A Natural Made Shangri-La
| KOMA COUNTRY A Natural Made Shangri-La |
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The word "Koma" refers to an ancient nation in the Korean Peninsula. When immigrants from there arrived in Japan, this area was one of the places where they finally settled. That implies that this region was an ideal place for settlers, and that ideal qualities are obvious even today: The area is blessed with natural beauty. This region must have been appropriate for developing a self-sustaining village: a Shangri-La. Three characteristic elements make this place a naturally-blessed attractive countryside: Koma River, Kinchaku Rice Paddies, and Mount Hiwada. These three actually make a rare combination that usually do not go along together. But here, a mountain, a clear river, and rice paddies peacefull co-exist. |
| Koma River This river maintains an amazingly good quality of water. There are only three rivers around Tokyo where we can enjoy a quality of water good enough to swim in, with wide enough beach to stay and play: Akigawa river of the Tama river system, Nakatsu river of the Sagami river system, and here, which belongs to the Arakawa river system. These three remaining precious rivers have one thing in common: they are all located at the mouths of mountain gorges that flow down into the lowland flats. Just a mile or so upstram from here, Koma river enters into a mountain gorge. This location keeps the water of the river such a clean quality. Koma River is an invaluable nature site for the beach recreation with excellent water of a mountain stream. |
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The river beach is very popular among day-campers. Starting from May through August, on every weekend, the beach is filled with families with their tarps and BBQ grills. The downstream part of the beach is open for car entry. Very few river beaches allow entries for automobiles nowadays, since local governments often shut off the gates in order to prevent heartless waste dealers from dumping garbage. |
| Kinchaku Rice Paddies Surrounded by the Koma River is a large flat field called Kinchaku Rice Paddies. This field used to be filled with rice paddies, but today it is not used for growing rice. Instead the field is used for other crops, horse corrals, and just maintaining grasslands. A small patch of wetland is preserved to remind of the old landscape though. |
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This field offers a good landscape of a typical peaceful farm village. The local administration occasionally holds events to attract tourists. |
| Perhaps the best known part of Koma Cuntry is this scene, Japan's largest colonies of spider lilies (higanbana). This plant grows on the floor of riverside gvoves. The best season for flower watching is from late September to early October. |  |
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Mount Hiwada Mt.Hiwada is only 305m high so that it does not meet the standard to be called a mountain (a mountain needs to be 600m and higher in English. you know that?). But despite its low elevation, it has many mountain-like qualities that make it rank with other better-known real mountains. It is understandable that local people call it a mountain with a venerable feeling. It is a symbolic landmark which clearly stands out in the area. The whole hill is made of hard chert rock so that the main trail leading to the top is quite rugged. In fact, the trail is divided into two paths: otokozaka (men's slope) with a challenging rugged trail that requires some help of your hands to climb up, and onnazaka (women's slope) with a gentle trail. |
| Mt. Hiwada's rugged south slope is a well-known rock climbing field. In
fact, it is Japan's first rock climbing training field. Two vertically
standing chert rocks attract climbers from Tokyo area (it is the nearest
rock clibming field from Tokyo). You find climbers anytime of the year,
Monday thru Sunday, even on rainy days. The city government put up a sign
not to climb the rocks for safty reason, but climbers do not seem to care.
Near the top is the shrine which offers a wonderful vista point. You can enjoy bird's eye view of the Kinchaku Rice Paddies and Koma river circling around them. Spreading further is the Musashino uplands. On clear sunny days, skyscrapers in Tokyo can be observed. |
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