Irodori Yama
Farms in the Irodori network are private, but visitors can go to Irodori Yama, which has a public facility offering hands-on programs like planting and harvesting. The programs serve needs ranging from tourists hoping to see the leaves, to aspiring Irodori farmers wanting to learn about cultivation.
The Irodori Yama project was launched in 2018 to thin out old, planted cedar forests and to research alternative land uses to keep the forests healthy. After World War II, falling Japanese cedar prices caused by low-cost imported wood drove many companies out of the timber industry. The untended cedar forests are now overgrown and poor upkeep has also made the forests of Kamikatsu susceptible to landslides. Local community members, including school children, farmers, and Irodori trainees, have joined the project to help clear the forests and plant new trees and shrubs.
Irodori Yama is also used as an experimental garden to test plant varieties for Irodori farming and to train prospective farmers in leaf and flower cultivation for the Irodori project. Irodori Yama can also be viewed from a distance from the nearby Irodori Bridge over the Katsuura River.
Viewable species
Holly olive, magnolia leaf, Japanese camellia, persimmon leaf, coral bush, bone-knitted lotus, red nandina, nandina, maple, wasabi leaf, fringed iris leaf, lotus leaf, cherry blossom, flowering peach, and azalea are some of the varieties on view.
