The Camellia Grove at Cape Ashizuri
Cape Ashizuri is renowned for its grove of camellia (tsubaki) shrubs, which bloom beautifully in winter. The grove is not entirely natural; it was formed as a result of local people cutting down trees in the area for wood. Ubame-gashi oak was used as firewood, while Simon bamboo was used for everything from reinforcing walls to making bamboo baskets. Only the camellias were left standing, as their most valuable product was the oil extracted from the seed of their fruit. This oil is still used in beauty products today.
[Captions]
Camellias blooming along the Cape Ashizuri promenade.
The “camellia tunnel.”
The Cape Ashizuri Camellia Regeneration Project
When the modernization of building materials removed demand for Simon bamboo, the fast-growing plant was left to flourish, and eventually came to threaten the camellias. In 2016, the Cape Ashizuri Association for the Protection of Nature, the Ministry of the Environment, and several other parties came together to start the Camellia Regeneration Project, which aims to plant 20,000 new camellias using seeds from the cape’s existing shrubs.
[Captions]
Seed gathering > Planting > Growing seedlings > Replanting (The process takes three years).
Potting > Watering > Removing weeds > Installing awnings.
These graphs show the number of project participants by year.
