Contents This page: Lay of the Land Location Demographics Traditional Culture Environment Fujino's Future Quiz Time! Q: When driving west on the Chûô Expressway, what is the first prefecture you enter as you leave Tokyo?

Lay of the Land Location Fujino is a small town located on the map at the northern tip of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about one hour by car or commuter train west of Tokyo's Shinjuku district. With an elevation of 210 meters (about 688 feet) at the JR Fujino Station, Fujino is characterized by steep, low-lying mountains forested in a combination of Japanese redwood (sugi), Japanese false-cypress (hinoki, a species close to the aromatic Port Orford Cedar), and a wide variety of deciduous trees, not to mention the wild profusion of Fujino's own namesake, the wisteria, or fuji. Central Fujino is bisected by the Sagami River, which flows from west to east, entering Lake Sagami about one kilometer east of the central station area at the bridge Katsuse-bashi, (officially, however, the Sagami "river" that flows through town is now also considered part of Lake Sagami). The north and south halves of the town are connected by four bridges, the largest of which is the Hizure Ôhashi, newly rebuilt in 1994. Demographics While the town covers a relatively broad geographical area (64.91 km²), Fujino's topography places limits on its demographics; at present (2002), our population is about 11,500, representing a density of just 176.8 persons/km². To put this into perspective, the overall population density of Kanagawa Prefecture is nearly 3,500 people per square kilometer, ranking it 3rd nationwide only behind the urban prefectures of Tokyo and Osaka, and ten times higher than the national average. In contrast, while Fujino represents 2.7% of the total land area of Kanagawa, its population is only about 0.1% of the prefectural total—roughly equivalent to the average population density of Nagano Prefecture! In short, Fujino is located within Kanagawa—one of the most densely populated prefectures in Japan—but it is well isolated from Kanagawa's urban congestion. Perhaps that's why Fujino is known as Kanagawa Prefecture's midori no hôseki-bako, "treasure chest of green." Protecting Fujino's remaining natural environment becomes all the more crucial when one considers that Kanagawa Prefecture already provides only 4.5 m² of urban parks per resident, which places it last out of Japan's 47 prefectures, lagging behind even Tokyo (6.8), Osaka (5.5) and Chiba (5.3) (NB: the above link is to a page at the official website for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport detailing the status of per-capita park space for all 47 prefectures (as of March 31, 2002). In passing, I will point out that the top prefecture for per-capita park space on this list is Hokkaidô with 28.6m² (no suprise there!), followed by Miyazaki (17.2m²), Akita and Shimane (both with 15.9m²) and Miyagi (15.3m²). I should also note that another site—this one an official source for Kanagawa Prefecture—states that the prefecture is making plans to expand its per-capita park space from 3.7 square meters (even lower than the 4.5m² figure above!) to 7.0m² by the year 2006. If successful (and assuming the other prefectures remain stable), Kanagawa will rise from its number 47 spot to number 40. Still nothing to write home about, and Kanagawa will remain at—or close to—the bottom when it comes to providing environmental greenery for residents. The point of all this? Fujino is the repository of much of the little-remaining natural environment of Tokyo-Yokoyama area—and that fact is of foremost importance whenever discussing the issue of further development.

Fujino in Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji in Fujino Lake Sagami and Fujino

Earthen Storehouse at Yoshino Honjin Ishii Family Home (Sawai) Fujino in the Fall Cherry Blossoms and Concrete

Traditional Culture Located in a relatively remote and mountainous region, Fujino never enjoyed the level of prosperity associated with economically advanced rice-growing regions, even though it was a post stop on the well-traveled "Highway to Kai Province" (Kôshû Kaidô). As one result, it does not possess the high level of traditional Japanese architecture, crafts,and other physical artifacts associated with the "townsman culture" of better-known spots like Takayama or Kawagoe. In addition, two major fires in the early Meiji period destroyed virtually all the buildings in the central part of the old post town (known as Yoshino). Currently, the earthen storehouse of the honjin (official inn) appears to be the oldest structure left in Yoshino, although the Sawai district boasts the Ishii family house, which was built in 1707. At the same time, Fujino is known among folklorists as a cornocopia of traditional Japanese lore. The town has been surveyed and found to have over eight-hundred stone stelae and Buddhist images redolent of Japanese folk religion, not to mention numerous local legends and other lore. Environment What Fujino does have is a remarkably beautiful natural environment—as illustrated here by its appearance in the fall. This is unusual for a town so close to Tokyo. The damming of Sagami River in 1947 created the artificial reservoir Lake Sagami, which provides drinking water for much of middle and southern Kanagawa Prefecture, and recreational opportunities for the entire Tokyo region. As part of the lake's catchment, Fujino is subject to restrictions on industrial development, and such restrictions, coupled to the sheer physical limits of geography, have operated to curb industrial inroads and suburban-type growth. This fact is viewed as a lamentable handicap by some in the town, but I prefer to welcome it as a source of unusual potential. Certainly, the absence of big industry means no big sources of jobs or corporate taxes. That lack makes Fujino a relatively "poor" town in terms of infrastructure and social services. On the positive side, though, Fujino's perceived remoteness and its relatively protected status can be viewed as its greatest potential, providing it with the opening to develop in a new and imaginative way, one relatively free from the various blights associated with heavy industrialization and urbanization. Fujino's Future The inability to draw major industries is partly behind the decision to develop Fujino in the direction of an "art resort," and perhaps there lies its greatest potential. But to further that development in creative ways, Fujino needs the presence of artists, craftspeople, and others with a dedication to preserving Fujino's natural environment—its real future—in a way that goes beyond the mere habitants of a bedroom community. This makes Fujino an excellent home for "lone wolves"—self-employed persons in the arts and related knowledge-intensive industries who can work via modem and fax from home. [N.B. Update, June 23, 2004: NTT finally begins B-FLETS optical fiber service to many (but not all) parts of Fujino this month. This means that residents can now enjoy broad-band access to the Web, a necessity for anyone doing business from a home office.] As an added incentive, Fujino's lack of urban development, together with its perceived "remoteness" and "inconvenience" have helped suppress land prices to a level far below those of neighboring Takao and Hachiôji, yet the difference in commuting time to Tokyo is remarkably small: only thirteen minutes by train from Fujino to Takao. In addition, automobile travel to central Tokyo takes even less time from Fujino than from many of the satellite city areas in western Tokyo. In sum, Fujino is a place where the individual can still make a difference, and it needs more people willing to work to make a difference, maybe people like you. Next page: The Tibet of Kanagawa Prefecture

Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
by Norman Havens nhavens@gol.com
Updated: June 13, 2004

URL: http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens/htmlfile/intro-e.html