Environmental Office hosts natural/cultural tour at Tama Hills

  • Published
  • By Naoko Kurokui
  • 374th Airlift Wing public affairs

The 374th Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Office hosted a nature and history exploration walking tour, known as an eco-tour, for 25 citizens of Inagi City at the Tama Service Annex, Inagi City, Tokyo, Oct. 23, 2019. As a protected and secured area for the U.S. military’s natural and historical cultural resources, this facility has been left almost untouched for more than 70 years, providing tour attendees a rare glimpse into the past.

With the facility’s opening in 1937 as the former Japanese Imperial Army arms and ammunitions, Itabashi facility, the Tama-branch Factory came to be known as the “Tama Arsenal” after the land was ceded to the U.S. Army in 1946. Although no longer in use, still to this day the bunkers used to store munitions, wooden buildings, tunnels, a boiler plant, retaining walls made from stone combined with concrete, and ruins of air-raid shelters from the former arsenal facility era remain, standing the test of time.

The tour itself began with a walk through the forest to the Tama Arsenal area. As attendees progressed further into the forest, the scenery changed completely. From the initial road to a path covered with fallen leaves and moss, it was if the forest was welcoming them with the sound of birdsongs, the murmur of a stream, and the sound of leaves swaying in the wind. It was amidst that welcoming tune of the forest that the group began to hear the stories of the many rare plants and creatures inhabiting the forest from the eco-tour leader as well as the story of the biological investigation conducted by the US military day and night at this very location.

With the tour moving closer to their destination, the historic buildings scattered hidden in the overgrown bush began to take center stage, providing tour goers a chance to rediscover a world forgotten.

For one female citizen who participated in the tour for the first time, “I live nearby, but never thought that there were so many precious plants and rich history in this place. The tour in itself was an adventure into the past, with the explanations accompanying every step very interesting and informative. I think the eco-tour leader did an amazing job bringing the entire experience to life and I hope to get to go on future tours.”