Highlights: In the middle of Tokyo, there is a rich forest where rare animals such as raccoon dogs and kingfishers, endangered species, and even new species of plants have been discovered. The Emperor wished that it would be desirable to scientifically investigate and study the flora and fauna of the Imperial Palace, which is located in the city center but inhabited by many species. The Imperial Palace is home to a variety of bird species. Survey by the National Museum of Nature and Science and others have confirmed around 50 species of birds a year.

【NHK】In the middle of Tokyo, there is a rich forest where rare animals such as raccoon dogs and kingfishers, endangered species, and even new species of plants have been discovered.

There is a raccoon dog in the center of the city! The Unknown Imperial Palace ForestApril 4 at 26:18

Did you know that in the middle of Tokyo, there is a rich forest where rare animals such as raccoon dogs and kingfishers such as raccoon dogs, endangered species, and even new species of plants have been discovered?

When you step into a dense forest with large trees...

(Social Affairs Department, Reporter Kanami Hashimoto)

"Green Island" remaining in the center of the big city

"I can't believe that such a place remains in the center of the city,"

people are amazed at as they walk through the dark forest at noon with evergreen broad-leaved trees.

On April 4, a nature observation meeting was held at Fukiage Gyoen Garden in the Imperial Palace, which is usually off-limits.

About 23 people who applied and won in 2 (Reiwa 2020), which was canceled due to the influence of the new coronavirus, took a walk in the forest guided by researchers at the National Museum of Nature and Science.

The highlight of this is the bandon of Sudajii, a type of shii tree.

It is a large root that literally becomes a plate and rises above the ground, and is thought to have developed to support the trunk from falling on sloping ground.

Itane is often found in mangrove forests in Okinawa and the tropics, but it is rare for it to form in Tokyo.

Fukiage Gyoen is located on the west side of the Imperial Palace and occupies about one-fifth of the entire Imperial Palace.

Among the Imperial Palace, which has a vast site of 5 Tokyo Domes (about 1.25 million square meters) and a lot of greenery, this place is particularly nurtured by a wide variety of creatures.

Diverse flora and fauna, including endangered species

At the Imperial Palace, a survey by the National Museum of Nature and Science has been conducted since 8, and 1996,5903 species of animals and plants have been confirmed so far.

The Emperor wished that it would be desirable to scientifically investigate and study the flora and fauna of the Imperial Palace, which is located in the city center but inhabited by many species, and to keep accurate records, which led to the ongoing investigation.

Previous surveys have also discovered endangered and new species.

The goldenrod with its bright yellow flowers was once found in Japan but is now endangered.
It was confirmed by survey, and it is still blooming in Fukiage Gyoen.

The Beniito dragonfly, which inhabits reed reeds on the flatlands and rather deep ponds with floating grass, was thought to be extinct in the 23 wards of Tokyo.

A new species of perennial herb that grows on the banks was named Fukiagenirinso, after Fukiage Gyoen.

It is characterized by blooming larger flowers than Nirinso.

Survey

by the National Museum of Nature and Science * 1st survey Heisei 8 (1996) ~ Heisei 12 (2000) 1366 species of plants and 3638 species of animals recorded

* 2nd survey Heisei 21 (2009) ~ Heisei 25 (2013)

250 species of plants, 649 species of animals recorded

Goshawk habitat Kiyoko Kuroda also researched

The Imperial Palace is home to a variety of bird species, and surveys by the National Museum of Nature and Science and others have confirmed around 50 species of birds a year.

It has also become clear that the number of species of birds breeding is increasing.

In addition to the shrews and bulbuls that were bred in the 1970s, it is said that in the 1980s, kogera and whitetail beetles, and in the 1990s, kingfishers, also called "jewels of mountain streams" because of their beautiful blue appearance, began to breed.

In the 2000s, the breeding of goshawks and in the 2010s warblers was also confirmed.

In a survey conducted by the National Museum of Nature and Science last year, the breeding of goshawks and owls of prey was confirmed at the same time.

In the large ginkgo tree in Fukiage Gyoen, there was a nest made by a goshawk last year.

Kiyoko Kuroda, the eldest daughter of the Emperor and his wife and sister of the Emperor, also participated in the survey as a fellow of the Yamashina Ornithological Research Institute.

In addition to taking photographs of goshawks, Kuroda also recorded the voices of owl chicks.

It is rare for the breeding of prey species to be confirmed en masse in the city center.

Isao Saikai, Chief Researcher, Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science:
"Although a causal relationship has not been proven, it is thought that the background may be that the number of crows that chase prey in groups has decreased after being exterminated by the government."

Fukiage Gyoen, which was not a forest, became what it is now at the will of Emperor Showa

This Fukiage Gyoen is rich in nature.
Actually, it was not originally a forest.

According to the Imperial Household Agency, in the early Edo period, the residences of the three Tokugawa families were built. After the Great Fire of the Meireki Era in 1657, when most of Edo burned down, houses were not built to prevent fires, and later they were developed as gardens.

Then, why is there such a rich nature in that place?

There was the intention of Emperor Showa. After the war, with an awareness of restoring nature like Musashino, he began to manage Fukiage Gyoen, where the Imperial Palace of Emperor Showa lived, in a way that was as untouched as possible.

As a result, it has become what it is today, with dense forests such as sea and oak, bright forests mainly made of deciduous trees, and waterside forests such as small wetlands.

The Emperor and his wife: "I want to share the rich nature with the people"

At the request of Emperor Showa, Fukiage Gyoen became a forest rich in nature.

After the enthronement, the Emperor and his wife, who came to live here, took a walk every day.

From 21, for five years, the Emperor investigated the ecology of raccoon dogs living in Fukiage Gyoen and other places with researchers from the National Museum of Nature and Science.

To find out how raccoon dogs, which are rare in the city center, live, we were able to collect droppings and investigate their food.

As a result, it was found that they mainly feed on the fruits of Mukunoki and eat the fruits of various plants such as kusa strawberries and enoki depending on the season.

It is believed that food that allows multiple raccoon dogs to sustain their lives is provided in a stable supply over a long period of time.

In the Imperial Palace, where food is abundant for raccoon dogs, not only raccoon dogs but also an alien species of Chinese civet are often sighted.

Fukiage Gyoen came into public contact with the general public in 19 (Heisei 2007).

In response to the desire of the Emperor and his wife to "share the rich nature of the Imperial Palace with the people," the nature observation group was started.

At this observation meeting, which was held for the first time in four years, participants enjoyed nature that can hardly be seen in the city center.

Participant
: "I think there are many things that are difficult to manage, but they were all things that I really wanted to keep" "I was impressed that I walked in the same place, saying, 'I guess His Majesty the Emperor will also take a walk here.'"

Nature of the Imperial Palace Investigation Continues

At the Imperial Palace Reiwa, the third phase of the survey is currently being conducted through FY7 (FY2025), the first of its kind in Reiwa.

The project involves about 100 researchers, and in comparison with the previous two surveys, they will clarify the transition and causes of change in each type of organism, and consider the relationship between climate change and human activities.

What is the significance of biological research?
We asked Yoshito Omura, Director of the Fungi and Algae Research Group, Plant Research Department, National Museum of Nature and Science, who is the project leader of the third phase.

Dr
. Yoshito Omura, Director of the Fungi and Algae Research Group, Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science: "There is no other comprehensive biota survey in a large city in Japan that has been conducted on such a comprehensive and wide scale of taxa. I believe that the diverse biota of about 6000,<> species was nurtured because of the large-scale specially preserved green space and aquatic environment of the Imperial Palace. Urban areas are highly stressful environments for living creatures due to air pollution, heat island phenomena, and aridity. In such a situation, the rich nature of the Imperial Palace, which exists like an oasis, can be used and a goal. In considering how the nature of the Imperial Palace itself will change in the midst of significant environmental changes, and what the natural environment in urban areas should be, I believe that it is of great significance to continue surveying the biota of the Imperial Palace."

When you step inside, you will find the forest of the Imperial Palace where amazing nature remains.

I would like to pay attention to future changes while feeling the preciousness of each life and what will happen to the creatures that live there.

Social Affairs DepartmentReporter
Kanami
HashimotoAfter joining the National Tax and Judicial Bureau
in 2010, she is currently in charge of the Imperial Household Agency.

There is a raccoon dog in the center of the city! The Unknown Imperial Palace Forest | NHK