Mori Mori Land was initially started as a volunteer organization in 2004. However, the following year, in 2005, the organization was incorporated and became a non-profit organization. Based in the Keihoku region of Kyoto, Japan, its activities are aimed at preserving and regenerating the region’s natural environment, promoting forest work and environmental education, and passing on traditional culture and techniques, such as charcoal-making using wood from thinning. Keihoku charcoal is locally produced for local consumption, and eco-friendly. In addition, The Forest Kindergarten was established on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the NPO’s establishment, and supports environmental education for children using the region’s unique forests. The organization is working hard to raise awareness of environmental issues in the community as well as society through these activities.
The organization’s base of operations is in the Keihoku area, located in the north-western part of Kyoto City, a verdant, green environment with 93% of the land covered by forest. The area has long been famous as a producer of high-quality wood products, and has been supplying timber locally and further afield for around 1,300 years. In addition to this, the forestry industry here was once so active in the town that it used to pay tribute to the Gosho (Imperial Palace), a place where the Japanese emperor and his relatives lived. In recent years, however, imports of cheap foreign timber have reduced the demand for domestic timber, and the forestry industry in Japan as a whole, including Keihoku, has been in steady decline. In addition, Japan has a declining birthrate and an aging population, which naturally affects the forestry industry. The aging of the forestry workforce and the shortage of new workers entering the industry are serious problems, and the forests of Keihoku, most of which are privately owned, have become depopulated and poorly cared for because money cannot now be earned so easily from forestry work.
The relationship between people and forests in Japan
Japan is one of the most forested countries in the world. It is said that two thirds of the Japanese land mass is forest, or about 25 million hectares, and because of this there are strong bonds between forests and Japanese culture. Cherry blossom viewing (hanami) in the spring is a wonderful example of this, and a custom that has been continued yearly since the Nara period (8C). In addition to this, many precious artifacts, as well as fine examples of Japanese ancient architecture, are made from wood. Horyuji Temple in Nara, which is one of the oldest wooden structures in the world, is made of cypress, and as a national treasure, is in need of regular repairs and upkeep. If the forests continue to decline, or nobody cares for them, some of the best parts of Japanese culture may fade away with them. Therefore, in terms of Japanese culture, forests have played a strong role in its development since ancient times and consequently hold a special place in the hearts and souls of the Japanese people and society.
The reason we choose this NPO
This NPO’s activities are basically focussed on preserving the forest and regenerating it. We (Yuwa and Yusuke) are members of the eco group in our university and, therefore, thought it best that we connect to a topic familiar to us when we conducted our field research for this community engagement project. However, surprisingly, we found it difficult to find a suitable NPO that is especially related to the natural environment. Perhaps this is because Kyoto city is relatively urban, having the eighth largest population of all Japanese cities. More than 1.4 million people live and do business in the hustle and bustle of Kyoto, and the place where our university is located is no exception. However, this urban sprawl also has a different face. When we look at the north-west part of the city, it is easy to see there are plenty of natural resources and this helps the environment surrounding Kyoto city bring some kind of balance between the urban and rural. There are many planted forests here, mainly populated by coniferous trees such as cedar and cypress. The NPO we found in this area is very interesting, as the people who are volunteering in it are particularly highly motivated, as they had to learn a great deal about forests from scratch. This was because they had no knowledge about forestry when they first formed their organization. Therefore, they are not working for profit, they are working for their beliefs. In addition, they are working for their region. With this in mind, we decided we had to visit the organization’s base in the Keihoku area, and conduct an interview.
Interview
Interviewees
Ms. Etsuko Miyanishi – Chairperson
Mr. Taichi Furuya – General Manager
Q: Who founded this organization, and why?
Taichi: The predecessor was a volunteer organization formed in 2004, which quickly acquired NPO status in 2005. The event that led to the establishment of the predecessor organization was actually the World Water Forum. Following it, there was an exchange meeting between residents of the upper and lower reaches of the Katsura River in the Keihoku area, and members who were present in some of the sub-committees felt that something should be done. This is the point when we started the organization.
Q: What position do you hold in the organization?
Taichi: I am the General manager and Ms. Miyanishi is the chairperson of the board. We have about 30 members in total, but only about 5 of us are what you could call full-time volunteers. Therefore, everyone is involved in all activities. As the youngest in the organization, I am also in charge of public relations through the Internet.
Q: What do you have to do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis?
Taichi: To make the most of the forest, we thin out the trees and make charcoal from the thinned timber. Under the slogan “nurture in the forest,” we also offer the forest kindergarten activities as part of forest environmental education. We have been given permission to manage Keihoku Forest Park, and our goal is to burn charcoal once a month. However, we are not able to do it once a month at present. The forest kindergarten is held during the spring, summer, and winter vacation periods when we gather the children together, but only the forest park is managed year-round.
Q: What kind of people are in the group?
Taichi: There are a lot of senior citizens. I guess the main volunteers are usually around 65 years old. They are complete amateurs when it comes to forestry.
Q: How old are the children who attend Forest Kindergarten and where do they come from?
Etsuko: They are usually of kindergarten or elementary school age, and come mainly from the city and around the Keihoku area.
Q: Do you advertise your group and its activities?
Etsuko: We don’t advertise. Just use word of mouth. If we put it on our website, they access the information from there. We have an 18-passenger kindergarten bus, and we use it to take the children to and from school. We go there in the morning, pick them up, play in Keihoku for a day, and then drop them off again. If you lived here permanently, you might not understand the advantages of this place. So people who live here are not so interested in the natural environment because they take it for granted. However, many people from the city have a strong desire to play in the river, play in the forest, catch insects, and so on. Basically, the townspeople seem more interested. I think that if people are exposed to nature from a young age, they will be kinder to others and become a little tougher when they grow up. This is the reason why we are trying to use the forest for education. We are also working with a developmental psychology professor at Ritsumeikan University to plan classes throughout the year.
Q: How is climate change affecting forests now?
Etsuko: In the years following the launch of the kindergarten project in 2015, we never had to cancel due to weather warnings, but considering that last year we had to cancel due to two warnings, I think we are seeing more extreme weather. Typhoons are becoming more frequent and larger in scale, and we even had a landslide that closed the road for a week.
Q: What is the difference between natural forests and planted forests?
Furuya: It is said that there are almost no natural forests in Japan. All of these areas are planted forests. It is believed that there is no mountain left that has not been touched by human hands. Basically, planted forests are artificial forests, such as cedar and cypress. I think it is safe to say that there are no natural forests left.
Q: Actually, according to the data I researched, there are some natural forests in Japan. Is it really possible?
Taichi: Well, that really depends on how we define it. For example, maybe it hasn’t been inhabited for 100 years or 200 years. A forest that has not been touched by humans since the Edo period (1603 – 1867) would be considered a natural forest. Once a forest has been touched by humans, it is already considered an artificial forest.
Q: What is the purpose of maintaining healthy forests and planted forests?
Taichi: As a result of trees cut and left unattended in forests, trees were washed away when the Katsura River flooded, and bridges were destroyed or flooding occurred due to the gathered trees. Trees will grow vigorously when they are cared for, and those on neglected mountainsides are often not thinned. Especially in the northern mountains, trees are planted too densely, making it difficult for photosynthesis to take place. Without thinning, trees tend to become soft, and when heavy rains or typhoons hit, the soft roots are unable to support the soil and it runs off into rivers. Thinning trees to prevent these problems can reduce harmful effects. It is also important to thin old trees. In the case of natural forests, natural regeneration occurs, and even if a tree falls, new trees will grow back from underneath due to exposure to light.
Q: How do you think this project will change or grow in the future?
Etsuko: In forestry, we plant trees for our children’s and grandchildren’s generations. Even if trees are planted, they will not be harvested for decades to come. In the past, trees were planted because there was a demand for them, but the demand for trees has decreased due to foreign timber. Many mountainsides are planted but left unattended because there is no money to be made from them, but if they are planted, we want to make sure that they will last the lifetime of the timber.
Q: Was the forest kindergarten created from the viewpoint of human resource development?
Etsuko: No, we established it with the hope that people would become familiar with nature, just as grandparents would expect their grandchildren to become familiar with nature. It doesn’t have to be trees, it could be something natural, for example, climate change, or even living creatures, and I want people to be able to think about that because the earth is made up of many species of animals, including human beings.
We would like to say thank you to Ms. Miyanishi, and Mr. Furuya of Morimori Land for cooperating with us and providing us both with some interesting information and knowledge.
Reflections
Before we went to the interview, we did some background research on the topic and the organization. Through this, we found out there were a lot of things that we didn’t know. For example, almost all of the trees in the area are coniferous varieties, such as cedar and cypress. Because of this, if no one takes care of them, the trees will fall down easily and this will devastate the forest gradually. Coniferous trees have a certain characteristic, and that is their roots are weak compared to broadleaf trees. In addition, traditional Keihoku charcoal made from cedar is particularly suitable for barbecues. This is because cedar wood ignites quickly due to the low density of the wood, and this extends the burn time. All of this information was new to us.
Finally, forests play a major role in preventing catastrophes such as floods and landslides. Trees in the forest keep the ground solid even after the soil absorbs rain. By allowing forests to become healthier, people can avoid many disasters in advance. However, how many people know this? Recently, many children in Japan aren’t familiar with the natural world around them, although they are living in a country that has many forests. It is believed that developments in technology have created this situation and it is the way of the future. Still, when we visited the group’s office, it was incredible to be surrounded by nature so close to the city, and we could feel at one with it. During the summer vacation, another forest kindergarten will be held here, and more children will be able to learn something about the wonderful nature that surrounds them. We also personally learned many things through the interview and we would like to live from now on with the sense we are a part of the earth we live on.
References
Morimori Land (2020). What is the Mori Mori Cooperative? Retrieved from https://npo.morimori.land/about
Keihoku Jichi Shinkokai (2021). Do you know Kyoto Keihoku? Retrieved from https://kyoto-keihoku.jp/about/
Researchers
Hello everyone! My name is Yuwa Kan from Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. I live in Shiga, which is really close to Kyoto. I am majoring in English, and I love history. Speaking of history, what I am really interested in is the connection between cultures. How they are related, how they accept each other, and how they integrate is fascinating for me. When I have free time, I like to go jogging, and although it’s tiring, I use it to refresh my mind. In my neighborhood, there is a beautiful lake. Actually, it is the biggest lake in Japan, and I always enjoy its beauty whenever I go on a run.
Hi everyone! My name is Yusuke Sakai from Kyoto University of Foreign Studies (KUFS). I am majoring in English and studying business management in some lecture classes. I am also the leader of the KUFS Eco Group, and we are currently engaged in some activities related to ecology and the environment. In my free time I enjoy cooking, reading, watching movies or dramas on Netflix, and working out.