“I’ll try it first” An idea man who comes up with a plan

Kotaro Ishiguro has the face of a third sector representative who runs limestone caves and campgrounds in the town while working as a guide for nature experiences in the rich nature of Toma Town. He is an idea man who acts and practices the slogans of Toma Town, “Wood Education”, “Food Education”, and “Flower Education” throughout the four seasons.

First of all, observe and get interested.

The nature experiences that Ishiguro coordinates include tree climbing (tree climbing) and snowshoeing. Treeing, who started a project as a tree education meister and asked a friend to act as a guide, wears a safety belt called a tree harness on a rope dedicated to climbing trees, and wears a helmet to climb the tree. Once you get the hang of it, you don’t need any special physical strength, and you mainly use your legs to climb, so even children and women can easily take on the challenge.

“By looking down at the branches of trees that we usually look up at from a height of 5~6 meters, we can discover various things such as how to attach leaves, and I want people to be interested in forests and nature from there,” says Ishiguro. Instead of telling them the names of trees and flowers from the beginning, ask them to observe them first. And if you are interested, it is best to do your own research, ask, and actively learn.

“It’s not just about treeing, it’s okay to squat down and look at the flowers growing at your feet from below. These purple flowers that bloom in spring are so cute.” Explain that feeling that way is the key to enjoying nature.

Night tour of the limestone caves that sharpen your senses

The highlight of sightseeing in Toma Town, the Toma Limestone Cave, was created by the dissolving action of groundwater over a daunting amount of time from the Jurassic period, 150 million years ago. The limestone cave, which boasts a total length of 135 meters, has been designated as a natural monument of Hokkaido and is of high academic value, truly a mystery of the earth.

The Toma Limestone Cave usually closes at 5 p.m. Mr. Ishiguro devised a night tour of this limestone cave. During business hours, the passages and stalactites inside the cave are illuminated with lights and the guide’s voice is playing. On the night tour, turn off the lights and guide audio, and proceed with only headlights. The tour usually takes about 5 minutes and takes a full hour to go through the dark. “In fact, few people have experienced the real darkness in nature, and on the tour, there is time to turn off the headlights, so they can experience the true darkness.” Then, humans only rely on hearing. You can hear the faint sound of water in the limestone cave, which you have not heard before.

We have also introduced a winter tour of the limestone cave, which is closed during the winter period. The inside of the limestone cave is warmer than the outside air at 10~12°C even in winter, so you can enjoy the fantastic scenery as if it were hazy. Snowshoeing to reach the entrance to the limestone cave is also one of the activities.

I want the locals to be proud of the nature of this town

“I originally grew up in Sapporo, an area with a lot of greenery, so I loved nature, but after I started working, I gradually couldn’t make time for myself and forgot its charm. There are many tourist resources here that impress people from outside. My goal is to make the local people proud of it.”

I want you to get familiar with the forest full of “interesting”

Because they are soft and prone to insect damage marks on the surface, birch trees, which are generally of little value in the forestry industry, are also full of play, such as collecting sap or inserting crayons into the core of small branches to make “forest color empitu”. The bark of birch trees, which are rich in oil, was once used as a stove in Hokkaido. “I think the job of a guide is not to explain knowledge, but to prepare scenes in nature that surprise and impress.” For Ishiguro, mountains and forests are a treasure trove of play. I will chew on the meaning of “play more” that I just learned from my senior guide.

“Although there are no dynamic valleys like Sounkyo or beautiful hill scenery like Biei, Toma has a location where you can experience nature just right. Now that I have time for the weekend, let’s go camping at Toma Sports Land. I would be happy if you could get close to me like that.”