＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:https://skawa68.com/
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
When I was a child, I often heard people say, “There is not much greenery in Osaka. Indeed, Tokyo seemed to have a lot of greenery, including the Imperial Palace, the site of the former Edo Castle, the vast “Daimyo Yashiki” (feudal lords’ residences) from the Edo period, the Shinjuku Imperial Garden, the former imperial estate of the Imperial Family, and the forest of Meiji Shrine（「明治神宮の森」）.
However, subsequent “greening obligations” were introduced when developing new towns and constructing condominiums and commercial facilities, and the requirement to “green the premises (planting trees in the surrounding area)” was introduced when constructing new buildings in Osaka City, so the area now has a lot more greenery.
That’s a good thing, but recently various problems have arisen.
1. The roots of street trees are exposed above ground.
Recently, a television report stated that Robinia pseudoacacia trees planted along a road in Akashiadai, Sanda City, Hyogo Prefecture, have grown so large that they have “rooted up,” causing the asphalt sidewalk to bulge and crack, making it uneven, making it difficult to walk or cycle, and even causing dangerous conditions such as falls.
Bonsai pine trees with roots exposed are highly valued, but they are unacceptable as street trees.
As a result, the city of Sanda decided to cut down the Robinia pseudoacacia trees lining its streets, but this has sparked mixed reactions.
The largest new town in Sanda City, called “Woody Town,” has 36,000 residents, one-third of the city’s population, living in the four districts of Akashiadai, Suzukakedai, Keyakidai, and Yurinokidai.
Each street has a tree named after the area. However, more than 30 years have passed since the opening of the street in 1987, and the trees’ overhanging branches have made it difficult to see along the roads. In addition, the trees’ roots have grown and are destroying the asphalt pavement. As a result, Sanda City, after consulting with experts, has decided to cut down half of the trees in Akashiadai as a safety measure.
In response to this, some people have said things like, “It will make the town less appealing. I built my home here because it’s a residential area with lots of greenery, so I’m against cutting down the trees,” and there is apparently a petition being launched calling for Sanda city to reconsider.
In Takatsuki City, where I live, many roadside trees are planted not only along the main roads, but also along one-lane roads and in residential areas. In addition, there are several places along the cherry tree-lined road along Shinkawa, a tributary of the Akutagawa River, where roots have grown up.
The Shinkawa River, a tributary of the Akutagawa River, is famous as a habitat for “himebotaru” (fireflies)（「芥川支流の新川は「ヒメボタル」の生息地」）, and in mid-May many people come to see them from about 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Recently, the roots of cherry trees have been noticeably raised, and I am concerned about “falling accidents” that might occur in the dark at night due to people being distracted by fireflies.
2. deterioration of “visibility at the merge” due to street trees
Along Route 171, an arterial road, there are ginkgo, false acacia, nankin-haze, and platanus planted at fairly narrow intervals, with utility poles in between, so when one tries to “merge” into Route 171 from a narrow road at an angle, the “visibility” is extremely poor and troublesome.
Regarding this, I would like to see the following measures considered:
1) Install a “signal with sensors” on the narrower road.;
2) If the merging point is near an intersection, lower the “stop line” on the main road by 5m to make it easier for cars merging from the narrower road to enter;
3) Cut down all or about half of the trees along the main roads in places where the above-mentioned “poor visibility” is significant;
4) Delay the “time to turn red” of the signal at the merging point and the signal immediately before it by about 5 seconds to ensure that cars trying to merge can enter (otherwise, if a car goes over the stop line, it will be unable to turn right onto the main road);
5) Bury utility poles underground along the main roads.
Sidewalks along one-lane roads are even narrow, but when there are street trees there, their overhanging branches make it difficult for people to pass each other, and in some places it is impossible for bicycles to pass each other. It would be better for both landscape and safety if all the trees on such narrow sidewalks were cut down.
３．Noise and fecal damage by starlings nesting in roadside trees
The zelkova tree on “Keyaki-dori” in front of Takatsuki City Hall has become a nesting site for starlings（「高槻市役所前の「けやき通り」のケヤキの木は、数年前からムクドリの営巣地」） for several years. Every evening, countless starlings circle the sky around City Hall, crowding the zelkova branches and making loud noises as well as taking droppings. As a result, the sidewalks are covered with starling droppings. Along with the droppings of clay pigeons, they have become a source of “resentment” for us.
4. The heavy burden of cleaning up fallen leaves from roadside trees
Local residents are also troubled by street trees in residential areas. The road near my house has about 20 “plane trees” planted on both sides. They seem to be popular with passersby, who say they provide shade in the summer and beautiful yellow leaves in the fall, but local residents are burdened with cleaning up fallen leaves, some of which begin to die in the middle of the summer.
These street trees were not originally requested by local residents, and the selection of the tree species was decided solely by Takatsuki City. Although the city does the annual pruning, all other maintenance, such as cleaning up fallen leaves that have accumulated on roads and waterways, is left to the local residents.
This year, Typhoon No. 21 broke many large branches and sent them flying in front of the garages of nearby homes. The annual “pruning” has not yet come this year, as the landscapers are too busy dealing with the fallen trees caused by Typhoon No. 21 to get around to it.
Thus, I have recently come to the conclusion that we need to “declutter” our street trees as well. I hope that Takatsuki City, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the police will consider taking countermeasures.