"This is an important site for thinking about (learning about) the lives of people in the Jomon period, and is a very valuable site where a "furnace" was discovered and preserved for the first time in Japan as a site from the early Jomon period.
Although the name Tobinodai appears in the song of Kaijin Junior High School, it is not in the name of the town.
The height of Tobinodai, which is a hill, is almost the same as Kaijinyama Mountain to the south.
As I recall, in mid-1965, the current site had not yet been excavated, and the wooden (two-story) school building of Kaijin Junior High School stood very close to the site.
At the time, the current site was a vacant lot on the west side of the Kaijin Junior High School grounds, which was used as a storage area for materials, and to the south of that was a slope of scrub forest, and below that was a rice field with no roads.
There were also several caves heading east up the slope, and at the time I wanted to go to the entrance with a flashlight and explore deep inside, but I gave up because I was afraid of it collapsing.
Such a memorable place for me! Tobinodai Shell Mound (Ruins)."

1000&shichiro

"Less than a 10-minute walk from Shin-Funabashi Station, this site currently stands 15 meters above sea level, about 3 kilometers inland from the coastline. Perhaps this suggests that the sea extended this close during the Jomon period. An information board about the Tobinodai Shell Mound has been installed, the contents of which are described below.

The Tobinodai Shell Mound is an archaeological site from the early Jomon period (approximately 7,000 years ago) that spans Kaijin Junior High School and its surrounding area (Kaijin 3-4-chome, Funabashi City). The site is located on the edge of a plateau at an elevation of 12-15 meters, stretching 600 meters east to west and 60-200 meters north to south along a small valley to the south. It covers an area of approximately 76,000 square meters. The first excavation survey was conducted by Sugihara Sosuke in 1932. A 1938 survey by the Tokyo Archaeological Society uncovered Japan's first "fire hole," which became widely known among researchers. "Roana" hearths are characteristic relics from the early Jomon period and are thought to have been outdoor facilities used for cooking and smoking. The first extensive survey, conducted in 1977-1978 for the reconstruction of Kaijin Junior High School, unearthed over 200 hearths, the remains of six pit dwellings, and over 30 shell middens, along with numerous pottery and stone tools, demonstrating that this was the site of a representative early Jomon settlement in the Tokyo Bay area. The third survey (in the historic park area), conducted in 1992-1993, uncovered the remains of a male and female human burial (joint burial) beneath the shell midden. The discovery attracted significant national attention due to the scarcity of early Jomon human bones and the fact that it was an example of an ancient communal burial. The early Jomon period was a time when the natural environment, including topography and vegetation, underwent major changes, such as the end of a long ice age and the introduction of a warmer climate, as glaciers melted and sea levels rose. At the same time, people's lifestyles also underwent a major shift, from nomadic to settled. In the Tokyo Bay area, the full-scale use of seafood began during this period. The Tobinodai Shell Mound is an archaeological site that is essential for understanding the lives of people at that time. For this reason, Funabashi City has decided to preserve and utilize this site as a city-designated historic site. Here, the excavation procedures and the conditions at the time of excavation are reconstructed. Funabashi City Board of Education""

Mitsuhiro

"From the outside it looks like a nice park, but this is a very precious place. This is an early Jomon period site where the first "fire hole" was confirmed in Japan, and it is a site that has been preserved from the perspective of those involved in the excavation.

At a normal historical site, a stone monument or explanatory sign is put up and that's the end of it.

However, this site has been preserved and exhibited in a way that allows visitors to see the progress of the excavation. The enthusiasm of those involved in preserving and opening this shell mound to the public was probably taken into account. Perhaps they were directly involved in the design. This is a place that conveys the desire for visitors to "understand." Funabashi City has done a great job.

PS: After seeing this place, please do visit the adjacent museum. You'll easily become a Jomon maniac (wry smile)."

山地雅宏