Hinohara Tokyo Citizens' Forest Hall was added to Your Favorites!
Chichibu-Tama-Kai NP, Tokyo
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Forest Hall’s taxidermy collection—about 100 animal species gathered by staff over 30 years—includes animals killed on roads or by window strikes. Their specimens also document wildlife recorded in the park.
Forest Hall screens Hinohara charcoal-making—a craft once so central that the village history says charcoal was paid as tax in the Muromachi era; around 1839, 16,000 sacks (about 240 tonnes) were shipped.
The park is known for 3 owl species, all nocturnal and hard to spot. A Forest Hall staff member recalls hearing a Japanese scops owl call just 3 times one May evening; the bird fell silent before they found it.
At 1,043 m, Forest Hall’s Tochi no Mi is billed as Tokyo’s highest-elevation restaurant—and serves Hinohara specialty maitake, including a tempura rice bowl.
Forest Hall’s digital guide lets visitors search for local plants, listen to calls of birds found in the park, and watch bird footage on a touchscreen—a mini field guide you can explore with your ears, too.
