A bamboo forest called ‘Chikurin no Michi’ in Arashiyama district of Kyoto is one of the most iconic sceneries in Japan. It attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Kyoto [Japan], September 17 : Pictures of this bamboo forest are certain to be found on any website or tourist pamphlet for Kyoto because the beauty of this place captures the heart of tourists. Many tourists donned in traditional Japanese outfit visits this place to get a unique experience. “No other place can represent this side of Kyoto. The city does not allow high buildings but here bamboo is very high, it is really very beautiful place,” said one of the visitors. The forest of giant bamboo extends more than a kilometre. The fence on the site is also made of bamboo. Many of the bamboo here reach up to 25 meters and with a diameter up to 25 centimeters. Slender trunk has foliage at the very top which causes the bamboo to clack into each other with the slightest breeze. It makes a special calming sound. “I found this place on the internet with many photos and videos, so I decided to visit and when I came here it made my heart feel happy,” said another visitor from Malaysia. Visitors can hire rickshaw called ‘Jinrikisha’ in Japanese to enjoy guided tours through the narrow path in the bamboo forest. And in the middle of the forest, there is Nonomiya Shrine, a small, beautiful Shinto shrine where Imperial Princesses used to spend time praying in old time. “After Coronavirus finishes, I hope many people come to visit the bamboo forest because it is a special place in Kyoto and they can experience the beauty of Japan,” said a resident from Kyoto. There are many different entrances into the bamboo forest including from nearby Tenryuji Temple. Also, the sign pointing to the forest can be seen along the main road of the tourist area of Arashiyama. The forest is open 24 hours a day and there is no entry fee. It takes only 15 minutes train ride from Kyoto station, so no one should miss visiting this magical place.
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Volcanic rock in Japan attracts many tourists
Tokyo [Japan], September 17 : Japan is a leading country with strong environment protection policy. The Government promises zero carbon emission by 2050. To achieve this, many companies and sectors are encouraged to step up their effort to use environmentally friendly materials including construction. One of such promising materials is a volcanic rock that is found in abundance in Japan. And the country is volcanically active land. Even its natural symbol, Mount Fuji, is actually a volcano. This company in Tokyo is promoting the use of volcanic rock to cover surface of building walls, bridges and roadside. The idea aimed at the beginning to make cosmetic effect to make building blending more in the surrounding natural scenery, but later moss and plant were growing out of the porous surface of the volcanic rock. This unexpected development revealed the potentiality of volcanic rock for fostering vegetation. “I was born nearby beautiful mount Fuji with many volcanic rocks around and I noticed that plant grow more on them in the garden, so I understood that this is because the rock have small hole which make good place for vegetation and plant growth, so I had the idea of using such volcanic rock as an environment-friendly building material in different shapes,” said an official from Volcanic Rock Company. Natural volcanic rock can be used in different size and shape, even cut into thin board of concrete with embedded volcanic rock that can be attached to the exterior of already existing surface. Another material, which does not contain concrete, is super-thin, ultra-lightweight material which can be cut to any size and attached even to curved surface of different shape. “Regarding the emission of CO2, The process of making concrete generates lot of CO2 emission, but in the case of natural material like volcanic rock the process does not include production of material because we use naturally available rock so the CO2 emission is very little,” said an official from Volcanic Rock Company. The environment-friendly feature of volcanic rock makes it suitable to reviving the ecosystem of the urban areas when used as a construction material.
