“Back when nosotros were kids, nosotros used to build too play inward ‘secret bases’ out inward the mountains. I initially started Gankoyama to convey dorsum all the fun I used to select every bit a child.”
- Yoshinori Hiraga, ‘Master’ too founder of Gankoyama Tree House Village (as quoted inward Outdoor Nihon Magazine)
Sumber https://onnaturestreet.blogspot.com Hello! We of late enjoyed a wonderful 3.5 weeks holidaying every bit a identify unit of measurement inward Japan. One of the absolute highlights of the trip was our treehouse remain at Gankoyama. I promise you lot bask this weblog I wrote on our experience, which was originally written for Nature Play SA (where I piece of occupation every bit Social Media Manager too inward nature play lawsuit support). I'm looking forrad to sharing to a greater extent than on our trip, including the incredible natural places nosotros visited too some cool Tokyo playgrounds! All the best, Claire
Located inward the mountainous countryside of Boso Peninsula, on Japan’s primary isle of Honshu, Gankoyama is a sustainable treehouse hamlet too unique nature play experience nosotros were fortunate to bask on our recent identify unit of measurement adventures to the enchanting archipelago nation.
Described yesteryear Lonely Planet every bit ‘a rustic hamlet of unproblematic loghouses built on platforms alongside the soaring cedars’, Gankoyama was established inward 1998 too functions every bit an eco-village for people to larn too experience Japanese wood civilization too sustainable lifestyles. The treehouse hamlet is run ‘off the grid, off the ground’, with mightiness supplied through solar too some current of air generation; H2O sourced from local mount streams; too composting lav too nutrient systems inward effect.
Our identify unit of measurement of iv –children, Milla (7) too Ari (3), husband, Dave, too I – booked a two-day ‘forestry survival skills’ course of didactics to experience ‘Japanese wood civilization spell enjoy[ing] diverse activities similar making handicraft, learning rope tying too cooking inward a wood-fired oven’. Given that our remain was inward the pump of Japanese winter, nosotros were to hold out the solely guests residing inward the treetops that weekend (note: thermal-clad, multi-layered ones at that!).
We departed from the metropolis of Chiba yesteryear prepare early a Sabbatum morning, watching compact highrises too colour-popping billboards flick yesteryear earlier transitioning to rural too natural scenes capturing coastal townships, bird-speckled rocky shores, farming lands, too forest-clad mountains.
Master Gankoyama collected us from the coastal prepare station of Iwai, to a greater extent than or less one-half an sixty minutes from the treehouse village. Driving through the countryside, nosotros delighted inward frequent sightings of soaring eagles laid against a clear wintertime heaven spell Master explained brute of the hamlet surrounds included deer, wild boar, racoons, too rabbits – too our wild children, of course! Through Master’s English linguistic communication skills, nosotros rapidly established mutual involvement too understanding on importance of nature too exploration for children, too adults, cemented with mutual admiration of the works too words of Rachel Carson too Richard Louv.
As nosotros began our ascent upwards the mount to village, Master paused to shout out for out fruit-laden orangish trees along the roadside too the Gankoyama’s terraced rice paddies. He explained the procedure too timing for planting too harvesting the rice, which feeds treehouse guests throughout the twelvemonth too would hold out served at our flush meal. Arriving at the treehouse village, nosotros eagerly followed a narrowing wood trail, passing Gankoyama’s sheltered cooking too dining hut, earlier coming to a cardinal log cabin, an assortment of treehouses, too timber platforms inside a panoramic area of Japanese cedar trees.
As Master prepared our treehouse for the night, nosotros were granted complimentary fourth dimension for lunch, settling in, too exploring. We based ourselves at a picnic tabular array over-looking a mount valley patch-worked inward moss too deep greens, browns too auburn (which Master afterward explained were characterised yesteryear bamboo forest, Japanese cedars, too deciduous trees bare or semi-denuded of leaves): a wood surroundings thence unlike to our natural landscapes dorsum identify inward South Australia. The kids too Dave were right away drawn to the collection of handmade bows too arrows lying on the table, testing their archery skills from our hillside advantage earlier the kids laid out to honour swings crafted from bamboo too rope idyllically hanging from grand trees situated nether the sentinel of our treehouse.
Following complimentary time, Master took us for a guided nature walk through the hamlet surrounds, pointing out the unlike stages of wood increase too development. Descending into the onetime increase forest, Milla spied a long rope hanging from a fastening high inside a tree, too nosotros eagerly waived our rights to insurance claims to swing from the colina gradient out into the forest. Dave, Milla, too I took turns: supporting pes held straight, hands belongings tight on rope knots, grounded leg releasing to cast out too across the wood floor. There were hoots of please – intoned with shades of fearfulness – every bit our adventurous play delivered an exhilarating sense of liberty every bit nosotros soared inside the wood canopy.
The rope swing was somewhat reluctantly seat aside to travel along along the wood trails, where nosotros learnt almost unlike elements of the natural surroundings from Master, through sight, sound, smell, too touch. We inhaled the aroma of cinnamon cutting from a wild tree too lingered over the scent of twigs used for brewing mount tea. We avoided the woody thorns of the works life used to brand tempura, a works life whose leaves are also favoured yesteryear the wood deer. We learnt of a myriad of uses for bamboo, too listened to the spiritual importance too philosophy of nature too the mountains to Master too Japanese wood culture.
While the adults talked, Milla too Ari played about us too through the forest. They ran wildly along the path, feeling too observing the alien works life life, too engaging inward a game of tiger that saw Ari disappearing behind trees, peering from cedar trunks, too leaping upon the tour political party with a ferocious three-year onetime growl that earned him the weekend championship of ‘Tiger’.
As the afternoon progressed, nosotros stationed ourselves at the cooking hut for practical activities starting with Japanese wood chopping techniques. The ii children were assisted to larn too utilisation an axe for the wood chopping, too it was thence Dave’s assigned responsibleness to hold the wood stack for our give the sack campsite stoves over the weekend. Master thence led an arrow-construction session, commencing with a torso of fresh bamboo too utilising diverse tools including small-scale handsaws too machete. The wood was crafted into chopstick-width pieces, blunted arrow tips carved, too cardboard arrow feathers fashioned too fastened. With arrows complete, immature too onetime strode upwards the colina to exam out the wares on the existing bamboo bows. Deployed arrows were rapidly chased downwards the colina for collection too reuse, a sequence that sustained until dusk.
Upon nightfall, nosotros followed Master into the forest, using torches too headlights to collect small, dried, Japanese cedar branches. Master showed us how to laid the give the sack for the cooking stoves, too thence proceeded to instruct Milla how ‘to select a conversation’ with fire: when the give the sack required fanning of the flames too the best technique to hit this. As picayune Tiger slept, Milla proceeded every bit Chief Fire Converser, a role she relished for the flush too repose of the weekend.
After a multi-course camp-cooked meal, including the flavoursome Gankoyama rice too a nightcap of local sake for the adults, nosotros walked the wood trail yesteryear torchlight to our treehouse for the night. Sleeping inward the treehouse inward the coldest fourth dimension of twelvemonth felt akin to camping ground dorsum identify inward wintertime with the iv of us inward layered article of apparel too settled on camping ground mats nether a pile of blankets for the night. Looking out treehouse windows to hash out the silhouettes of cedar trees too a starlight heaven with Ari deep inward the black was a personal highlight of my treehouse sleepover.
Our 2nd 24-hour interval rapidly passed with encore sessions at the wood rope swing, warming meals too mount teas savoured yesteryear the campsite stove, crafting of bamboo bows, too resultant archery feats over-looking the mountainous valley. Milla too Ari took to the tranquillity roadside too bamboo forest, embarking on adventures every bit ‘Arrow Boy’ too ‘Arrow Girl’ – brave conquerors of wood identify foes – until it was fourth dimension for our afternoon prepare dorsum to the aerodrome metropolis of Narita.
At the determination of our Gankoyama stay, ii dirty, camp-smoke smelling children unanimously declared the rope swing, bow too arrow making, too games every bit ‘Arrow Boy’ too ‘Arrow Girl’ to hold out the highlights of their weekend. From an adult perspective, nosotros thoroughly enjoyed this unique outdoor experience inward Japan. We valued the hands-on nature-based experience Gankoyama offered the children too us every bit a family: nosotros were all actively involved inward the weekend too functioning of the hamlet over our stay; the children were complimentary to hold out wild; too they were also able to explore adventurous too riskier play. It was specially enjoyable to sentinel how they responded to Master, too to existence given permission to larn how to correctly too safely utilisation tools, tend fires, shoot their ain bow too arrows, climb treehouse ladders, too swing over the wood floor.
On behalf of our family, I would similar to in 1 lawsuit to a greater extent than give thank you lot Master Gankoyama for having us remain at the Treehouse village: for existence thence generous with sharing his knowledge, too for letting us discover, play, too practice our ain memories of a clandestine base of operations deep inside the Japanese mountains. Our ‘off the grid, off the ground’ adventure is 1 nosotros volition collectively reverberate upon for years to come.
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D E T H5N1 I L S
Where: Gankoyama Treehouse Village, a sustainable treehouse hamlet located inward Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 2 hours from Tokyo too Narita International Airport.
What: Gankoyama caters for families, individuals, too schools, including international schoolhouse groups, with peak flavour running from May through the Japanese summer. Visitors tin participate inward either Gankoyama master copy or treehouse edifice master copy courses.
Cost: Our remain was 20,000 Yen (approximately $240 AUD) for a ii 24-hour interval / overnight experience including treehouse stay, Gankoyama Master course of didactics too meals (check website for course of didactics data too pricing)
Recommended for: nature loving families too individuals; those with an involvement inward nature play, treehouses, Japanese wood culture, too sustainability.
