紅葉の景信山に、研修員とごみ拾いとお餅つきに行ってきました！ We went to Mt. Kagenobu with beautiful autumn leaves to pick up trash and make Mochi!

JICA東京の研修員福利厚生プログラムでは先日、JICAのSDGs活動としてごみ拾いをしながら、奥高尾の景信山でクリーンハイクを行いました。参加してくれたのはベトナム、東ティモール、アゼルバイジャン、アルメニアなど、8カ国から来日し、日々大学で自国の課題解決のための研究に励む研修員。
さらにこの日は年の瀬の日本文化体験として、山頂でお餅つきを行いました。
高尾駅からバスに揺られ、小仏から皆でごみ袋を持ってクリーンハイクをスタート。バス停やアプローチの車道にはペットボトルやプラスチックごみが見られ、ここで袋いっぱいに拾っている研修員も。
奥高尾は12月になっても紅葉がきれいで、川沿いの鮮やかなもみじに立ち止まって写真を撮る研修員たち。

登山道に入るとだんだん傾斜が出てきます。夏は生い茂った緑で暗いこのトレイルも、今は葉が落ちてとても明るい。ふかふかの落ち葉と、やわらかな冬の日差しに輝く黄葉が本当にきれいで、静かな山歩きを楽しみました。
よもぎを見つけて「これは肝臓にとっても良いの。血液を浄化してくれるよ」と紹介して、皆でもぐもぐ味見。
ふと後ろを見ると、参加者の男子が手にザックとごみをぶら下げて、ニコニコ立っている。（あれ？なぜザックを背負わないんだろう..?）とよく見ると、登りに苦労している女子の荷物を持ってあげているんだ！山では助け合いが大切。

高度が上がって森が開けてくると、山頂の小屋が見えた！
ここの山頂は丹沢の山並みと東京の街が一望出来て、本当に気持ちがいい。そして景信茶屋が、臼と杵、蒸したお米を準備して私たちを待っていてくれた。
JICA食堂「Oasis」の新藤シェフが準備してくれたお餅のトッピングを並べて、お餅つきのスタート。
まずは米粒をトントン潰し、潰れて粒感が無くなって来たら、杵を振りかぶって搗いていく。
スパーン！と杵が入るととっても気持ちがいい。初めての研修員も、最初は遠慮がちに、慣れると良い音をさせて上手に搗いたり、合いの手を入れて餅が手にくっついて悲鳴を上げたりしていた。（もっと手水をつけましょう）

皆で搗くと出来上がるのがあっという間。小さくちぎって、トッピングを絡めていただきまーす！
今日は塩系４種(柚子ネギおろし、のりしょうゆ、くるみ味噌、黒胡麻)に、甘系２種(きなこ、小豆餡)を用意。
「どれが一番好き？」と聞くと、意外に黒胡麻、小豆、きなこが人気でした。私たちには美味しい柚子ネギおろしが、「スパイシーすぎる！」という研修員も。私たちは薬味で生のネギに慣れてるんだなぁ、と文化の違いを実感しました。

生命力の強いお米を杵で搗くことで私たちのエネルギーが入り、パワーフードになるお餅。
お餅は体を温めて活力を高め、強さと柔軟性を与えてくれます。
日本では新年に餅をお供えして感謝と共にいただくことで、新しい生命を受け取ると考えられてきました。そんな日本の伝統と、皆でお餅を搗く楽しさを体験してもらえてうれしいです。

余ったお餅を山頂で休んでる方々にお裾分けして、富士山を見たり紅葉の下でのんびり過ごし、高尾山方面から小仏峠を通って下山。皆でごみを拾いながら歩いていると登りでも下りでも、たくさんの方々に「素晴らしい活動ですね！」とお声掛けいただきました。
山を歩きながら、研修員と日本人談義。
「日本人は集団になると世界一強いと思う。戦後の何もかも失ったところからこれだけ発展を遂げたのは驚異的だ」と言えば、「困難がある時、人は強くなる。戦後は復興という大きな目標があったから皆で助け合ってがんばれた。でも今は平和で物に溢れていて、目標を見出せず迷子になってる人も多い。でも！実際のところは、今は私たちの地球が危機に瀕してるのだから、皆で力を合わせて頑張らないとね」
..などなど、普段話せない研修員と山を歩きながらゆっくり話せるのは本当に楽しい時間でした。
バス停についても最後まで熱心にごみを拾う研修員。自分の国では無いのにそんなことは関係なく、環境をよくしたいという彼らのピュアな思いに感激でした。

今回は開催に向けて紆余曲折ありましたが、皆の笑顔を見て開催できて本当に良かったと思いました。
学業が激務の時期に参加してくれた研修員と、ご協力いただいた皆さま、ありがとうございました！

As JICA Tokyo's participants welfare program, we held a clean hike at Mt. Kagenobu in Okutakao while picking up trash, which is part of JICA's SDGs activities.
Participants from eight countries, including Vietnam, Timor-Leste, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, who work hard every day at universities to solve issues in their own countries joined us.
On this day, they also experienced Japanese culture at the end of the year by making Mochi(rice cakes) at the top of the mountain.
We took a bus from Takao Station, and from Kobotoke bus stop, we all started a clean hike with garbage bags. We found plastic bottles and plastic garbage around the bus stop and on the approach roadway, and some participants were picking up enough garbage to fill a garbage bag here.
The autumn leaves in Okutakao were still beautiful in December, and the participants stopped to take pictures of the bright maples along the river.

When we entered the mountain trail, the slope gradually increases. This trail was dark in the summer with grown green, and now it’s very bright with the leaves falling. The fluffy fallen leaves and the yellow leaves shining in the soft winter sunlight were really beautiful, and we enjoyed a quiet mountain walk.
I found mugwort and introduced it, saying, "This is very good for the liver, it purifies the blood," and we all enjoyed the taste.
When I looked behind, I saw a participant smiling with a backpack and garbage hanging in his hand. (Why don't he carry backpack on his back..?) When I looked closer, I realized that he is carrying the backpack of a lady who is having a hard time climbing! It is important to help each other in the mountains.

As the altitude increased and the view opened up, we could see the hut at the top of the mountain!
The view of the Tanzawa mountains and the city of Tokyo from the summit here is really pleasant. And Kagenobu Chaya was waiting for us with mortar and pestle and steamed rice ready.
We placed the mochi toppings prepared by Chef Shindo of JICA Cafeteria "Oasis" on the table, and we started making mochi.

First, crush the rice grains, and when they are crushed evenly, swing a pestle and pound them.
It feels very good when the pestle dropped center and make nice sound. Even the first-time participants were hesitant at first, but when they got used to it, they pounded with a good sound and when they gatｈered mochi and turned it over, they screamed as the mochi sticked to their hands. (More water to wet his hands was needed..)

We all worked together to make mochi, so it was done in short time. Tear it into small pieces, serve with toppings and “Itadakimasu!!”.
Today we prepared four kinds of salty toppings (grated daikon, yuzu and green onion, nori & soy sauce, walnut miso, and black sesame) and two sweet toppings (kinako-roasted soybean powder and azuki bean paste).
When we asked "Which do you like best?”, unexpectedly, black sesame, azuki and kinako were the most popular. Some participants said "Grated daikon topping is too spicy!” I realized that we are used to raw green onions as a garnish, and that there is a cultural difference between us.
Rice has a strong life force and by pounding it, our energy goes into it, making mochi a power food. Mochi warms our bodies, increases our vitality, and gives us strength and flexibility. In Japan, it is considered that by offering mochi at the New Year and eating it with gratitude, we receive new life. We are glad that they could experience this Japanese tradition and the fun of pounding mochi together.

We shared our extra mochi with people resting on the summit, and after spending some time relaxing under the autumn leaves and looking at Mt. Fuji, we started descending to Kobotoke. As we walked up and down the mountain picking up trash, many people said to us "What a nice activity!”.
While walking up the mountain, the participants and I talked about Japanese people.
“I think Japanese people are the strongest in the world when they are in a group. It is amazing that the Japanese people have developed so much after losing everything in the postwar period.” “Difficulties make us strong. After the war, we had a big goal of reconstruction so we could all help each other and do our best. But now we are at peace and overflowing with things, and some people are lost, unable to find their motivation. But! The fact is, our planet is on the verge of crisis right now, and we all need to work together."
... It was really enjoyable to be able to talk taking time while walking in the mountains with the participants, with whom I normally don’t have time to talk about such things.

Even at the bus stop, participants were eagerly picking up trash until the end of the tour. I was impressed by their pure will to protect nature, regardless of whether that's their home country or not.
Organizing this event was not easy but it was great to see everyone's smiling faces!
I would like to thank all the participants who took part in this event during a time of intense academic work, and to all those who cooperated with us!