Contents This page: Fujino at a Glance Lay of the Land The Tibet of Kanagawa Life in a Northern Town Beyond The Basics Of Historical Note Art Resort Nota Bene Various Links

Fujino at a Glance Looking for a picturesque spot for a weekend hike or quick daytrip? a fully equipped craft workshop where you can give shape to creative urges? a quiet country town to start an electronic home office or atelier—but not too far from Tokyo goings-on? Or perhaps you're just interested in some of the issues confronting small towns in post-"bubble" Japan. Fujino has it all: the potential and the problems. To find out more about these and other Fujino topics, follow the brief guides below to the other pages of this site. Fujino is a small town at the northern end of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about one hour by car or commuter train west of central Tokyo. Fujino is situated in the middle of low-lying forested mountains and bodies of water that create a country setting unimaginable in the nearby megapolis. In Lay of the Land, I have provided some information about the town's geographic, topographic and demographic features. Yes, it's mountainous, cold in winter, and remote. But it's not as extreme as you might think from the "Tibet" metaphor. Or is it? For an answer to that question, take a look at The Tibet of Kanagawa Prefecture. How does Fujino measure up in terms of convenience, amenities, and services? What about shopping, education, medical facilities and the like? In other words, what's it really like to live here? I can't cover everything, but I've tried to provide some general answers in "Life in a Northern Town." In terms of modern consumer culture, Fujino is admittedly not as convenient as the coventional bedroom community. Actually, that can be a good thing. But it doesn't mean it's a deprivation to live here, either. Hot springs, dining, recreation, overnight accommodations and more lie in a region Beyond the Basics. Everybody knows that Fujino's Yoshino district used to be one of the "post towns" on the old Kôshû Kaidô (Highway to Kai Province). But it was relatively poor, and cannot brag of many of the spectacular historical events and cultural artifacts that mark some of the better known castle towns. I have tried to fill in a few of the blanks, however, with some remarks Of Historical Note. Fujino's status as watershed for Lake Sagami has led to restrictions on industrial development, part of the reason behind the decision to develop Fujino as an art resort. As Fujino has developed in the direction of fostering the arts, it has drawn over one hundred full-time artists and craftspeople who now live and work here; Fujino's "Art Road" features over thirty-five permanent sculptures and installations, and the town is of course home to the Kanagawa Prefectural Fujino Workshop for Art. The largest art event in Fujino is the annual "Artsphere" in October. Why the "Green Gables" label? What browsers and screen sizes are this site optimized for? Why am I doing this? The answers to these and other questions of tangential value can be found in Nota Bene. Next Page: Lay of the Land

Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
by Norman Havens nhavens@gol.com
Updated: April 20, 2002

URL: http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens/