The process of creating Tsugumori and its future vision

The first time I saw the view from the foot of Mt. Asama to Saku Plain and the Yatsugatake mountain range beyond was about 30 years ago, when the Asama Sun Line opened.

Since then, I have secretly thought, "I would like to live while looking at this view someday. I would like to create a place where people can enjoy their time at a leisurely pace and have many people receive the energy from this place."

In 2018, when we built our house, we had to cut down and uproot all the trees in the 850m2 forest, and that remains a painful memory for me.

The salesman from the housing manufacturer told me, based on common sense, how difficult it would be to build and maintain the trees afterwards, and even though I had doubts, I couldn't clearly say that we should leave some of the trees.They ended up cutting down larch, cherry trees, and other trees that were over 50 years old.

In the fall of 2019, I learned that there was talk of building a residential complex in the neighboring woods. My regret over having cut down the trees in the woods led me to not want to cut down any more trees in that area.

"I cut down trees and built houses, but I oppose the construction of houses in the neighboring forest."

It may seem selfish, but the forest is easily accessible as it faces the Green Road, which connects directly to JR Sakudaira Station and the Saku Kita Interchange on the Chubu-Odan Expressway, and can be seen directly ahead when you stop at the traffic light just before the station.

I felt strongly that the forest had to be preserved. It coincided with a long-held dream that if this place were to become a beautiful park with the trees behind it, it would provide a sense of healing to visitors and passersby alike.

I've lived in this area for five years, and I've noticed that more and more trees are being cut down in the surrounding area to make way for solar power plants. If the forest remains as it is, it will become overgrown, and even if we do take care of it, we won't get a single yen for it. As a landowner, if a buyer appears, it's my chance to sell. I feel like the forest is disappearing one after another. Solar power is clean energy, but is it really okay to cut down the trees in the forest? These are the thoughts I have.

The world is in the midst of global warming. Despite everyone's concerns, temperatures are rising every year. Only a handful of companies are seriously developing the next generation of clean energy. Large corporations are still competing with each other within the capitalist system, and are only engaging in greenwashing under the guise of the SDGs.

However, it can be difficult for individuals to know what to do about it. It seems that the only thing we can do in our daily lives is to reduce the number of shopping bags we use, and turn down the heating temperature and turn up the air conditioning temperature.

It was 2021, a little over a year after we purchased the neighboring forest. Left unattended, the forest had become overgrown, and snow, wind, and rain caused trees to fall onto the road and onto power lines. Although the area offered a panoramic view of the Yatsugatake Mountains and Saku Plain, it was no longer possible to even set foot on it.

Is it okay to leave it in a state of disrepair like this? What would I want to do if this place was well-maintained? I remembered an old dream. I wanted to create a place with a garden, a cafe and a shop, where people could gather to enjoy the scenery, feel the breeze in the shade and relax. In fact, it was a dream I had 30 years ago.

We provide a soothing environment for those who use our cafe and accommodation. The income from these activities will be used to improve the environment, fund operations, and provide employment for our staff. The next step will be to use the funds to improve the surrounding environment. There are still many abandoned forests and farmlands in the surrounding area. We would like to clean up those areas as well.

"So this is how beautiful places are created," he said, trying to protect the Earth by recycling resources in a way that everyone could understand. That's what I wanted to do. At the time, it was such an unrealistic and unrealistic "dream." I didn't have the mental capacity to spend money on that dream, nor did I have the funds to do so.

At that time, an old friend offered to provide funding, saying, "Why don't you try to clear up this wasteland? Once it's cleaned up, you might be able to see what lies ahead."

Maintaining and protecting this forest may be the best thing I can do for the Earth.

This made me very happy, so I explained the situation to the gardener. Although it was an uncertain job, the gardener agreed, and we immediately gathered people and began maintenance work.

As it was a given that funds would be used carefully, we did not use large-scale heavy machinery, and instead started working by hand. I also put in more time and prepared lunch boxes for the staff to avoid wasting money as much as possible. And so things finally started moving forward.

Gradually, more and more people started to help out. Friends from my school days, friends from Chiba, and people from my local Fujitsuka ward. People came together to work on a volunteer basis, and the area gradually became cleaner. By the following spring, it was beautiful enough to plant grass. I could never have done it alone, but with the help of so many people, a pleasant breeze now flows through the forest.

In the spring of 2022, new hope appeared in the sky. The company he runs with his daughter decided to build a cafe and accommodation facility in the forest as a new business venture.

I remembered the words of an old friend: once I cleaned up, I began to see beyond. Finally, my old dreams began to shine.

From then on, we put even more effort into the development, and began designing the site and creating a concept. What I want to emphasize is "I want to create a sustainable, circular community here in harmony with nature." Visitors, workers, and those who want to be involved in other ways should all be treated equally.

I hope that by coming here and interacting with it, people will realize that we are part of nature and that it will inspire them to take spontaneous action.

Although it is not in the middle of nature, and there are houses around and you can sense the presence of people, this place makes us aware of our spiritual connection with nature.

What will we actually do here? The cafe, accommodation, garden and other facilities will be a reason to visit, but we would also like to expand what we can do as the facilities on the site expand, such as joint garden maintenance work, cooking classes using local vegetables and a place for various artists to present their work.

Eating and drinking at the cafe is a way to relax and contribute to the maintenance of the forest and nature. It is a place where you are not just a customer and a store, but are on equal footing as co-creators.

That is what I want to aim for. That is my dream place, Tsugumori.

Owner Junko Tsuchiya