Restoration of “Ajisai (Hydrangea) Road” in Itadori Area, Seki-City,
Gifu Prefecture
Landscape Gardening and Greening Course: Komatsu Daiki(Instructor: Aida Akira)1. Introduction
Both the National Route 256 and Prefectural Route 52 in the Itadori area of Seki City,
Gifu Prefecture, are called “Ajisai Road,” with approximately 100,000 hydrangeas planted
along the road’s 24-km stretch. It is one of the important tourism resources for the area,such as is seen in the holding of a hydrangea festival during the rainy season.
2. Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study was to revitalize the “Ajisai Road,” which has been declining
year by year, and to make it function as an effective tourism resource to revitalize theItadori area. In order to achieve this, three measures were considered necessary as theaxes of “Ajisai Road” revitalization: "understanding the current condition of hydrangeas,""unifying management methods," and "establishing a management scheme," respectively.
3. Contents of Study
3.1 Assessment of Soundness of theTable-1 General Criteria for Measures and Assessment“Ajisai Road”
In order to sustainably manage
healthy hydrangeas, it is necessary tounderstand their current condition. To
this end, we adopted the concept of asoundness assessment used in routine
inspections
facilities

ofsoil-erosion

control(e.g.,soil-erosion

controldams), and studied the criteria forassessingthesoundnessofhydrangeas and how to handle theresults.
The items to be examined in thesoundness
assessment were determined basedon the"Guidelines for the Inspection andDiagnosis of Trees in Urban Parks(Draft)"andCountermeasuresthe"GuideagainsttoFallen

Figure-1 Hydrangea Diagnosis Chart (Draft)

Street Trees." The evaluation items were designed to be indicators that require nospecialized knowledge and can be conducted at minimal cost and in a simple manner.
Under these conditions, five survey items were established: (1) vigorousnessof the tree, (2) status of leaf growth, (3) status of branch growth, (4) percentage of deadand damaged trees, and (5) damage by pest and disease. Each of these survey items is
rated on a 5-point scale (a-e), and the lowest rating is judged as the overall soundness
rating. The evaluation results were graded into five levels: A (sound), B (generally normal),C (requires observation), D (in danger of dying), and E (dying), and guidelines fornecessary measures, etc. were established for each result. Based on the above study, a"Hydrangea Diagnostic Chart (Draft)" was created to inspect the hydrangeas. Based onthese results, a management plan for the “Ajisai Road” will be made, and necessary
measures will be taken starting from the areas with many hydrangeas with low evaluation
results.
3.2 Creation of a Hydrangea Management Manual (Draft)
The analysis of the current situation revealed that the pruning and other methods ofhydrangea are not standardized and vary from place to place (or from operator to operator)
on the “Ajisai Road.” Therefore, we reorganized the hydrangea management manuals
prepared in previous studies and developed a "Hydrangea Management Manual (Draft)"for the operators who manage the “Ajisai Road.” The contents are pruning and fertilization.
The manual describes pruning methods for post-flowering pruning before flower bud
differentiation and pruning during dormant season, when the shape of the entire plant isadjusted. Fertilizer application is described in terms of the fertilizer to be applied after
flowering and the fertilizer to be applied in preparation for growth in the spring.
In addition, a Hydrangea Management Manual (Draft) titled "How to Manage
Hydrangeas" was prepared for the general public to help local residents when they growhydrangeas in volunteer activities or at home. The purpose of this manual is to help local
residents learn more about hydrangeas and become more attached to the “Ajisai Road.”
3.3 Establishment of the “Ajisai Road” Management Scheme (Draft)Currently, Seki City is themain operator of the “AjisaiRoad.” However, in orderfor the “Ajisai Road” tofunction as an attractive
tourism resource belovedbytourists

andlocalresidents, it is considerednecessarytohave

cooperation

from

other

besides

theparties

government. Therefore, ascheme was developed toenable the entire Itadori area
to be involved in hydrangea

Figure-2 Management structure of “Ajisai road”

management, with the aim of solving regional issues such as depopulation and loss ofmotivation forLiving.
The management scheme was developed based on the characteristics of the Itadoriregion, referring to examples of initiatives in other tourism destinations. As a result, it wasdecided that it would be appropriate for the industry-academia-government-private sectors
to manage the “Ajisai Road” by sharing the roles of budget, management, human resources,and technology. Seki City, the "government" entity, will provide support for hardware,management, and budgetary aspects. The "private sector," such as residents and local
residents’ associations, will participate in volunteer work and event planning as well as gain
a sense of fulfillment from their participation. The local development cooperation team willserve as a bridge between the "public" and "private" sectors, coordinating detailed requests
from the residents with the local government. The "industry" consists of local landscaping
companies that actually manage the “Ajisai Road” and companies that sponsor the road.
The sponsors are companies that contribute sponsorship money to the management andoperation of the road, as in the case of Nagoya City's sponsored flower beds, and thesponsorship money will be used to cover management costs. In the "academia" category,
students from our school and Gifu Prefectural Kamonourin High School may participate involunteer activities; their classes can be conducted more practically if the “Ajisai Road”
provides a place for practical training for special lectures.
As described above, a management scheme was developed to enable localorganizations to operate as one unified entity. In the future, it is the hope that themanagement and operation of the site will shift from a government-centered to a residentcentered approach led by the local Development Cooperation team, as is the case of othertourism destinations.

4. Summary
In this study, the three axes mentioned above were examined, and guidelines, manuals,
and other mechanisms were developed for each. Going forward, the continued researchand study on the practicality of these measures will be required in the future.
*Following is a description of the figures and tables
表-1

総合健全土評価判定基準及びその措置：Table-1 General Criteria for Measures

and Assessment
判定：Judgment
判定基準：Judgment Criteria
措置等の目安：Guideline for Measures, etc.
健全：Sound
概ね異常無し：No Abnormality
要経過観察：Requires Observation
枯死の危険性あり：
枯死：Dying
調査項目のすべてが“a”である：All survey items are "a
調査項目のいずれかに”b”がある：“b" exists in any of the survey items調査項目のいずれかに”c”がある：“c" exists in any of the survey items
調査項目のいずれかに”d”がある：“d" exists in any of the survey items
調査項目のいずれかに”e”がある：“e" exists in any of the survey items
必要な措置等を講じる必要なし：No need to take necessary measures, etc
必要に応じ、経過観察：Observation as necessary
通常通りの管理を行う：Management to be carried out as usual.
必要な措置等を講じ、経過観察：Take necessary measures, etc., and monitor progress
回復の見込あり：Prospects for recovery exist.
必要な措置等を講じ、経過観察：Take necessary measures, etc., and monitor progress
撤去・更新を検討する：Consider removal or renewal
撤去する：To be removed
環境次第で他の樹木への更新も検討：Consider replacement with other trees dependingon the environment
図-1

作成したアジサイ診断カルテ（案）：Figure-1 Hydrangea Diagnosis Chart (Draft)

図-2

アジサイロードの管理構造：Figure-2 Management Structure of “Ajisai Road”

お金の流れ：Flow of Money
管理に関する流れ：Flow of Management
人の流れ：Flow of People
その他の流れ：Misc. Flowsアジサイロード：“Ajisai Road”【 行 政 ・ 民 間 】 地 域 お こ し 協 力 隊 ： [Administration and private sector] Local
Development Cooperation Team【行政】関市・板取事務所：[Administration] Seki City, Itadori Office【産業】造園会社、スポンサー企業：[Industry] Landscaping Company, Sponsor Companies【民間】地元住民・自治会・商工会：[Private sector] Local Residents, Local Residents'
Associations, Associations of Commerce and Industry【学校】岐阜県立国際園芸アカデミー、加茂農林高校：[School] Gifu International
Academy of Horticulture, Gifu Prefectural Kamonourin High School
募集・依頼：Recruitment/Requests
指導・支援：Guidance/Support
業務委託：Outsourcing
委託料：Outsourcing Fees
予算：Budget
管理：Management
観光資源：Tourism Resources
協賛金：Sponsorship Fees
ＣＳＲ活動：CSR Activities
活動実績：Activity Results
ボランティア：Volunteer
生き甲斐：Life Fulfillment
イベント企画：Event Planning
観光客：Tourists
実習：Practical Training
技術的指導：Technical Guidance
研修場の提供：Providing Training Venues