“Even the Administration Approved! Serious Garbage Pickup”” with Suzuki “”Jimny””! Even pulling up abandoned cars from the water! What is the reality of “”Sarugashima Off-road””?
Jimny Enthusiasts Dependable Even by the Government
On the banks of the Sagami River, which flows through Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, there is a place called “”Sarugashima Off-Road.
It is a free off-road course that utilizes the natural terrain almost as it is, and on holidays, it is crowded with many cross-country vehicles and off-road motorcycles, including the Suzuki “”Jimny.
Every year in March, the Sarugashima Off-Road Course hosts what is called the “”Sarugashima Clean Campaign”” led by Jimmy owners.
Why do Jimmy owners volunteer to pick up trash?
Serious trash pickup with Jimny! And the ultimate customized “”5-door Jimny”” is so cool!
Why do Jimmy owners organize the “”Sarugashima Clean Campaign”” at “”Sarugashima Off-road””?
This location is recognized by Kanagawa Prefecture, Atsugi City, and other local governments. It is very rare in the Tokyo metropolitan area that the off-road portion of a riverbed is open to the public, and there are only a few places, including Sarugashima, where it is.
Why has Sarugashima been open as a free-running off-road course for so long?
The reason for this is that the local Jimmy owners and the local people have a strong desire to “”protect the place where we run by ourselves! The reason for this is the volunteer activities of local Jimmy owners and off-road motorcycle owners.
The main person behind these activities is Mr. Yutaka Nikaido of RV4 Wild Goose, a store specializing in Jimny and 4WD vehicles. We asked him what kind of activities he has been involved in and when he started them.
–When did the volunteer activities by Jimmy owners start?
The Jimny Club of Japan (JCJ) was established in 1982. Since that time, we have been involved in activities such as picking up trash at the Hamaoka Sand Dunes in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Later, we started holding off-road schools on Sarugashima on a regular basis, and we began asking participants to take home and dispose of as much trash as they could hold in their hands.
However, there was a limit to how much trash we could carry in our hands, and I felt that even if we were trying to clean up Sarugashima, it would only be a matter of self-satisfaction. We wanted to make a big deal out of it by getting the government involved.
–Is that where the Sarugashima Clean Campaign came in?
Yes, that’s right. What triggered the campaign was the increase in the illegal dumping of cars around Sarugashima.
Before the recycling ticket system was introduced in 2005, the cost of scrapping a car was about 30,000 yen.
So, bad people who did not want to pay the scrapping fee began to illegally dump their cars.
There were times when nearly 30 cars were dumped on the banks of the Sagami River.
According to the government (Atsugi City), the disposal cost was 30,000 yen if the vehicles were dumped up to the entrance of the riverbed, but if they were dumped in the river, it would cost about 300,000 yen because heavy equipment and tow trucks would be needed to pull them out of the river.
So I made a suggestion. “”Why don’t you call your friends with 4-wheel drive vehicles and have them pull it out and haul it away?”” I said.
The government officials were surprised. “”You can do that (without using heavy machinery or large-scale equipment)? He said, “”Yes, we can.
–How many 4WD volunteers did you get for pulling up the vehicles abandoned in the river?
I called my friends in the 4WD club, and we gathered 30 vehicles, including Land Cruisers and other large 4WD vehicles.
They were so happy to get into the river and help pull up the abandoned vehicles. Everyone loves to pull (laughs).
And they have all been driving 4WD vehicles for many years and have a very high level of experience in off-road driving. That’s why no one gets hurt and everyone is in control.
–I’m sure the government officials must have been very happy.
In the beginning, there were concerns such as, “”What if someone gets hurt during the work?
But after they realized that we were working at a high level, making full use of the 4WD’s off-road capabilities, they were relieved. They were very grateful.
After all, the cost reduction was amazing. If we bring it from the inside of the river to the entrance, we can reduce the cost by 270,000 yen per unit. Of course, the government took care of the rest (such as transporting the waste from the river entrance to the disposal site).
This was one of the reasons why we began to hold a large-scale Sagami River cleanup campaign once a year.
–When is the campaign held?
It is usually around March. In summer, there is so much grass that it is difficult to see the surroundings, so it is hard to find trash, and it is hard to work under the hot sun.
Therefore, we now conduct the cleanup in March, when the grass dies down and before it starts to grow back, when visibility is good and the weather is pleasant. At times, more than 300 people gather.
–I understand that there are also people who enjoy camping and BBQ at the Sarugashima off-road.
Yes, we do. It is a place to enjoy outdoor leisure activities. However, they are not the ones who throw garbage away. They bring it from outside.
People who camp on Sarugashima have very good manners. Why is that? It is because they “”assume that they will come back again.
In places closer to the city, such as the Tama River, people who BBQ or cherry blossom viewing leave their garbage behind or build fires directly on the grass, and such misdeeds are often reported in the media.
People who play on Sarugashima use the place neatly and leave it clean so that they can camp here again. The off-road course is the same.
The same is true of the off-road course.
According to Nikaido, the natural terrain of the Sarugashima off-road course is also wonderful.
It’s interesting,”” he said. The distance is quite long, and you can enjoy a variety of terrain. You can drive a Jimny or a big 4WD vehicle such as a Land Cruiser.
There is grass, mud, and sand. There is also sand. And there are lots of birds and you can even see wild pheasants.””
We protect the place where we run by ourselves. Sarugashima Off-Road has been protected for many years by well mannered owners of high quality 4WD vehicles, who have also joined hands with the local government.”
