By Kendra Evans
About two
weeks ago, we were given a rare opportunity by Mr Amemiya and Mr Suzuki from the
Fuji-Tobu Branch Office for Forestry and Environment to go and see hidden,
rarely visited areas within the forests of Yamanashi Prefecture. This
department is looking to encourage more people, particularly foreign tourists,
to come and experience both nature and history through our prefecture’s ancient
forests, and we were invited to visit so we can share all about the experience
on this blog. Read on and learn more about the nature of Yamanashi!
Stop 1: The
Old Koshu Road (Otsuki City)
Otsuki and Uenohara, our first two stops, are
located on the east side of Yamanashi Prefecture, close to Kanagawa and Tokyo.
While not as mountainous as the western border of the prefecture around Minami
Alps, or the northern Yatsugatake mountain range, this area is certainly still
rugged and covered in high altitude forests. The Old Koshu Road, one of the five
main routes for travel during the Edo and Meiji period, ran through both Otsuki
and Uenohara, linking Old Tokyo to Kai no Kuni (Yamanashi Prefecture) and
continuing as far up as modern-day Nagano Prefecture. We took a walk down the
old road, to see the sights it has to offer.
Our first
stop on the Koshu Road was a particularly important spot: the Yatate Japanese
Cedar on the Sasagotoge Pass. This tree is 28 metres high, its trunk is 9 metres
around, and it is over a thousand years old. The tree was very well known
during the Edo Period, and once you see it in real life, you can understand its
importance.
Something
interesting about this tree is that it is broken at the base. You can see right
inside the tree, the bark snapped away leaving a space large enough for someone
to climb inside. And yet, the tree is still standing. The path of the roots on
the surface spreads far along the forest ground, and one can only imagine the
distance they travel underground.
The
Japanese cedar is actually the national tree of Japan, famous for growing to an
impressive height. This particular cedar, particularly thanks to its location
on the Koshu Road, attracted a lot of attention. It featured in many books,
travel guides and Japanese paintings. Now it is designated a Yamanashi
Prefecture Natural Cultural Monument, and hopefully in the future more hiking
tours will feature this area and this tree, so people can learn about it and
the history of Yamanashi.
After
seeing the tree, we continued along the Old Koshu Road. I myself have a strong
interest in the history of travel during the Edo period. The country was closed
off during this time, but domestic tourism, usually under the pretense of
pilgrimage, was incredibly popular. It was during the Edo period that meibutsu or “local specialties” began to
appear, as people left their hometowns and saw the different food or products available
in different regions in Japan. Guidebooks were produced teaching people about
travel etiquette and tips for the road, and ryokan
(traditional hotels) popped up all along the routes, providing rooms and
local cuisine for travellers.
Ryokan are particularly important when talking about
this portion of the Koshu Road. A short walk further down from the Yatate Cedar,
there is a large clearing, overlooking the drop down to the stream below. This
is the original site of a ryokan where
the Meiji Emperor stayed when travelling along the Koshu Road. The Emperor came
in a palanquin, carried by footservants, and his retinue would have stopped at
this location for the evening.
It is
interesting to imagine the Emperor travelling along a path which is now
considered a hiking trail. The road bends and twists sharply, and the ground is
very uneven. It shows just how much things can change in only two hundred or so
years; either the environment of the road has changed, or our image of important
people making a cross country journey during this time is vastly different from
what the reality would have been.
The winter
air was cool but refreshing, and we continued along this path for a while,
following the old road until it merged with the new. Some parts of the Koshu
Road now make up the motorway, but parts like these are still relatively hidden
from people’s daily lives. I would definitely recommend a visit along the
walking trail for anyone who enjoys history, hiking or Japanese nature.
Stop 2: the
Hinoki Ridge (Uenohara City)
Our next
stop wasn’t far so much as it was high up. We drove for a long while, going
around and around the mountains like a snake until we reached close enough to
the summit. The spot is close to the Wami Pass, and it is a popular spot for
hiking and cycling, or in some places, mountain biking. However, while the
hinoki trees are common all the way up the mountain, the Hinoki Ridge is right
at the top, at a spot most aren’t even able to enter. We were lucky enough to
be allowed beyond the barrier, and see the stretch of hinoki trees lining the
peak above our heads.
Hinoki is a
tree commonly used in Japan for its timber. From tables and chairs, to temples
and houses, hinoki is the wood of choice for building in Japan. It has a light
fragrance, which is as noticeable in wooden products as it is in the forest.
The scenery
was beautiful to be sure. It was winter time, and so many of the trees were
bare – but the combination of evergreens and bare branches created a rare mix
of shades along the mountains in the distance.
Wrapped
around many of the branches were red and white ribbons. When I asked about it,
I was told that bears are quite common in the forests of Yamanashi, and such
strings ward them away from the paths and therefore from hikers. We thankfully
did not see any, so it’s probably safe to say they are effective!
Parts of
the forest around this area are known as the Onshi Woods. Onshi means Imperial gift. They are so
called because a large portion of forested lands - 56,000 hectares - were
bestowed upon Yamanashi Prefecture by the Meiji Emperor in the 44th
year of his reign, as a blessing to ward off future natural disasters. This
shows how nature is a significant part of Yamanashi Prefecture’s culture and
identity, and I was very grateful to be able to see some of the rarer places up
close.
Break: Sakamanju!
(Uenohara City)
Before our
third stop, we stopped for sakamanju,
a local specialty of the Uenohara area. Manju
are buns made from rice flour, usually with a red bean paste filling. Sakamanju are made with Japanese sake in the mix, giving them a distinctive
and slightly salty flavour. The store we went to for sakamanju took this local specialty one step further; while miso, red bean paste and salty red bean paste were options for
fillings, so was fish, making it a sakana
sakamanju.
We were
very surprised at the idea of fish in a manju,
as they are usually a dessert. But we decided to give it a try. We went to
the shop and managed to buy the last one left – and it turned out to be the
most delicious of all the fillings! The sake
and the salmon matched very well, and we understood why they were almost
sold out. In fact，we ate it so fast we couldn't take a picture! Sorry!
Our last
stop was in Tsuru, further south than Otsuki and Uenohara, to a stream
connected to the Shishidome River. The river itself is well known for fishing –
a popular pastime in Yamanashi, many spots along this river are perfect for
spending an afternoon catching different fish. The rocky riverside we visited is
very peaceful and picturesque, and might be a quieter place to pass the time in
the spring or late summer, the best times for fishing.
The forest
along the sides of the stream, even in winter, was an eye-catching mix of
colors. The leafless branches looked almost purple against the oranges of
plants still in autumn, and the evergreens higher up the slopes. What would
this area look like in the height of summer, or even spring, as the new plants
come in? I’m very tempted to visit again and find out.
The water
was so clean, you could see right to the bottom of the stream. One of the
amazing things about nature in Yamanashi Prefecture is just how clean the water
is, even a small stream like this one. This
was a wonderful end to our busy tour, and we truly enjoyed our day out among
the forests of Yamanashi.
If you are
visiting Yamanashi Prefecture and are interested in visiting any of these
locations, please contact the Fuji-Tobu Branch Office for Forestry and
Environment for more information on how to travel and when to go. You can call
them at 0554-45-7814, or if you would rather use English, you can contact us at
the Global Tourism and Exchange Division at 055-223-1435 or kokusai@pref.yamanashi.lg.jp. Thanks to Mr Amemiya and Mr Suzuki
for showing us around!
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