Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [61]
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Plants
The flora of Japan today is not what the Japanese saw hundreds of years ago. This is not just because a lot of Japan’s natural landscape has succumbed to modern urban culture, but also because much of Japan’s flora is imported. It is thought that 200 to 500 plant species have been introduced to Japan since the Meiji period, mainly from Europe but also from North America. Japanese gardens laid out in the Edo period and earlier are good places to see native Japanese flora, even though they are highly manicured environments.
The cool to temperate zones of Central and Northern Honshū and southern Hokkaidō were home to broad-leaf deciduous forests, and still are, to a certain extent. Nevertheless, large-scale deforestation is a feature of contemporary Japan. Pollution and acid rain have also taken their toll. Fortunately, the sheer inaccessibility of much of Japan’s mountainous topography has preserved some areas of great natural beauty – in particular the alpine regions of Central Honshū and the lovely national parks of Hokkaidō.
According to a 2008 report in the Proceedings of the Japan Academy, there are 1690 endangered and threatened species of vascular plants in Japan. For more information, visit the Biodiversity Center of Japan’s website at www.biodic.go.jp/index_e.html.
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SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL IN JAPAN
As a traveller, there are several ways you can minimise your impact on the Japanese environment.
Cut down on packaging Many Japanese are nuts about packaging – some would say overpackaging. The solution to this is simply to refuse excess packaging. When purchasing goods, you can say ‘Fukuro wa irimasen’ (I don’t need a bag), or simply ‘Kekkō desu’ (That’s alright).
Refuse hand towels Oshibori are moist hand towels given to customers at restaurants, pubs and bars. They can be reusable cotton or disposable paper. While this hospitality is just the thing for sticky fingers before a meal, it harms the environment through the laundering of used towels, transport and the cutting of trees.
Carry your own chopsticks Carry your own chopsticks around with you and say no to waribashi (disposable chopsticks) provided in restaurants. Either keep the first nice pair of waribashi that you are given, or visit a convenience store or 100 yen shop and ask for my hashi (lacquered, washable chopsticks with a carrying case).
A little less tuna, please When you go to a sushi place, try to stay away from species of fish that are endangered, like maguro (tuna), including toro (fatty tuna belly). We know, this one hurts!
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NATIONAL PARKS
Japan has 29 kokuritsu kōen (national parks) and 56 kokutei kōen (quasi-national parks). Ranging from the far south (Iriomote National Park) to the northern tip of Hokkaidō (Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park), the parks represent an effort to preserve as much as possible of Japan’s natural environment. Although national and quasi-national parks account for less than 1% of Japan’s total land area, it is estimated that 14% of Japan’s land is protected or managed for sustainable use.
Few of the parks have facilities that you might expect in national parks (ranger stations, camping grounds, educational facilities etc). More importantly, national-park status doesn’t necessarily mean that the area in question is free from residential, commercial or even urban development.
The highest concentration of national parks and quasi-national parks is in Northern Honshū (Tōhoku) and Hokkaidō, where the population density is relatively low. But there are also national parks and quasi-national parks, such as Chichibu-Tama and Nikkō, within easy striking distance of Tokyo.
For descriptions of Japan’s parks, see www.env.go.jp/en/np/index.html.
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COOL BIZ, HOT TREND
Japan managed to cut CO2 emissions by about 1.4 million tons in both summer 2006 and 2007 – roughly equivalent to all emissions generated in