#DaysInJapan: The Breathtaking Meiji Forest

Nowadays, we rarely can see a big forest area that exists in the center of the city. Now almost every city in the world is always full of high rise buildings and skyscrapers. But Tokyo, which listed as the second busiest city in the world, have a 700.000 square meters forest that stands majestically in the heart of the city; Meiji Forest. Meiji Forest located beside the Harajuku Station that also becomes the most visited place in Tokyo. It has 120.000 stems of trees from 365 different species. It also becomes a habitat of so many kinds of wild birds and insects. We can feel the soothing atmosphere when we get into the forest.

(image source: http://www.ecology.com/) 

We will not notice that this forest it’s a manmade forest once we walk into it. Acually, this forest was created about 90 years ago in the Meiji Era, precisely at 1915 when Meiji Emperor passed away for commemorating him. The trees that planted were collected by donation from places all around Japan and the trees are mostly a broadleaf evergreen trees. Inside the forest, there is a Shrine called Meiji Shrine (or in japanese; Meiji Jingu) and because of that the forest surrounding the shrine is becomes a sacred forest for a hundred years. So the forest and the shrine itself are both ecologically and religiously protected, since people in Japan are so much believes in traditional Japanese thought and concepts.

This Meiji Forest is very great example of an urban area forest that planned and managed very well. Meiji Forest once built to protect the Meiji Shrine from dust carried by strong winds because at the same time there is a military drill court in use nearby. Since it was built beside the Yamanote Line train station which had just started operation, the forest can prevent some smoke pollution caused by the activity of the trains. That’s why; the dominant trees that planted should be resistant to the smoke pollution.

Now, since it thriving and thriving then opened to public for free, the forest become the citizen and even tourist recreational destination that fulfilling the people needs of green open spaces. It can relaxed the people that tired and exhausted for being in the city crowd with it fresh air and soothing condition, besides it still doing its job to absorb the smoke pollution. Besides that, the forest can repair the soil condition and reduce the soil compactness, conserve the water quality, reduce sound pollutions, then the habitat of many species of animals and becomes a biodiversity conservation sites. The form of the forest that consists from the broadleaf trees also known for the ability for prevents the spread of the fire. So this Meiji Forest doing its role as the urban area forest greatly with servings the people needs while improving the quality of the environment itself. And the more urban forest area like this must be built because it does the very important role. 

How can the manmade forest do such the big role? And how can the manmade forest be like the natural forests in appearance and function? It may because this Meiji Forest building project took so many times and effort to plan the best configuration of the forest. Deep and comprehensive researches were done by the researcher, planner, and students before it started the building. Even when they decided to collect the trees from donations, they have a specific specification for the trees. They were not received the edible fruits and flowery trees just because it can be harden the management and maintenance of the forest.

This forest is a 150 year project that assumed to become a natural-like forest that don’t have to managed much after 150 year form it finished built. For support that, they have a precise configuration of the trees and shrubs that after they compete growing, the final form is the best form of it. In the beginning, they plant number of conifer trees, but now the broadleaves evergreen trees are dominating the forest. But they still have spaces between each other, so the plants below them can get enough sun shines. They planned to not give any human intervention to the forest after the 150 year, so the forest can grow naturally into the next centuries. 

And as mentioned before, symbolized by the torii for the gate, this forest were become the sacred forest for years so the visitors even the management team is not allowed to pluck any leaves and take anything from the forest. It keeps the forest untouchable and safe until now. With the citizen, the management of the forest keeps the forest in the exact form to keep it form as planned before and doing it functions. So we can always enjoy the recreational aspects from the forest, and also we can get the values from the forest like the ability to improve the environment during the passage of time. And that what the sustainability is all about.



With so many good advantages for environment and specially for us as a humans, we must built more places like this Meiji Forest, Central Park in United States, and other green open spaces. With a good planning, will, actions, and management the more urban forest area can be built. The more urban forest area we built, the more better environment we have.

(written for the Meiji Forest field excursion report in Forest Ecology Management course)