Asaka no Mori - Asaka

There is a large site for the city. An event like this is being held! !! Although it was a food (agriculture) festival, safe and secure vegetables from Saitama Prefecture were sold.

A lot of nature remains, and NPO corporations are holding a forest play park in Asaka. A great place for families. You can catch insects and play with water. It should be enjoyed by children, but adults are crazy about catching insects!

I went to see "Asaka no Mori" adjacent to Aobadai Park. It was just the planned site of the national government dormitory (3 hectares). I know when public facilities, such as parks and schools, began to be built one after another in a place that was surrounded by wire mesh fences and was off limits until one time. Over the years, Aobadai Park seemed to be over-maintained. Nevertheless, publicly managed parks will still be needed, and they will prove to be of value. However, if there is a large land that is no longer used immediately, it is a natural idea that people who live there want to have an initiative, that is, a park / square that is "autonomous". I was It is different from Aobadai Park where rare playground equipment is installed. Although the prohibitions are reduced as much as possible, it is a place where citizens use and rest, so it seems that there are minimum rules required, and an organization that manages the behavior seems to be created. However, even if the base is returned, 19.1 hectares will remain as national land and 3 hectares will remain, as indicated on the signboard as "Temporary use of the former site of the base site, preparation for operation and management, November 2012". However, it was a state servant's dormitory, which was abandoned because there were many oppositions in trying to build it, and it seems that the current situation is that the former site is used as "Asaka no Mori". Although it is a square, it is entirely covered by wire mesh fences, has a time limit, and does not seem to be able to enter and exit freely at any time. When you enter the square, you can see large trees such as "Shirakashi", "Yamazakura" and "Momijihasuzukenoki" arranged regularly. It may have been mowed, but you can see how precious these parks and squares are when you look at them from a distance while small children are playing at ease on a large grassland or lawn. As mentioned earlier, this was once Camp Drake (North Camp). I omit it a lot, but when the Vietnam War was flourishing, there was a field hospital here. There was a junior high school right around the corner. When I was sick physically and mentally from a school road through a wire net, I saw a junior high school student who could see the sick and sick soldiers several times. It was not unusual to see US soldiers walking in town. The base was returned to Japan in 1974 (Showa 49), most of which were returned to Japan. In 1986 (Showa 51), the main parts were completely returned in 1986. The former junior high school moved to the back of Asaka west high school, and the place where it was a junior high school became the 4th elementary school. I was surprised at the transition of the city after spending decades. I went out to check it out, but I still felt awful and went out again. When I first went out, I stopped by the city hall. He told me that he wanted to check the change of the site, so he told me the person in charge. Thank you politely. However, I received only a tourist pamphlet and quit. It might have been better to visit the department where the person in charge came. However, I just wanted to write an impression, not a paper, so I wonder if this was good. If you have the opportunity, you may ask next time.

There is a large parking lot, and there is a convenience store if you cross Aobadai Park. It is good to be able to play spaciously without built-in playset. Jogging and biking are running on the outer asphalt course.

A large open space is the main and easy-to-use park. People with children using the shade of the trees and those resting on the leisure seats were enjoyed. It seems to be crowded during the daytime on a sunny holiday. There is a drinking fountain in the bicycle parking lot on the north side, but it is very disappointing that there is no toilet. For those who use the toilet, it is a little inconvenient to use the toilet in the neighboring Aobadai Park. If you have a toilet, it's ☆ 5.