only)
Reservation: Submit your application via the website after you have registered your membership online.
Qualification: Applicants must be at least 16 years old.
Volunteering: Every Wednesday and Saturday (limited to 12 persons per day)
Time: Meet at 9:10am at Tokyo Metropolitan Agriculture And Forestry Research Center's Hinode Chosha building; finish at 4pm (there is a rest period at lunchtime)

　

*This article was posted on the Life in Tokyo website operated by the Tokyo International Communication Committee on July 23, 2018.