Fieldwork in the Virgin Forest in Kyoto
- Nana Kirikami
- Aug 20
- 4 min read
From July 13 to 15, I had the privilege of visiting a remote village in Miyama town and the city of Kameoka in Kyoto, as part of a course Meaningful Life: Art, Digital, and Field-based Learning offered at Sophia University's Faculty of Liberal Arts. Led by Sophia University's Prof. Takeshi Ito, I together with my 11 other classmates carried out fieldwork in Kyoto University's Research Forest, using a political ecology lens to explore the relationship between forests and people.
On the first two days, we learned about Kyoto University's research initiatives and efforts to preserve the vast old-growth forest called Ashiu Forest, located in the northeastern part of Kyoto Prefecture, bordering Fukui Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture. Through a series of discussions, lectures, and fieldwork, we had a valuable experience learning about the environment and local initiatives with all our senses, not just through information that can be found on the internet or in textbooks.
Ashiu Forest Research Station
One of the main issues currently faced in the Ashiu Forest, presented by Prof. Masae Ishihara, the Chief of Ashiu Forest Research Station at Kyoto University, was the increased number of deer, affecting the balance of the ecosystem in the region. Due to the overpopulation of deer, the vegetation of the forest floor is eaten, and the soil is now exposed. This makes the land more susceptible to soil erosion, hence making the river muddy and sandy. Inevitably, this affects the ecological balance in the river, replacing the species that live in more rocky environments with other kinds of species.
The question here is, what caused the overpopulation of deer and disruptions in nature? The answer is humans. As Prof. Ishihara explained, the increased number of deer can be explained by three main causes:
Protection measures that were intended to preserve deer lasted longer than they should have.
Global warming has led to little snow, creating a favorable environment for deer to propagate.
A declining number of hunters, who used to play a key role in balancing the number of deer in the forest. All of these causes are a result of human activity, resulting in disruptions in nature.
As we were walking in the Ashiu Forest, we were able to witness the first-hand impacts of these deer on the forest's vegetation. When we visited the site of the experimental area with deer fences, there was abundant vegetation on the forest floor on one side, whereas almost nothing except pteridophytes, which are poisonous to deer, were seen on the other. Whether it is good or bad, this deer fence is again a form of human intervention in nature, although it is intended to improve the vegetation of the forest. I am very curious to know, over the next few years, how this measure will impact the environment in the Ashiu Forest, and whether it will solve the issue of vegetation loss or if it will create a new set of problems.
Approaches to Nature
From the very first week of the Meaningful Life course, when we started to engage in discussions on how to ensure human reciprocity with nature in capitalist systems and in the wake of the climate crisis, I have been contemplating how to approach nature. It became quite apparent to me how people, especially in urban areas, tend to romanticize the concept of nature as something that is detached from our daily lives and brings some sense of relaxation and healing. This romanticization of nature, I wonder, may lead to unconscious views that nature is something that can offer benefits to humans, hence objectifying it as a source of human happiness.
One psychological study presents two-sided arguments on how the romanticization of nature (or biophilia) contributes to fostering human-nature relations. On the one hand, it may strengthen ties between humans and nature, thus leading to more regenerative practices and improving the well-being of both humans and nature. On the other hand, some argue that it risks humans overlooking the complexities in human-nature relations, potentially undermining the environment.
With this in mind, I tried to keep an 'objective' view toward nature when I was in the Ashiu Forest, which I believe allowed me to pay attention to details that I would not usually be aware of. For instance, I noticed the artificialness in the plantation forest of cedar and cypress, in which almost all the tree trunks were nicely straight in the absence of curves and randomness in nature. Therefore, I was able to reflect on the historical aspects of such a common landscape in the forest today that contributed to the advancement of industrialization and capitalism in the post-war period. Also, this awareness in mind allowed me to pay attention to the details of nature, such as how more than 30 different species coexist in one gigantic Katsura tree, which is estimated to be 5,000 to 8,000 years old. This experience led me not only to see nature as one big concept that is merely beautiful and healing, but I was also able to see nature more as a living subject.
Written by Nana Kirikami
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