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| Profile |
| Park Administration |
| Because this park is provided for the benefit of people's health on a large scale, the administration's objective is to ensure the facilities in the park are fully functional, and to look after and maintain everything throughout the park in the most appropriate manner. Part of the administration is undertaken directly by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, that is to say, the national property administration, exclusive licenses, and gardening and weeding in the park. Exclusive permits are issued based on 'Urban Parks Law' (referred to subsequently the 'Law') and principally relate to people other than those involved in park administration to whom permission is given to operate facilities set up in the park (Law -article 5, clauses 2, 3). There are also exclusive permits for temporary constructions relating to projects and events, (Law-article 6) and a permit for undertaking various types of events (Law-article 12), |
| 1. Maintenance of Planted Areas |
| In addition to the normal
maintenance of trees, the natural shape of the trees is carefully managed. Thinning
and pruning of the trees as they spread and grow, to improve the way they look
in relation to the landscape, is carried out as well as clearing excessive growth
and thinning out where an aspect is spoiled by branches being left to grow too
densely. The snowfall in January 1998, caused a lot of damage and many trees, especially the evergreens, had branches broken, broken trunks and some trees had fallen down so that in addition to felling and pruning, rot-preservation of a number of trees was necessary. |
| 2. Maintenance of Turfed Areas |
| In this park in addition to normal maintenance of turfed areas we are trying out a way of making the turf greener with weeds and turf, and so the number of times grass is cut within the turfed areas is increased, and the amount of weeding carried out by hand is reduced. When cutting grass in the wilderness areas, consideration is taken of wild flowers and insects, and we have created a biotope for living things such as different varieties of grasshoppers and 'ladies' tresses'. Moreover, a higher level of maintenance was done in the cutting and top dressing the soil for the turf used in the Croquet Court and Lawn Bowling Court of Sports Area. |
| 3. Maintenance of Flowers |
| There are 200 varieties and about 400,000 bulbs of flowers planted in the flower beds which can be enjoyed throughout the changing seasons. In the widely used large areas, where flowers and herbs are grown, such as one in the 'Open Field', sunflowers and cosmos are planted from spring until early summer, and in autumn, cornflowers, camomile and 'Shirley' poppies. If we include the varieties of bulbs grown, such as tulips, grape hyacinths, and oriental poppies together with the different kinds of herbs, all year round there are about 190 varieties of wild flowers blooming. |
| 4. Maintenance of the Japanese Garden |
| The Japanese garden includes a lake, and a stream in its 6 hectares. Within this area there are approximately 1500 tall trees most of which are Japanese maples. In addition to about 40,000 bushes many of which are azaleas, there is a bamboo grove, tree peonies, iris, mosses and other types of ground cover plants, and also flowers. The level of normal maintenance of the garden, such as grass cutting, weeding, applying fertilizer is much higher inside the Japanese garden than in other areas, and the maintenance is carried out with careful reference to the 'Maintenance Manual'. This manual shows the objective of the design of the garden, and with attention to detailed maintenance on a daily basis and careful cultivation by a skilled full-time workman the intention is to care for the garden adeptly also adding nutrients to ensure that the condition of the soil is good. In the winter months, we place 'yukitsuri' (snow maypoles) and 'warabotchi' (straw bundles) as decorations as well as protection of plants, and those together with the carpet of pine needles make this garden a favorite with everyone. |
| 5. Dealing with the Maintenance of a Natural Ecosystem |
| In the areas which are kept natural, it is our aim to preserve the wild grasses in the park, among which grow ladies' tresses, 'Kanto' dandelions and purple mazus, and to also preserve the environment in which insects, such as the grasshopper, can breed. While carefully paying attention to the conditions on the site of germinating, flowers opening, and going to seed, we alter the periods when we cut the wild grasses, and the number of times we cut them and also we change around the areas in which we are carrying out the cutting. In an average year we cut the grass 2-3 times in an area where there are ladies' tresses, but to stimulate the growth of them during the dormant season, we cut the first time, at least up to 2 weeks before the flowers open, and then the second time we aim for the end of July after they have gone to seed, and leave the cut grass in which the seeds are scattered. The third time we cut the grass is in October when the grasses have grown high enough to cut. |
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