An Abundant Forest Environment, So Close to the City

This Sanctuary sits on the hillside behind the popular multi-purpose leisure facility Tokyo Summerland. The land is owned by Tokyotokeiba Co., Ltd., the parent company of Tokyo Summerland Co., Ltd.

Tokyo Summerland

In the surrounding area, Eurasian Goshawks and Eastern Buzzards nest, and it is common to see them soaring in the sky. Ural Owl nest boxes have also been installed, and recently, Ural Owls have successfully nested and raised young there for several consecutive years.

Ural Owls nesting in a box in Natural Water Sanctuary Tokyo Akigawa

Bird names are listed in accordance with the Check-list of Japanese Birds, 8th Revised Edition.

The Tokyo Development Foundation for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries is also involved in this effort. In cooperation with their initiative to create low-pollen forests, about one hectare of land has been planted with low-pollen cultivars of Japanese cedar, as well as maple, Japanese bird cherry, loose-flower hornbeam, and Japanese bigleaf magnolia

Employee Hands-On Forestry Trainings in Natural Water Sanctuaries

The main trees in this forest are tall deciduous broadleaf species like konara oak, Japanese mountain cherry, maple, and hornbeam. However, before it became a Natural Water Sanctuary, this forest had long been left unmanaged, and evergreen shrubs like East Asian eurya and Japanese andromeda had spread thickly over the forest floor. The dark conditions they created prevented the regeneration of plants characteristic of sun-dappled deciduous forests.

To address this, employees have been carrying out ground-level clearing of these evergreen shrubs as part of employee training sessions. Once the work is done, the forest becomes noticeably brighter, making this a popular training activity among employees.

Employees clearing evergreen shrubs