Mountaineer's Forest

I went to a sophisticated mountain botanical garden called Gakujin no Mori (Mountain Climber's Forest). As soon as I parked my car in the parking lot and stepped through the entrance to the forest, my steps became lighter and my heart leaped with joy. The feeling of excitement I had anticipated as a child came flooding back. I realized that I had forgotten that this was the kind of feeling I had always sought out and experienced.

This is Gakujin-no-mori, the Shikoku Mountain Botanical Garden, located at an altitude of approximately 1000m, at the end of a mountain pass deep in the mountains of Kamiyama Town, Tokushima Prefecture. As you ascend the forest road from the center of Kamiyama Town, the air becomes noticeably colder, and your imagination runs wild, wondering what kind of forest awaits you. Personally, I love this cool air.

Coincidentally, the day we arrived in Tokushima was a special day when Isao Yamada, the creator who built and nurtured this forest from the ground up, was giving a guided tour. The flower in bloom that day was the Shikoku cuckoo flower. Nearby, the rhododendrons were swelling with round buds, looking as if they were about to bloom at any moment, steadily preparing for the arrival of the flowering season.

A dozen or so adults lined up behind Isao Yamada.
Some of them were walking around with field guides in their hands. It seemed that each of them had a particular plant or insect they were looking for. While we focused on the plants, we also kept our eyes peeled for mushrooms.

Before development, this mountain had barren soil and looked completely different. Over 50 years, roads were built, soil was transported, plants were planted, and trees were cultivated, transforming it into this rich and fertile place. Now, wild plants, including extremely rare species such as endangered ones, are carefully nurtured here. The sheer number of species and the landscape they create were very impressive. On this day, I was also able to see the dogtooth violet flowers, which were nearing the end of their blooming season. I was happy because I had entered spring this year without seeing any dogtooth violets.

Mr. Yamada explained that he has planted plants here many times, and even when they withered, he would plant them again. I realized that this place exists because of unimaginable hardship. I think everyone gathered there that day was listening with a question mark in their heads, wondering how it was possible. As if to answer that question, he told us, "Continue doing one thing for 10 years. And do it thoroughly."

In Gakujin no Mori, while I was engrossed in the plants, I was also able to find some mushrooms, so I'll conclude by introducing some of them. I hope to come back here in the fall to enjoy the trees and flowers while also going mushroom hunting.