Townspeople's desire to care for the town" working hard to clear the land for landscape and environmental improvement in Hokuryu Town.

Friday, April 3, 2020

In late March, with lingering snow, land in the Hekisui area that had been abandoned for a long time was cleared by the voluntary volunteer activities of townspeople. They were Kazuo Kimura (79 years old, president of the Hokuryu-cho Senior Citizens Club "Himawari Choujyukai") and Masahiro Iwakura (77 years old), who provided support.

Kazuo Kimura

Abandoned land and houses

The house has been vacant and dilapidated for many years and the land is in disrepair with trees. The location faces Route 233 and has heavy traffic.

Overall

Along Route 233

Abandoned houses

Acquired houses and land for landscape and environmental improvement in Hokuryu Town

Kazuo Kimura, 79, felt that if the situation continued as it was, it would not be good for the landscape and environment of Hokuryu Town, so he took the plunge and acquired the land and house. He began to clear the land himself. He did this over the objections of his wife and friends.

Cutting down trees with a chainsaw

Kazuo Kimura and Masahiro Iwakura

With the help (support) of Mr. Masahiro Iwakura (77 years old), they will build scaffolding, cut down trees, clear fallen trees, etc., remove roots after the snow melts, and clear and organize the land until it is ready for a field.

Story by Kazuo Kimura

The lot faces a national highway, so it is surprisingly conspicuous. I have long thought that it would be better to cut down the rough trees, take care of it, and improve the environment. We hope to properly preserve and utilize such a wonderful place in the town of Hokuryu. In the future, I have various plans for the land to be used as a vegetable garden (field) and pasture for the residents of the town.

As for the houses on the land, we are not considering using them at this time as they seem to have leaks. We are thinking of renting a jumbo and dismantling it ourselves next season when there is enough snow on the ground.

This land clearing work will take four to five days to cut down the trees. After the snow melts, I would like to borrow a jumbo to do a little more work such as removing the roots and organizing the land while I work on the farm," said Mr. Kimura with a gentle smile.

Landscape on the third day of land preparation work

This is the view three days after we started land preparation.

We express our infinite respect, gratitude, and prayers to Mr. Kimura for his passionate love for Hokuryu Town and his great spirit of challenge.

More Photos

interpoint (interword separation)Working hard to clear land for landscape and environmental improvements in Hokuryu Town Click here for 61 photos >>

Related Articles

interpoint (interword separation)Self-History, Kazuo Kimura, "Joint Self-History (Hokuryu-cho Bunka Renmei Bunka Shu, Vol. 9, 2013)."
　

◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi