Hello! Thank you for stopping by♪
Our store’s unique staff members write a variety of columns and organize special events, which have been very well-received by our customers. I may be biased, but we have a wealth of practical and detailed reports packed with plenty of useful reference material. However, on this page, I’m taking a completely different approach to share my tree-planting log ( ^ ^ ).
“But this is a musical instrument store’s website—why? ( ゜゜?) Is there even a connection?”
I can almost hear those questions, but I’d say that very sense of freedom is what makes our used instrument shop unique (if I may say so myself). Just to be clear, there won’t be any specific talk about musical instruments here. I hope you’ll bear with me m(_ _)m. However, most of the instruments you use every day contain some wood, don’t they?
I spend my days polishing guitars in the shop, and while I’m doing that, I often find myself wondering: (I wonder… when this guitar was just “wood,” in which country, in which region, and for how many years did it exist?)
“You’re actually thinking about stuff like that…?” (;?＿?)… That’s exactly what 8 out of 10 people reading this are thinking right now.
We currently have about 3,000 used musical instruments in stock. Since they’re used or vintage, each one comes from a different era and country of origin, meaning every single instrument has arrived here in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo, carrying its own unique history from all over the world. That means “a wide variety of woods have come together here,” and to me, this music shop feels not only like a store but also like a botanical museum where materials from different eras and all over the world have gathered.
This is spruce, a wood commonly used for acoustic guitar tops, and you can see that the white sections alternate with the dark brown ones. The white sections are called “summer growth” (the part that grew from spring to summer), and the dark sections are called “winter growth” (the part that grew from fall to winter); together, these few millimeters represent one year’s growth. …That’s right—when you really think about it, the tree only grows to this thickness in a single year.If you patiently count these rings… your eyes might start to glaze over, but you’ll at least be able to tell that the tree is over X decades old. Whether it’s wood used for expensive instruments or cheap ones, each piece carries the long history of the plant’s life, and this grain is proof that the tree has survived on this Earth for at least twice as long as I have. What do you think? When you look at it that way, you can’t help but feel a sense of wonder: “Hmm, that’s amazing” ( *´ー`).
As I was reflecting on this, I began to wonder: What does it actually mean for a tree to grow over the course of decades or even centuries? I decided I wanted to see that process with my own eyes and experience it firsthand. I know I won’t live long enough to see these trees grow into giants, but I decided to join a tree-planting volunteer program in the hope that the experience of planting a tree with my own hands would give me an opportunity to reflect on issues like the depletion of raw materials and the environment.
With environmental issues becoming increasingly serious today, I imagine many of you are interested in tree-planting activities themselves. To those of you who are curious but wondering, “Where exactly do we plant trees in the mountains, and how do we do it??”—rest assured that reading this will undoubtedly blow away all your doubts and anxieties ( ^ ^ ). From here on, I’ll give you a rough overview of a typical day as a tree-planting volunteer, including a timeline of the day’s events.Whether you’re interested in musical instruments or not, in wood or not, or in tree planting or not—I’m sure you all have different thoughts and opinions—but in any case, I’d be happy if as many people as possible took the time to read this. (It’s mostly photos with hardly any text… ^ ^ ;)
So, here we go~ m(_ _)m.
On a certain day of a certain month
Woke up before 5 a.m.… Obviously, you have to get up early to head into the mountains. Once you get past this hurdle, the rest usually works out somehow ( _ _ )zzz
Just before 6:00 a.m.… I somehow got ready and left the house. I was supposed to head to the station, enjoying the refreshing early summer breeze♪… but unfortunately, rain was forecast for that day. I made my way to the nearest station in the rain. From there, I headed to Shinjuku.
At 6:24 a.m., I boarded the reserved-seat rapid train departing from Shinjuku, heading straight for northern Kanto. With my spirits at an all-time low, I silently wolfed down breakfast on the train, then pulled my hoodie over my head and fell into a deep sleep for a while...
About two hours later, at 8:14 a.m., I arrived at the transfer point. I switched to a local train departing at 8:23 a.m. and rode for another 45 minutes or so.
“What on earth is going to happen?” (Panicking)… As I thought this, with the rain pouring down relentlessly, I arrived at my destination—the terminal station—at 9:08 a.m.
When I stepped out of the station, several shuttle buses from the NPO hosting this event were parked there, and the gathered participants were boarding them one after another. I hurriedly followed them onto the bus, and after a bumpy ride of just under 40 minutes, mountains began to appear outside the window.
It had been over four hours since I left home (◎◎;), and I’d finally arrived at my destination =3. The downpour had stopped without me even noticing during the trip.
My low spirits from that hellish morning were nowhere to be found; with an energy that wasn’t really my style, I practically leaped off the bus (?) shouting, “Ooh! We’re finally here!” and began waddling toward the tree-planting site.
Um, I wonder how far I have to walk from here to get to the site??… Before I could even finish that thought, I heard a staff member call out, “It’s over there!” I looked in the direction they were pointing and saw that the people who had arrived on the previous bus had already started planting.
“Wow, I thought we’d have to walk a lot further to get to the planting site. I’m glad I didn’t wear myself out,” I thought to myself, feeling quite relaxed—but just as I glanced back…
Gyah!
There were people climbing up an incredibly steep slope…
That’s right! This tree-planting course was divided into two sections: a gentle slope and a steep slope. Since I wasn’t confident in my legs and back, I’d chosen the gentle slope. I was told that the steep slope course involved working while making several round trips up a set of stairs with a 30-degree incline that stretched for about 200 meters. Just imagining how sore my legs would be after finishing the planting made me shudder…. But if no one worked on the steep slope, that area would never become greener. It was a moment when I saw firsthand that it’s only through the combined efforts of so many people that the mountains can be restored.
So, I immediately got started, learning the proper technique from an instructor (＾∀＾)
As you can see here, the ground had already been prepared with holes dug in advance, and we planted the saplings into these holes. This, too, was the result of preparatory work carried out beforehand by so many people… I’m truly humbled.
First, we laid a layer of grass roots and stones at the bottom of the hole. I was told that the grass roots will eventually serve as nutrients.
Then, I added one bucketful of black soil
half a bag of leaf mold—splash~
half a bag of charcoal powder,
and mix everything thoroughly.
By the way, the forecast temperature for that day was 12 degrees. I suspect it was actually a bit warmer than that, but a long-sleeved shirt and a hoodie were just right. Plus, as you can see in the photo, I was wearing Con*verses. “Can I really get any work done in the mountains wearing Con*verses?!” I thought to myself, my heart pounding since I didn’t have any hiking boots—but since the route was mostly flat, even light sneakers were fine.There are some slippery spots, so in reality, sneakers with better traction or proper hiking boots might be a better choice. I pulled off the audacious feat of tackling the mountain in exactly the same outfit I wear when working at the store. I brought an extra light jacket just in case it got cold, but in the end, I didn’t need it. This is generally the kind of outfit you can get by with during early summer in Northern Kanto, so please use this as a reference if you’re considering joining us in the future.
(That said, my trusty Converse sneakers really came through for me in the mountains—as expected! ★)
Well then, it’s finally time to plant the saplings in here♪
I hear it takes about three years for the saplings to grow to this size…
As I replace the surrounding soil, I gently pat it down around the sapling.
Heave-ho!
Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho
And it ends up looking like this
Finally, we spread cedar bark around the base—a process called mulching. This helps prevent drying out and protect against the cold, while also suppressing the growth of weeds in the surrounding area.
And here’s the finished product! I heard there were several types of saplings prepared—um, what kind of tree is this one, I wonder? (sweat) Sorry, I can’t tell at all, but we planted a variety of saplings, focusing mainly on species native to this area, such as “mizunara.”
I happened to look up at the sky during a break in the work. Since it was a day of on-and-off light rain, the sky was completely white with clouds. For a moment, I thought, “It would feel so much better if this were a blue sky,” but then I wondered, “Wait, what if the sun were shining right now…?”
The reason we’re planting saplings is precisely because there are no trees here—which means there’s no shade—so even taking a quick breather meant being under the blazing sun… (I didn’t even bring a hat…) I started to think that this might actually have been the perfect day for tree planting. It’s a time of year when UV rays are strong, so you really should bring a hat (^ ^ ;).
We steadily planted the saplings, and the work is now almost complete. The bark, charcoal powder, and black soil we used were all provided by our sponsoring companies, so even though it was just a small gesture, we made sure to use them carefully.
There were plenty of saplings here, too
Thanks to the efforts of several hundred participants, the entire area was planted with saplings. It was actually quite a large area, but it was done in the blink of an eye. This column is already nearing its conclusion.
Now, after putting away the shovels and buckets, it was time for the long-awaited lunch♪♪ Since it was already around 1:00 PM, I think the work wrapped up quite smoothly. The participation fee for the day (3,000 yen, by the way) covered not only the bus fare and insurance but also the cost of the boxed lunch, pork miso soup, and water, so we enjoyed the provided meal under the tents♪♪ Although it looks completely sunken in the photo, the pork miso soup was packed with ingredients♪♪ We enjoyed every last bite~. We also finished off most of the snacks we’d brought, and then it was time to socialize for a while.
Afterward, everyone—the NPO members and participants alike—gathered for today’s debriefing session, which concluded successfully. Due to the somewhat unstable weather, we wrapped up a little earlier than scheduled, around 3:00 p.m.
Well then, we boarded the bus and left the site. Visible from the bus window were the ruins of a copper mine right next to the tree-planting site. Apparently, the surrounding mountains changed dramatically before our eyes due to deforestation caused by mining operations, sulfur dioxide emissions, and wildfires.The charcoal powder used during the tree-planting was intended to neutralize, even if only slightly, the acidic soil that remains contaminated to this day. Listening to the stories of the people who are dedicating themselves day after day to reviving a “real forest” on this barren soil—said to be among the most difficult to restore in Japan—left me speechless. It was a scene that really made me think.
Then, as I headed back down into the city, I got caught in a torrential downpour (￣ ￣;)
If it were raining like this up there, it would be a real disaster. Grateful for the good weather, I made my way home safely. I got back to Shinjuku just before 8:00 p.m. Although it took a full day, it served as a reminder that we must cherish our limited resources and prompted me to take a fresh look at my own lifestyle.
Although the saplings we planted this time aren’t the same kind of wood used for musical instruments, the wood in the instruments you all play—as you know—all started out as large trees. There are famous instruments, such as violins, that have survived for hundreds of years and continue to exude an overwhelming value and charm that remains unmatched to this day. Even after transforming from a tree into an instrument, the wood continues to live on for a long time as it passes from one person’s hands to another.To all of you who love musical instruments—I’m sure the guitars and Basses in your hands are delighted that you cherish them so much, thinking, “I’m so glad I was reborn as an instrument and can now make music!” (^^).
So, this has turned into a bit of an eco-friendly topic, but there are plenty of eco-friendly things you can do in your daily life without even having to go to the mountains (＾◇＾)♪ That’s right! When it comes to eco-friendly actions you can take specifically because you play an instrument, it’s 【Selling Your Instrument = Recycling♪】 Your instruments are valuable resources too! If you have any instruments gathering dust in your room—whether because you no longer use them or have upgraded to a new one—please bring them to our store! It’s an eco-friendly practice that makes everyone happy—the instruments are happy, and it warms your wallet too d(^ ^ ). We buy and are ready to offer high appraisals, so please feel free to contact us! m( _ _ )m
Click here for the buyback form♪
From “vintage instruments with historical value to the latest current models,” our dedicated staff uses their extensive knowledge and experience to provide fair buyback appraisals that prioritize demand and quality, rather than being bound by market prices. Items we purchase are properly repaired and adjusted by specialized repair shops and our in-house repair technicians before being resold. Please rest assured and entrust your cherished instruments to us.
And just like that, it’s over in the blink of an eye (＾＾;). Now, if this column continues next time, perhaps the next installment will be… “The Weeding Experience”…? Endless images of me pulling weeds from the overgrown area… but since I’m sure no one wants to see that, unfortunately, that won’t be happening. However, I hope to someday share with you all what this young tree looks like once it has grown into a full-sized tree!
Well then, everyone, see you next time (?). Thank you very much ヽ(^◇^)ノ (I)
*Please note that the volunteer activities mentioned in this column are separate from our company’s charitable initiatives.