5th National Tree-Tending Festival Commemorative Admission Ticket 🌲 Issued October 1, 1981 (Showa 56) by Nakajo Station, Niigata Railway Operating Division / 110-yen regular admission ticket, 2-piece set
[Introduction to Niigata Paper Ephemera] 🧐
5th National Tree-Tending Festival Commemorative Admission Ticket 🌲
October 1, 1981 (Showa 56)
Issued by Nakajo Station, Niigata Railway Operating Division / 110-yen regular admission ticket, 2-piece set
A commemorative admission ticket issued by the Japanese National Railways.
Issued by Nakajo Station in conjunction with the National Tree-Tending Festival, this set remains complete with both the front (aerial photograph of Tainaidaira) and the back (leaflet with a map of the surrounding venue area) 🎫
[Commentary on Content, etc.] 🧐
◯ The National Tree-Tending Festival is an event that has been held every autumn since 1977 (Showa 52) in prefectures that have previously hosted the National Tree-Planting Festival.
It focuses on 'tending' the trees that have been planted and is positioned as a national greening event paired with the Tree-Planting Festival.
The 5th festival (1981) was held on October 12, 1981, at Tainaidaira in Kurokawa Village, Kitakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture.
The central event involves members of the Imperial Family tending to trees planted by the Emperor and Empress during the National Tree-Planting Festival; at this event, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess tended to cedar trees planted by their Majesties the Emperor and Empress.
◯ The aerial photograph on the front of the ticket shows the green-covered mountainous Tainaidaira and the prepared venue layout.
The leaflet on the back features a detailed map of the area around the venue, showing its position relative to Bandai-Asahi National Park and the Iide Mountain Range, as well as facilities such as the Tainai Hutte, the National Tainai Ski Resort, a clay pigeon shooting range, and a campground.
◯ The issuing station, 'Nakajo Station,' is a station on the Uetsu Main Line.
The leaflet map shows its location along with Hirakida Station, indicating that it functioned as a gateway to Tainaidaira (Kurokawa area).
◯ The venue, Kurokawa Village, was the site where the Kurokawa Domain's local office was located during the Edo period, and it is said that the village name originated from the fact that crude oil used to flow there. On September 1, 2005 (Heisei 17), Kurokawa Village was abolished following its merger with Nakajo Town to form Tainai City. Tainaidaira is now part of Tainai City.
◯ The area around the venue at that time is still utilized as a mountain resort today, featuring the Tainai Ski Resort and serving as a tourism hub for the Kaetsu region along with the Royal Tainai Park Hotel.
◯ The Tree-Tending Festival continues to be held every autumn; most recently, the 47th was held in Fukui Prefecture in 2024 (Reiwa 6), and the 48th is being held in Miyagi Prefecture in 2025 (Reiwa 7).
This ticket from 1981 remains as a record of the 5th festival—an event that was still in its early history.
📖 A 'cross-section of history' told by paper
Kurokawa Village no longer exists. But the forest of Tainaidaira continues to grow today, and the Tree-Tending Festival has reached its 48th year. A single admission ticket captures the atmosphere of its starting point 😌
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