NAGANO - A children's park in Nagano City, central Japan, is being removed because of a noise complaint by a local resident.
Workers began clearing the Aokijima Yuenchi park on Monday. It will become a vacant lot by the end of April.
Workers cut down tall trees in the park. They also dug up smaller trees to move them to other locations. Playground equipment will be removed and used elsewhere.
Some residents came to watch. One of them held up a sign saying, "We'll never forget Aokijima Yuenchi."
The Nagano city government opened the park in 2004 on a leased plot. It was reportedly intended to be used by an after-school daycare center.
In March 2021, a single household complained about the noise made by children who were playing in the park.
In response, the daycare center decided to stop using the park. It consulted the city, saying it would no longer be responsible for the park.
A group of community chiefs also told the city that it had no intention of managing a park that was not used by children.
The resident who made the noise complaint did not ask for the park to be closed. But the city made the closure decision in February 2022, saying it was unable to find an individual or group to manage the park.
After the news was widely reported in December last year, the complainer became the target of online criticism. ...continue reading
