Road trip with tokyo grapher
A trip around the Fuji Five Lakes in early spring Vol.3
There is a forest that I have wanted to enter for a long time. The sea of trees in Aokigahara.
Green moss covers the rough surface of the lava flow, and a dense forest spreads above it. It is located on the northwest side of Mt.Fuji and covers an area almost surrounded by the Yamanote Line.
The predecessor of the Fuji Five Lakes, a vast lake called "Senoumi" was filled with lava by the "Jogan Great Explosion" of Mt. Fuji in 864, 1,100 years ago, and grew there. It is said that the trees grew in about 2 cm of soil that was created by the moss decaying and growing again. Because the soil is thin, the roots of the trees spread across the ground, creating a unique landscape.
The mysterious Sea of Trees is somewhat like the deep sea
The recently released American movie "The Sea of Trees" starring Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe tells the story of two people who came to commit suicide when they meet in the Sea of Trees and seek an exit. It is a story about wandering and looking back at yourself, but it is said that Seicho Matsumoto's novel "Nami no Tou" made Aokigahara's Sea of Trees a famous suicide spot.
Perhaps because of such preconceptions, when I enter this deep forest, my heart trembles with an uneasy feeling that I will never be able to get out again. However, when you actually set foot on it and walk, you will find that you are walking on the bottom of the deep sea, surrounded by the mystical scenery of a forest formed by endless moss-covered lava flows and trees that take root. I feel like I'm in the middle of the day.
It had snowed a little late the day before, and on this day there was still a thin layer of snow lining the green moss.
There seemed to be many kinds of moss growing in the vicinity, but among them, the bright green 'Hinoki moss' was especially beautiful with the drops of the melting remaining snow. I wonder if each drop of this drop will permeate the soil and eventually become that delicious natural water of Mt. Fuji? … and I remember the coffee I drank from spring water just now.
When I stroked the cypress moss, it was soft and gentle, and my palm felt good.
The kindness and strength of the sunlight filtering through the trees
The expression of the forest changes depending on the light.
To tell you the truth, I like the forest on rainy days. You can shoot with a beautiful green tone that is more moist than a sunny day when the strong sunlight emphasizes the shadows.
The first half of the photos introduced here were taken on a cloudy day with no sunlight, and the greenery of the trees and moss are reflected. On the other hand, the second half is sunny, and the strong sunshine filtering through the trees casts light all over the trees and onto the ground.
It looks like a stage set with lights on. I made my friend pose as a performer in the spotlight.
To be continued
Text by Koichi Miyase
Photography by Koichi Miyase and Akihito Nagata
Photographic equipment / iPhone 6S + tokyo grapher, Canon EOS 5D Mark2
