The Tama Region
There are eight natural parks in mainland Tokyo (one national park, one quasi-national park, and six prefectural natural parks). The Tokyo Park Rangers assigned to the Tama region operate primarily in these eight natural parks. The activities of the Tokyo Park Rangers in the Tama region are announced via the Tokyo Park Ranger News.
Natural parks in mainland Tokyo
Natural Characteristics
Mt. Kumotori, the highest point in Tokyo
The activities of the Tokyo Rangers in the Tama region are centered around Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park and Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park, as well as the six prefectural natural parks in the region.
Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park includes a range of massifs over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) tall, with its highest point, the peak of Mt. Kumotori, reaching an elevation of 2,107 meters (6,913 feet). These rolling mountains are covered with both planted forests containing trees such as cedars and cypress, and natural forests distinguished by hardwood trees such as beech. Large mammals such as Asiatic black bears and Japanese serows also live here.
Mt. Takao has long been a subject of the mountain worship associated with the Shinto religion, and some beautiful natural forests, which have long been protected as holy forests associated with temples and shrines, still remain. There are also many national forests in the area, of which cedar, cypress, and coniferous trees such as sawara cypress make up the largest portion of the afforested area. Visitors can also observe many types of animals, such as flying squirrels and many varieties of wild birds.
Issues
Because the area around Mt. Takao is easily accessible from the metropolitan center of Tokyo, it is visited by many tourists. Many hikers also visit the Okutama area on weekends and holidays, and large groups of hikers are a common sight.
Unfortunately, many of these visitors are not sufficiently aware of the need to preserve nature, and their actions further destroy the nature of the area. Common harmful behaviors include the excessive use of natural areas resulting in the destruction of vegetation, or the use of mountain bikes on hiking trails. The theft of rare plants, by people who intend to sell them as well as by those with no ill intentions, is also increasing. Damage caused to crops and planted forests by animals such as sika deer and Japanese macaques is also on the rise. Because the deer eat grass and and even small tress, they have caused such severe damage to some slopes that landslides might even occur as a result.
Hiking trails on Mt. Takao
Tree roots exposed by the stripping away of soil
On the Inariyama hiking trail, which leads to the summit of Mt. Takao, the soil has been stripped away so badly that, in places such as those shown in the photo, tree roots are exposed. This is the result of excessive use, which has widened the hiking trail. In the past, it was possible to walk over the tree roots. In 2003, however, a fence was installed, and the hiking trail was restricted to the area to the right of the fence. Similar stripping away of the ground has occurred in places on the other Mt. Takao hiking trails, as well as on some of the more popular mountains in the Okutama area, where the trails have widened.
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Scope of Activities
- The Tama Region
- The Ogasawara Region