Details of the Initiative
In Tama New Town, you can spend everyday life with regenerated natural greenery. Taking a good look at the greenery, you will find many acorns. Even by a quick gathering, you can get six kinds of acorns: Shirakashi (Quercus myrsinifolia), Japanese blue oak, Sudajii (Castanopsis sieboldii), Matebashii (Pasania edulis), Kunugi (sawtooth oak), and Konara (Quercus serrata). Tama New Town is a place where the soil was removed, compacted, backfilled, and buildings were constructed in order to develop a large-scale housing complex. The land’s green spaces have completely regenerated over the past 50 years. By power of nature and people.
The old sudajii tree is protected. There is a shrine.
Matebasii is delicious just by heating it. What else can we eat?
What are kunugi and konara used for? There is a charcoal kiln. We can also see mushroom logs.
If we let them be, will this area grow to be a shirakashi forest? I wonder if someone keeps caring for this area.
There is a local mascot character called Nagadon, an acorn fairy, isn’t there?
I started research with young ecologists. Research in daily life is not interesting by only looking into it. It is by walking, looking, picking up, eating, watching, and making. About ecology, culture, and economy. Every day and every month. We launched Tama Dongurinokai to do action research.
(Reference) Tama Dongurinokai website
https://sites.google.com/view/tama-dongurinokai/
