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- Finding Nature at the City Center
Finding Nature at the City Center
June 23, 2015
I joined the "Hills Nature Weeks" event held in English at ARK Hills Sengokuyama Residence.
We looked closely at our surroundings in order to find things in nature with a particular color or smell, perceiving nature in ways to which we are unaccustomed.
We enjoyed an activity during which we made pencil rubbings of the leaves of the trees.
On a sunny Saturday morning at the end of May, I joined a small group of MORI LIVING residents gathering outside ARK Hills Sengokuyama Residence. We were there for a special "Hills Nature Weeks" event held in English, and we were a very diverse crowd of different ages and from a variety of countries. The weather could not have been better for a nature walk, and I soon learned that, despite its central location, there is plenty of nature to be seen around ARK Hills.
We started on a small lawn in the Kogera Garden, where our guide, a researcher of the Ecosystem Conservation Society Japan, asked us to look more closely at our surroundings in order to find things in nature with a particular color or smell. The latter proved to be more challenging than we imagined, but was a great exercise to help us perceive nature in ways to which we are unaccustomed.
Next, we moved down to Shiinokizaka, where we learned about different types of trees that are common in Japan, as well as the insects that eat their leaves. One activity that everyone (including myself) enjoyed was making pencil rubbings of the leaves from each of the trees we studied. It was not only fun, but also very useful at recognizing the differences in the characteristics of each tree's leaves.
Finally, once we were all getting a bit hot and thirsty, we headed indoors for a short slideshow. Or guide went back over some of the things we had discussed, while also adding in a few new, interesting facts. Finally, he sent us away with packets of tiny seeds so that we might grow our own native Japanese plants at home. It was the perfect souvenir from a very entertaining and educational event!
Kelly