After the accident at the No.1 reactor in Fukushima the lives of children in Fukushima changed drastically. Is the food safe to eat? Can we play outdoors? What about the sandbox? The water? No matter how much emphasis is placed on safety, parents can't help but be worried. According to the survey among mothers of children aged 0 to 6 conducted in September by the toy manufacturer, Bornelund, on average 14.5% of mothers nationwide are letting their children play outdoors less in comparison to last year. This figure is as high as 75% in Fukushima. And 56.7% of mothers are worried that reducing the number of times they allow children to play outdoors may have an adverse effect on their growth.

Children are highly receptive when they are young. To come in contact with nature during this time stimulates their curiosities and helps nurture their cooperative spirit, therefore, in recent years, there has been growing focus on offering children opportunities to play in nature. Walking through the woods with undulating terrains and climbing trees will also help improve children's basic physical fitness. From the mid 1990s, children's education modeled after Denmark's Forest Kindergarten spread across Japan. This movement was fueled by parents' desire to help nurture children who are sound and enriched in both mind and body.

Mr. Naoyuki Hashiguchi, the director of the NPO Children's Forest Network, based in Inawashiro, opened a school in the forest called Forest Land, in the Bandai Plateau in 2000. They have conducted a wide range of programs such as the "Forest Kindergarten," which teaches young children how fun it is to play outside, the "Little Adventure," which lets children play in the rivers and waterfalls in the depth of the primeval forest, and "Playing in the Satoyama," where children get to eat berries and fruits and look for a wide variety of insects.

Mr. Hashiguchi says, "Nature teaches you how to be human."

目次へ移動 Stress, which comes from being cooped up indoors, cause health issues

Mr. Hashiguchi was very much concerned about the children in Fukushima who cannot play outdoors even if they want to.

"We are at the second phase of the nuclear accident. Even if we presume that additional radiation will not be release, the radiation levels will not go down unless radioactive materials are decontaminated. If children can only play indoors, they become stressed, and there may be adverse affects on their health. What can be done when decontamination is progressing slowly? I wanted to let children play outdoors even if it was just over the weekend."

Fortunately radiation levels at Inawashiro are comparatively low, so he wanted to bring children there. But it should not be a one-off event; it needs to be an on-going initiative. So Mr. Hashiguchi began to create the necessary framework.

Just hiring a bus requires funds, and it would be difficult for kindergartens and schools to pay for it. On the other hand, depending on donations will not ensure longevity. So he applied for a fund Fukushima prefecture set aside for initiatives that help build communities. His project was given the go ahead and so this October the project to help "Fukushima's Children Play Outdoors" began. By next March, the cooperative will have organized 35 trips and invited 1,500 children and their chaperones to numerous facilities in the prefecture to offer children the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature.

Fall foliage season at the Mt. Bandai (photograph provided by: NPO Children's Forest Network)

Mr. Hashiguchi was a writer for outdoor magazines. He often came to Mt. Bandai for work. He then fell in love with it and moved to Inawashiro in 1994. He once wrote an article about the wet bog there, and many a time he felt attracting many tourists with low morals who wreaked havoc on the local nature. This brought his self-contradiction into the spotlight.

He began to feel that "introducing how great nature is may actually have an adverse effect on nature itself. "To protect nature, you cannot communicate unilaterally. He felt that it was important to communicate a message over the long-term and so he shifted directions and began working as a nature guide. He thought that if he comes in contact with 10 people a day as a guide, after 10 tours he would have reached out to 100 people.

While working as a guide, he realized that it might be more important to point children into the right direction. Children, whose sense of values is still malleable, are more sensitive to nature's message. So Mr. Hashiguchi established the NPO Children's Forest Network to provide opportunities to come in contact with nature to children from an early age.

Mr. Hashiguchi explains.

"There are so many different types of nature you can learn from. I learned a lot from the forests myself. Nothing is better than first hand experiences. Biodiversities of yards and gardens, parks, and forests are different. It is said that having diverse experiences in diverse environments helps children develop abilities to adapt to changes in society and at schools."

Having said that, just letting children loose in the environment is not good enough. Having a leader, who understands nature, will help children see and discover many things.

With the "Play Outdoors" program, Mr. Hashiguchi takes care to make children forget about radiation. They live with radiation on their minds every day. Mr. Hashiguchi wants to set the children free from such a situation, and let them play in nature to their hearts' content. Needless to say, radiation levels will be measured in advance and they would avoid puddles and places where there are many dead leaves.

Mr. Hashiguchi admits that after the nuclear accident, he, too, was concerned about the unforeseeable future. But people from Aizu are strong and hardy, so they don't really mention their hardship. Mr. Hashiguchi decided to stay in Fukushima because he knew that there was something only he would be able to do.

目次へ移動 A life where children have to worry about quantitative results

We paid Mr. Hashiguchi a visit on November 14th. That was the day of the third session. The first session welcomed children from Iwaki City, and the second session welcomed a bus full of children from Fukushima City. And the third session welcomed children from the "Purimura Nursery School" located in Sukagawa City.

The "Showa No Mori" playground, located 10 minutes away by car from the Inawashiro station, was chosen as the site for this session. It is a beautiful natural site from which there is a great view of the Inawashiro Lake. On the ride from the station we saw Mt. Bandai standing tall and swans flocked in the fields on both sides of the roads. They were feeding on the ears that fell after the rice harvest in preparation for the winter.

Children between the ages 3 and 6 came to visit. Please listen to the dos and don'ts before you go off playing.

They scattered immediately.

Unfortunately it was a cloudy day, and there was a mist over Inawashiro Lake, too, so you couldn't see it very well. But for the children it was a very special day nonetheless. A total of 36 children between the ages 3 and 6 arrived in a big bus after a one-hour ride.

Even before the accident, Purimura Nursery School had placed importance on offering children opportunities to come in touch with nature. Last year, with Mr. Hashiguchi's help, they organized a "Forest Kindergarten" project at a Satoyama near their kindergarten. They had given up doing it this year thinking it would be impossible, but learning that Mr. Hashiguchi had embarked on this program, they decided to stretch their legs and visit the safe haven, Inawashiro.

Did you find something? Hanging out with Mr. Tsuchiya, who supports this program.

We found this many pinecones!

Children who got off the bus ran in all directions with amazing smiles. It was difficult to get them all to come back. They screamed with delight when they found pinecones and acorns, and when they discovered sow bugs underneath a stone, they hesitantly reached out to touch them. There were some children who found large mushrooms. Being told that they can't eat these mushrooms, they went and returned it to the spot they found them in.

There was a girl who looked at us with a worried expression each time she picked up an acorn or a fallen leaf. "Is there radiation on it? Is it ok to touch it?" Hearing the word radiation come out of a 4-year old child's mouth was heart wrenching. We were told that sometimes older children warn younger children not to touch something, and they sometimes even ask if it is all right to breath.

According to the principal of the nursery school, Ms. Fumiko Kumada, the radiation levels near the nursery school is not so high. But it is still a concern for parents. There are some parents who are quite worried about letting their children play outside. At the nursery school, they do as the parents wish, so there are children who continue to play outdoors and there are others who stay indoors.

We realized that children have been robbed of the "daily life." There are concerns about the adverse effects being cooped up indoors can have on children's health. According to the research conducted in the city of Koriyama, it has been found that the weight of children who should be in their growth phase are not increasing because they have not been able to play outdoors.

目次へ移動 Children's smiles are answers to everything

"For children, stress may have more adverse effect on their health than radiation. I often tell parents that if you have decided to stay in Fukushima, you need to make a decision for them" says Principal Kumada.

If children sense the parents' and teachers' hesitation, they may feel stressed, the strength of their immune system may deteriorate, and their bodies may become weaker."

This summer the pool at the nursery school was closed down. Before the earthquake, the nursery school had focused on local production, local consumption, and served vegetables and rice from Fukushima, but now they choose foods from other prefectures. Everything changed on that day, and you can feel their frustrations and regrets as guardians of the children's wellbeing.

Principal Kumada said that she was very happy that all the children were able to play together outdoors.

"(The answer to whether today's event was successful or not) shows on the children's faces. There have been many hardships, but it is great that there are so many people that support us. Everyone's support is helping the mothers keep going, too."

"We should not be afraid without cause, and we need to make a decision." Listening to Principal Kumada speak these words, I realized that we, as adults, have to remain strong in front of children.

Principal Kumada said, "The children's smiles are our answers."

Because it began to rain lightly, the children were only able to play for about one hour and a half, but for small children this was plenty of time. When I asked, "Did you have fun?" they answered, "It was fun! We want to come back!" with a twinkle in their eyes.

目次へ移動 Transforming nature's blessings into artwork

Next, the children spent time creating artwork. (At the House of Creative Experience - Waku Waku within the Green Village)

After lunch, the children took part in activities Mr. Hashiguchi has been conducting even from before the earthquake, the "Getting Creative with the Forest." Children are free to use various materials such as branches, pinecones, nuts and acorns to create a unique piece of work. Some children pile the materials up high, some others created their interpretation of the "spring" season - the children's creative ideas were very refreshing. They all created fine masterpieces.

Which materials should I use? Let's make a masterpiece!

Look! I made a fantastic piece of work.

They are very happy with the time they spent.

目次へ移動 Nature gives us reaffirmation

The 2 young people who supported the day's activities left quite an impression as well.

One person is originally from Inawashiro. Mr. Yuuki Tsuchiya just graduated from a university in Tokyo. He had gotten a job offer from the company he used to work for part time, but after March 11th, he turned down that offer and returned home to see if there was something he could do. He went to volunteer at the gymnasium, which served as a shelter (at one time for as many as 500 people), without an appointment. That is when he met Mr. Hashiguchi. Mr. Hashiguchi went to the town hall and tirelessly promoted creating a playground for children at the shelters. Mr. Tsuchiya helped with these activities.

He told us that his father, who is a rice farmer, said angrily, "What could you possibly do?" But his father has come to understand his son, who helps with the farm and also volunteers for various activities.

Mr. Tsuchiya couldn't sit still so he came back to Fukushima.

The other staff is Ms. Akari Saikai, who is a 4th year student at the Fukushima University. She is studying to get certified as a grade school teacher, daycare nurse, and a kindergarten teacher. She has been helping with the Forest Kindergarten activities for about a year now.

"Playing with children in nature has helped me come face to face with nature. The children and their interest and curiosity teach me many things. They help me see things from a different perspective."

Ms. Saikai says that the children taught her how to interact with nature.

"What can you gain from facing nature?" When asked, she thought for a while and answered, "I feel like nature gives me reaffirmation. It is as though she is accepting everything about me."

Mr. Tsuchiya nodded his head in agreement. "Nature is really tolerant and magnificent. It gives us the power to live. When I first went to Tokyo, I was shocked to find myself in a society that did not interact with nature at all. It was a society where only mankind's rules applied. I was born in an environment that was closely integrated with nature, with the ocean, mountains, and rivers. These were the playgrounds I grew up with. At university, I became involved in environmental education activities, but it just seemed different. Here, you can really teach about nature. Children who know nature well, they are not as fragile. They are more robust. Being honed on a playground you are unfamiliar with makes you emotionally stronger, too."

Nature, who accepts you as you are, without condition, is a very important existence for children. The 2 staff, who have lived with nature, were very convincing. Mr. Hashiguchi also says, "Nature accepts everything." Nature, who is all accepting, is a great teacher for nurturing self-affirmation. Nevertheless there are children who are worried about wind direction rather than appreciating the warm embrace of the wind. You can sense the frustration in their voices.

目次へ移動 It shouldn't end in just a year or two

But because of such situation, perhaps nature will become an existence that will help melt the worry in children's hearts. Mr. Hashiguchi says that he wants to make sure that the "Play Outdoors" initiative won't become a one-off thing. There are initiatives that transport children to other prefecture during long breaks such as in the summer and winter, but they need day-to-day support, too. To keep providing children in Fukushima opportunities to play in nature requires hundreds of millions of yen.

"It's is quite a large sum, but we want to secure the funds for the children of Fukushima, so that we can continue the program for a long time to come. This is not a problem we can solve in a year or two. We should create a network with other organizations undertaking similar activities, so that we can create a framework to conduct activities all around Fukushima" said Mr. Hashiguchi.

What was most heart wrenching about this trip to Fukushima was that children there lived in fear of radiation. In areas that are far removed from the Fukushima nuclear plant, although adults may have concerns, the fear has not transcended to young children.

David Sobel wrote in his book, "Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education," he wrote that "what is important is that children have an opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it and feel comfortable in it, before being asked to heal its wounds."

Not only children in grade schools, but also even younger children in Fukushima have learned the frightfulness of environmental destruction. And they are stalked with the fear of not knowing how long this will continue. I could not help but feel that the children have not only lost the beautiful nature of Fukushima as their playground, but also that they lost precious time they could have spent with nature.

Of course I only saw a little bit of Fukushima. And I am not at all capable of telling you what hardship children who live in areas with even higher radiation levels are going through. But I became acutely aware that adults have to start raising our voices so that something like this will never happen again. I also strongly felt that it is imperative that we keep offering our financial, emotional, and physical support to the children currently living in Fukushima. We need to make sure that we do not rob the children of their precious time and future.

Related URL(in Japanese)
Network to Help Fukushima's Children Play Outdoors http://www.sotoasobi.info/
Forest Land - A school in the woods http://www.fr-land.com/

Writer's profile
Atsuko Koizumi
fter working as a writer and editor of a weekly news magazine, she currently edits books. She also reports on educational issues and culture. She would like to examine and communicate about environmental and human issues from a wide range of perspectives.

People being rationed water in an area affected by the earthquake/tsunami

The M9.0 earthquake that struck Japan on March 11 and the subsequent tsunami had a devastating effect on our infrastructure including the water supply, which is a very vital lifeline.

The water pipes were destroyed and water flooded the streets. The ground near the water treatment plant sunk and the water reservoirs were destroyed. There were many water treatment plants that lost electricity and could not operate. We realized once again that in order to have water, we needed electricity. 2.2 million homes mainly in Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaragi, and Chiba prefectures went without water.

But there were some water treatment plants that continued to be in operation. For example, The Ookaido water treatment plant located in Ishimaki city, an area devastated by the disaster, continued to supply clean water and became a water-rationing center even though it had lost its electricity supply. The plant withstood fierce tremors and continued to function. What made this possible?

目次へ移動 Energy the current water infrastructure requires

By the way, do you know which water treatment plant supplies water to your home? The quality of water and the cost and energy it takes to purify the water differs depending on the plant.

Energy required for water and sewage treatment

A lot of energy is required to supply water and treat sewage. It takes approximately 7.9 billion kWh each year to transport water from the source, purify the water, and supply water to people's homes. Likewise, to collect sewage, process the waste, and release the water, it takes 7.1 billion kWh each year. Together, it takes approximately 15 billion kWh, which is equivalent to the total energy created by 1.5 nuclear power reactors a year.

There are 3 ways to filtrate water: slow sand filtration, rapid sand filtration, and membrane filtration. When you rank these filtration methods by their energy efficiency, the order would be as follows: slow sand filtration, rapid sand filtration, and membrane filtration.

目次へ移動 Ecological purification systems are safe, low cost, and energy saving

We spoke to Mr. Nobutada Nakamoto (chairman of the Community Water Supply Support Center of Japanemeritus professor of Shinshu University), who is an expert in slow sand filtration.

Mr. Nakamoto taught about a simplified mechanism for slow sand filtration at a JICA(Japan International Cooperation Agency) workshop (far right).

"Slow sand filtration has been around for a very long time. Water becomes purified as it slowly runs through the sand.

Actually, organisms invisible to the naked eye found on the surface of the top filtration layer purify the water. They work quite fast; they are not at all slow.

This method, which uses nature rather than chemicals, is a compact representation of how the soil in the forest purifies water.

Even immediately after the earthquake/tsunami struck, water treatment plants that treated water using an ecological purification system (slow sand filtration method) were able to continue supplying safe drinking water.

Why? Because they have a simple and durable structure, they do not require electricity to treat water, and you don't need any chemicals other than chlorine. Even under difficult circumstances, the water treatment plant managed to maintain its usual operability."

There is also data that supports its superior performance when it comes to removing radioactive substances from water (Report No. 28 by the Shimane Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental Science). This method removes 34-38% iodine-131, 66-68% ruthenium-103, and 82% cesium-137.

Koshigoe water treatment plant located in Ueda city, Nagano prefecture.

Organisms on the surface of the biolayer.

目次へ移動 Disadvantages of rapid sand filtration

The most prevalent purification method today is rapid sand filtration. Initially, most water treatment plants used ecological purification systems, but after the war many water treatment plants switched to rapid sand filtration.

Rapid sand filtration can make large quantities of water very rapidly by using chemicals (flocculation agents) to sink contaminants in the water to the bottom, and filtering the water on the upper surface using pebbles and sand.

There are disadvantages to such "large scale," "centralized" purification facilities. First of all, this process cannot remove water-soluble organic matter and ammonia, so you need to kill bacteria using chlorine. Moreover, it also cannot remove manganese, odor, synthetic detergents, etc. so the water does not taste as great.

That is why water from the pipes in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo began incorporating additional processes such as ozone treatment and activated carbon water treatment to get rid of substances that cause moldy smell or the smell of chlorine that rapid sand filtration is unable to.

Flocculation agents being injected at water treatment plants that use rapid sand filtration.

In the past, the water has been polluted by protozoa called cryptosporidium, which caused an outbreak of diarrhea. Cryptosporidium cannot be killed with chlorine, so the use of membrane filtration (which uses a filter with micro pores that removes turbidity and contaminants from raw water) was recommended.

Mr. Nakamoto explains.
"By shifting from ecological purification to rapid sand filtration, we were able to meet the rapid increase in water demand with large-scale, centralized water treatment plants. And the maintenance and management could also be automated. But on the other hand, issues with mold and cryptosporidium pollution is a technological "loop hole" that is associated with rapid sand filtration. We would not have had to face such issues had we stuck with ecological purification."

New processes were introduced such as activated carbon water treatment, ozone treatment, and membrane filtration, to address these technological issues. But this required more capital investment, increased the cost of consumables, and more energy was required, so financing became very difficult. In principle, the cost of water is divided among the number of users, so the smaller the community, the more expensive the cost of using water.

The cost of water differs significantly from local government to local government. If we compare the cost for using 20 tons of water per month, the average usage per household (20mm diameter faucet, as of April 2010), the most expensive water can be found in the Kyumisumi town, Uki city, Kumamoto prefecture, where the monthly cost of water is 12,600 yen, and the cheapest water at 840 yen can be found in the Kyuashigawa town of Fuefuki city, Yamanashi prefecture.

目次へ移動 A town that implemented the ecological purification system as a measure against protozoa

In 1997, the Tetsuta town (currently known as Shinmi city), Okayama prefecture received notice from the water quality inspection agency that cryptosporidium (protozoa) or something of the like was found in the water. The Ministry of Health and Welfare (now Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) issued an immediate directive to cease supplying water and to purify the water.

We spoke to the person in charge of the water facility of Tetsuta town and asked what it was like back then.

"Tetsuta was blessed with water of such great quality, we actually didn't really need a purification facility. But because of this problem, we had to establish a new water treatment plant to supply water."

Many meetings were held in town. In the end, to supply "great water safely," we decided to build an ecological purification system (slow sand filtration).

The Ministry of Health and Welfare accepted all 3 filtration methods - rapid sand filtration, slow sand filtration, and membrane filtration - as a measure against cryptosporidium, but it initially only provided subsidies to plants that chose to use membrane filtration (later, it was decided to provide subsidies to all methods). But the town of Tetsuta still chose to implement the ecological purification system (slow sand filtration). The person in charge explained why.

"It was because the construction, maintenance, and management costs were low. Also, with rapid sand filtration, you would need to use significantly more chlorine than in the past, so we thought that there would be higher health risks for our residents."

目次へ移動 Kenzaki water treatment plant, a beer company's choice

Kenzaki water treatment plant

The Kenzaki water treatment plant located in Takasaki city, Gunma prefecture, is the oldest water plant in Takasaki, erected in 1910 (Meiji 43). Water treatment plants that employ ecological purification have a very simple and robust structure, so plants built during the Meiji and Taisho era are still in operation.

Kirin Beer used to have a factory here. When building their brewery, they checked the raw water and water pipes in various regions in Japan, and chose this place.

I went to this water plant, and asked them to make an exception and let me drink their water. They gave me a cup of water that had just been filtered, without any chlorine (it is required by law to first add chlorine before you supply water). The person in charge at the plant placed the cup full of water on a top of a red line he drew on a piece of paper.

"Look how transparent it is. Isn't it great?"

If you can see the red line clearly, that means that the water is pure.

I do this often myself to check the transparency of water, but I had never seen the red line appear so clearly before. "Please take a sip." The water tasted a bit sweet. It was clear, refreshing, and yet full of flavor. Then they gave me coffee made with the water. The coffee was truly unforgettable.

The Kenzaki water treatment plant transports water from the Torikawa River store in the floodgates of Kasuga in the town of Haruna, Gunma prefecture by using the difference in elevation of the land. It does not require the use of energy to source water, so it is really an ideal plant.

目次へ移動 Maintenance-free Nishihara water treatment plant

If you manage the ecological purification system well, it hardly requires any maintenance. All you have to do is occasionally remove the algae and the dirty mud in the sand filtration tub.

The Nishihara water treatment plant located in Suzaka city, Nagano prefecture uses the ecological water purification system. It is a small, unmanned water treatment plant located in the middle of a grassy field. The only electronic device you will find is the meter. Not only do you not need to maintenance equipment, you don't even have to manage the plant.

According to the person in charge of the water treatment plant at Suzaka city, "The plant began operation in 2004, but we have not had to maintenance it once since." But the water is of such great quality, it is being bottled and sold ("Kuramizu." Currently not on sale).

Nishihara water treatment plant

Kuramizu

Mr. Nakamizu explained. "What is important with ecological water purification is to create a proper environment where the biotic community can do its work. As long as you do that, you don't have to do much else.

Because the term, "slow sand filtration" is widely recognized, people think water must be filtered slowly, and that the amount of water this filtration method can provide is limited. This is not necessarily true. If you look at water flowing through nature, the flow could be quite rapid, but clear water still gushes from the wellspring.

In fact, what is important is that you don't change the speed at which the water flows. Even if it is fast, if the flow is constant, the biological community will remain active. "

目次へ移動 Ecological purification systems are being reexamined in various regions across Japan

Many people in the water business have begun to reexamine the ecological water purification system because it is safe, costs little, and saves energy.

The Nishino water treatment plant in Mihara city of Hiroshima prefecture used to use both rapid sand filtration and ecological water purification, but in 2004, they made a complete shift to ecological water purification.

The Nishino water treatment plant in Mihara city, Hiroshima prefecture.

A water treatment plant incorporating the ecological water purification system began operation in the town of Misato in Miyagi prefecture in 2008. The person in charge of the plant said:

"Until recently, we also used rapid sand filtration to supplement water treatment, but the aging system needed renovation, so we implemented a new system. We listened to the feedback of our residents, and decided to use slow sand filtration. The key benefits that helped up make this decision was the system's ability to make good water at low cost."

The Irabu Island in Okinawa prefecture used the ecological water purification method, but later installed rapid sand filtration and membrane filtration. This resulted in huge costs and excessive debt. When the island merged its administration with Miyako city, it made the shift to ecological purification and membrane filtration and thus the plant has begun to reduce costs.

The Chatan water treatment plant located in Naha city, Okinawa prefecture, built a desalinization facility. Operating this facility required an enormous amount of money for maintenance and thus created great deficits. So the facility is now only operated in case of emergencies.

目次へ移動 Slow sand filtration system that saved marginal settlements

In the folds of the mountains in Oita prefecture, there are marginal settlements with only a dozen or so residents. The person in charge of a water treatment facility in Oita described the situation as follows:

"The network of water pipes do not reach these settlements, so they have relied on water from shallow wells from long ago. But in recent years, the water tested positive for iron, manganese, and bacteria, so the water is no longer fit for drinking. But it is financially difficult to construct pipes all the way to these settlements with only a dozen or so residents. That is why we set up an ecological water purification unit."

When you place stones and sand in this metal container and filter the well water through the device, the biological community goes to work and creates clean water.

"We can now supply safe drinking water at a very low cost of a little over a thousand dollars. We are gathering a wealth of data right now, and are considering making this device available for sale as soon as we know that they can be used stably."

Ecological water purification unit creates clean water for small settlements in Oita

Running a water business in these times is very tough. That is why the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has launched an "expansion" initiative to take advantage of economies of scale, but applying this to settlements of such small scale may be difficult. In such cases, these ecological water purification units (slow sand filtration) will be very useful.

目次へ移動 Nishino and Sunaharai water treatment plants create energy

At the Nishino water treatment plant in Mihara city, Hiroshima prefecture, the land above the underground reservoir containing treated water is being effectively used. Solar power generation devices have been installed to general approximately 11,000 kWh of electricity annually. Although the ecological purification system itself doesn't require electricity, the solar power generation supplies 15.2% of electricity the Nishino water treatment plant requires.

If the performance of solar power generation systems rises and costs decrease in the future, more energy can be generated. Water treatment plants will become self-sufficient when it comes to energy and may even become an energy base.

The installation costs of solar power generation modules are high, and so it doesn't make financial sense. But the Sunaharai water treatment plant in Iida city, Nagano prefecture, took advantage of funds operated by Ohisama Energy Fund Co., Ltd. to install solar power generation panels.

Mr. Hara, the president of Ohisama Energy Fund explained.
"Solar power generation panels at the Sunaharai water treatment plant were set up using funds invested by local residents. These solar power generation panels are generating more energy than the plant needs, so the remainder is sold back to Chubu Electric Power and the profits returned to investors. Water treatment plants are on large pieces of land, so they have the potential to provide both water and electricity."

Sunaharai water treatment plant in Iida city, Nagano prefecture.

Mr. Akihiro Hara, the president of the Ohisama Energy Fund.

We use water from the tap without really giving it much thought, but a lot of cost and energy goes into creating the water. Reducing the cost and energy required, yet continuing to provide safe drinking water is very important. The ecological purification system is a key technology for making the shift towards "safe," "low cost," and "energy saving" water supply.

Author profile
Junji Hashimoto
Writer, representative of Aqua-sphere, and the water conservation leader of the ( Japan Water Forum. ）With hopes for fair and sustainable use of water, he researches and writes about various water issues in Japan. At the same time, he conducts "seminars on water" to communicate the importance of water and the situations in various different countries to audiences of all ages. His works include, "Japanese have yet to realize how important water issues are" (PHP Kenkyujyo), "Delicious water, clean water" (Nippon Jitsugyo Publishing), and "Shifting from 6.70 billion people 'scrambling' for water to 'sustainability'" (Nikkei Publishing). He is also the vice principal of the Think the Earth Project's "Water School."

---- Most people around the world have yet to travel to space. But when you think about it, you realize that Earth and where we are right now is a part of the same universe. So we've all been to space already. But then where does this feeling of "having gone to space" come from?

Yamazaki - You're exactly right. This is a part of the same universe. I remember how excited I was when I learned that our bodies, too, were made of the same substance as the stars in elementary school. Everything, in other words, we are all part of space. So going to space is not an accurate description. It's probably better to say "we are freeing ourselves from Earth's gravisphere."

---- What changes when you leave the gravisphere?

Yamazaki - It's completely "different." The space shuttle continues to accelerate until it exits the gravisphere. Then the engines are turned off and we find ourselves in zero gravity. Once you're in zero gravity, it's very different. I was sitting in the middeck of the space shuttle, and the windows were far away so I couldn't get a good look at Earth, but I immediately knew I was in "outer space" because of the difference in gravity. Then I went to the window and looked down at our planet. I was touched by how beautiful it was.

---- Was it just like you had imagined?　

Yamazaki - I knew it would be beautiful, but it was truly breathtaking. I was blown away by what I saw. I felt it with all my 5 senses.

February last year, new windows called Cupola were installed in the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct observations of Earth. Our mission took place last April, so the windows were installed right before we got there. The Cupola is a domed shaped module big enough to be able to stick your upper body into with a planetarium like 180-degree view. It is positioned in a way that you feel as though you are standing on the side opposite from Earth, but when you get inside you can see the planet right above you. When you are on an airplane and see the landscape beneath you feel that you are really high up. But in space, there is no sense of up or down, so no matter what your posture is, it doesn't feel strange at all, but it is quite shocking to see the "Earth right above you." When you experience this, the feeling of "being in space" changes from just being somewhere up high. It is as though the space shuttle is standing face to face with a living being we call Earth, as though they were equals. I thought this was very interesting.

JAXA astronaut, Naoko Yamazaki inside Cupola as she looks up into the spacecraft. (Photograph: NASA)

---- Do people fight with each other or express negative feelings in space?

Yamazaki - Yes, sometimes. But we all had a high sense of purpose, of accomplishing a mission as one unified team, and we were quite busy, so we couldn't really afford to fight (laugh). I have heard that when you spend an extended length of time up there, there may be misunderstandings and certain group dynamics may develop. That is why astronauts try to sit down and have a meal together every day no matter how busy they may be. Everyone made an effort to sit down to share a meal together.

---- So it's really just like a family (laugh).

Yamazaki - Exactly. I was on a 2 week mission, and the crew was very busy, so we couldn't sit down to eat all together every day. But we managed to share a meal 3 times during the 2 week mission. For our first meal together, an astronaut from Russia made a Russian meal for us, so the second time, Mr. Noguchi and I decided to serve everyone a Japanese meal - hand-rolled sushi. We had brought with us preserved food also used at the Showa Base in the South Pole, and cooked eggs and pork and rolled them up. Sitting down at the table and sharing a meal with everyone was the best part about being in space.

目次へ移動 A new era in which many people can travel to space

---- When you look up at the sky, you can see the ISS even from Earth. When you got there, what did you think was different?

Yamazaki - Well, there are people there. It seems a bit strange that people can go all the way up there. When you look up at the ISS, it looks like a star traveling across the sky. But this star is actually manmade and people live inside it. I am truly amazed by our capabilities.

A group photo of the crew inside the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" at the ISS. (Photograph: NASA)

---- Many people may imagine the ISS to be an "ideal home" but there is a lot of noise, and you can't just open a window to ventilate, so it probably isn't all too comfortable. You used to study space hotel design, but what are your thoughts about comfort and the living environment at the ISS?

Yamazaki - We take the space shuttle to the ISS, but the cockpit of the space shuttle located at the very tip is extremely small. The middeck below is the living area where 7 astronauts live for 3 days until we get to the ISS. It's a small space, but we can use all four sides, so we didn't notice the size so much.

The ISS is much bigger than the space shuttle, so it was very comfortable. The middle area of the ISS is the living environment, and it is about twice the size of a jumbo jet. It is, however, a closed environment so it seemed like there was a lingering smell and it felt a bit dusty. In any case, it's a very manmade environment. There is some greenery, but that too is manmade, and you do get the sense that if you take one step outside this environment, you will die, and that the only livable environment is within the spacecraft.

---- People going to space. What this means is that they take the same environment as that found on Earth with them. With that in mind, how long do you think it would be before people can live in space?

Yamazaki - I hadn't expected life in space to be so normal. You get up in the morning, wipe your face, brush your teeth, eat meals, work, sleep in a sleeping bag... you begin to develop a routine, and life in space begins to feel quite ordinary. From this aspect, we might be living in space quite soon. Even now, there are people living in space 6 months at a time. I think the bigger questions would be when would a larger number of people begin living in space. It would first begin with suborbital flight. You would go up and then come back down. Then you would make a low orbit at around a height of 400km. For people to start actually living up there... may take another 50 years.

---- If there is a reason for us to have to live up there, it may even be possible in about 10 years.

Yamazaki - True. Another thing I thought was interesting was that when you are far away from Earth, you begin to understand it better. Leaving our homes, leaving our home planet provides a great opportunity to rethink a lot of things, and the ISS is like a miniature Earth. There are people from many different countries, and we recycle water, even our urine into water, and also recycle the air as much as possible. We depend on replenishments for food, but technologies developed to sustain life in the ISS will also be useful for our planet.

目次へ移動 2 types of missions in the space frontier

---- Demand for astronauts, how do you think this will change in the future?

Yamazaki - If you think about what our mission in space would be in the future, I think there are 2 types of roles astronauts will be expected to fulfill. One is expanding the frontier. Space shuttles and the ISS orbit the Earth at a height of 400km, which is still quite low. But in the future, we may be going father more frequently, to the moon, to asteroids, Mars, or even farther, and exploring new frontiers.

Another direction is working closer to Earth from the low orbit ISS or may be there will be another space station in the future. Many more people may be able to travel to space for leisure and stay for a long time.

As for low orbits around Earth, I am sure there will be more private investment and cooperation, and the doors will be opened even wider. Exploring new, farther frontiers will most likely be a government-led project. Going to Mars and back will be a mission that will take many years. Even greater mental strength and willingness to cooperate will be required. You also have to monitor your own health, so I am sure there will be a need for astronauts with a strong medical background. To explore Mars or the moon, you may need experts on geology. I think that the needs will be different depending on the mission.

---- I feel that something will change when people who aren't scientists or engineers travel to space.

Yamazaki - I think so, too. Astronauts in both Japan and the US are required to have graduated with a degree in science, but I hope this will change in the future. I think especially, if someone with an artistic eye went to space, they would be able to communicate about even a wider range of things, and this might give way to a new culture. I think that a change like that may happen in the next 50 years.

---- For many people to start traveling to space, you need much more than just technology, right?

Yamazaki - Yes. Until now, in a way people were incorporated as part of the whole system, and it was a bit mechanical, but if people with a wide range of unique characteristics start being able to travel to space, the model will have to change. The Earth's environment is truly variegated and so it provides numerous margins. Even if the ISS becomes a little bigger, it is still a manmade environment, and there is only a critical level of resources, so if one thing goes wrong, it immediate starts affecting our lives. Even if we have many many countermeasures, the dangers we face up there are incomparable to those on Earth. That is why I find it very interesting to see how people will be able to actually start living in a spaceship, give birth, and spend their entire lives up there.

---- An unparalleled frontier project may require a different, unique essence lacking from ordinary project management. What knowledge runs common to all astronauts? Is it leadership and followership? Is it curiosity? You have met many astronauts, but what skills do you think astronauts have in common?

Yamazaki - Actually astronauts all have unique personalities, and they are very different from one another. But I think that we all have a common essence, which is probably the ability to make decisions. Our ability to prioritize and act. We know that something is bound to happen. Anything can happen in space. But we remain composed even if something does happen. I think we all have a clear vision of a safety net or a minimum line that we want to contain the event within. For example, we tell ourselves, no matter what happens we will come back alive or we're going to keep the ISS going. Keeping that minimum line in mind, we write certain things off or prioritize things at times very stoically. So I guess the ability to make such decisions.

目次へ移動 Exploring the frontier means to head towards and challenge the unknown

---- Where do you think your frontier lies?

Yamazaki - If you think about frontiers in a straightforward way, it would be going farther, but I feel that it's not about physical distances. I think for me the frontier is the unknown and what's important is to keep exploring and challenging such frontier.

In this sense, the frontier for me is making it possible so that not just a small group of people, a single space family, but many more people can travel to space. This will help expand our active territory, and we will realize that "people's potentials are boundless." I don't think we can call it a frontier if only a certain group of people can go. The trip just ends up being an adventure.

In the end, more and more people, even the entire human population may start considering going to space. Whether its space or other fields, what matters in the end are people's feelings. It's the people who make the technology and systems. So I hope that we all will be able to reexamine our ties and explore new possibilities. This also applies to myself as I, too, have a lot of work ahead.

Naoko Yamazaki
Born in Chiba in 1970. After graduating with a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1996, she joined NASDA (currently JAXA) and began working on the development of Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo." In 1999, she was selected as an astronaut canidate. In 2006 she was certified as the NASA Mission Specialist (MS). She travelled to space on the space shuttle "Discovery" in 2010 to take part in the ISS assembly mission as an MS. Currently she is involved in aerospace engineering research at the University of Tokyo.

Mr. Iwabuchi lives in Osaki city, Miyagi prefecture. It is about 1.5 hours on a bullet train from Tokyo, 50km northeast of Sendai city. When I went in mid January, the temperatures outside were nearly zero degrees Celsius. Strong, cold winds blew and snow danced in the air. My body, unaccustomed to such brisk cold became tense. This region is accustomed to strong winds as it is sandwiched in the East and West by the Ou Mountains and the Kitagami Mountain System.

There are 3 Ramsar wetlands in Miyagi - the Kabukurinuma and the rice paddies in its periphery, Kejonuma, and Izunuma/Uchinuma up north. Because these 3 locations form a triangle, the people in the region refer to the 3 wetlands as the "Ramsar Triangle."

It is globally rare that 3 registered wetlands are located within 10km of each other. These wetlands have met the criteria used for selection - "regularly hosting over 20,000 waterfowl," and "regularly supporting over 1% of the local population of any particular species (subspecies) of waterfowl" - so you can see that this land is truly loved by birds.

*The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands - official name of the convention is "The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat." It was named after the town in Iran where the convention was signed in 1971. Japan joined the convention in 1980. 159 countries (as of April 2011) that have signed the convention meet once every 3 years.

One of the Ramsar wetlands, Kejonuma. The name comes from a legend about a beautiful damsel who transformed into a snake.

目次へ移動 Land loved by waterfowl

While Mr. Iwabuchi showed me around the sights, I saw many waterfowl. I usually only see crows, pigeons or white-cheeked starlings, so it was refreshing to see so many different species of waterfowl.

Mr. Shigeki Iwabuchi, chairman of the specified nonprofit corporation, Tambo.

The first "winter-flooded rice field" I have ever seen. I was looking forward to this moment, but it was extremely cold at the first set of rice paddies we went to in Tajirikita Oshio that I felt frozen to the core.

A Photo of the same paddy taken by Mr. Iwabuchi. Here, you can see many swans.

Great white-fronted geese we met on the way to Tajiri. I tried to get as close as I could, but there is still about 50 meters between us. They were all looking this way. I was told that a flock of great white-fronted geese have a tendency to look in the same direction. Mr. Iwabuchi said, "One of the reasons why the great white-fronted goose sightings have decreased is due to their extreme cautiousness."

Next, we came upon a large flock of swans and tundra swans. There are truly so many waterfowls in this region. Tundra swans cry sound like "Cococococo." And whooper swans cry as though they are sounding trumpets. The waterfowls were noisily talking to each other.

(Upper left) The office of the specified nonprofit corporation, Tambo. The wooden plaque was very stylish. (Upper right) The flooded paddy looks beautiful in the winter sunlight. (Lower left) Listening to Mr. Iwabuchi talk about winter-flooded rice fields. (Lower right) Even though it was the middle of winter, there were a lot of organisms in the water.

We arrived at the office of the specified nonprofit corporation, Tambo, in Tajiri Onuki, as the sun began to set. There were naturally flooded paddies on the East side of the office.

Mr. Iwabuchi and the members of the nonprofit advocate and create winter-flooded rice fields without using any fertilizer*. He also serves as a manager and advisor of numerous citizens' groups. Mr. Iwabuchi worked as a teacher for a long time in Sendai, so he still conducts surveys of organisms in the paddies and holds fun, green education classes catered to children.

*Fertilizer-less cultivation refrains from not only using chemical fertilizer, but even organic fertilizers and pesticides. This type of cultivation aims to create soil rich in microorganisms and also relies on the power of nature to produce organic compounds.

For example, he lets children run through the rice paddies in their bathing suits calling them "human soil puddlers," show them a thrilling scene of snakes swallowing frogs whole, feed them miso soup made with freshwater clams from the rice paddies, let them touch the Tohoku salamander, and experience the smell and taste of the soil that has become thick with sludge worm feces, etc. These all stimulate the children's 5 senses.

"Human soil puddlers" - It looks like they are having a great time at the winter-flooded rice fields in the spring. (Photograph by Shigeki Iwabuchi).

目次へ移動 Great white-fronted geese rush home

Kabukurinuma is well known for its great white-fronted geese. These geese reproduce in Siberia, and around mid September they migrated to Kabukurinuma. Due to hunting activities and urban development of their habitat after the Meiji era, their population decreased so much that they have become a protected species in Japan. It is said that currently, approximately 80% of all geese that migrate to Japan come to the northern part of Miyagi prefecture.

The beautiful sight of geese at dusk landing to settle down for the night has always been popular among people; Hiroshige Ando chose this very sight as a theme for his Ukiyoe painting, "The wide geese returning home at Katata - The Eight Views of Omi." When the geese return to the wetland, they rapidly decrease their speed in mid air, so they look as though they are slowly, gently falling down. There are many people who come to take a look at their technique. We were also able to spend some time to observe their mastery.

Viewpoint strongly recommended by Mr. Iwabuchi. On the right you will see the Kabukurinuma wetlands, and on the left you will see a cluster of winter flooded rice fields of Shinpou region.

Although Kabukurinuma is referred to as a bog, it is really more like a wetland.

At first I thought it was a poem by the famous writer, Kenji Miyazawa, but it was a message from the geese. It reads, "We'll be back by sunset."

In the morning, the entire flock of geese takes flight from the wetlands, and they eat grains of rice that have fallen into the water in the paddies or grass during the day. At twilight they return from all directions, one after another.

We thought we were very quietly observing the water surface from among the reeds on the other side of the shore, but the geese noticed our presence and a flock of few thousands geese immediately took flight. The sound of their wings fluttering in the air was like a stadium full of spectators jumping up and down in the stands.

It was nearly a full moon when I was there.

A rush home. I had never seen so many great white-fronted geese before. "Kiii, kiii" - their call to their families resonated through the air. Such multitude of geese crying at once reminded me of an orchestra tuning their instruments. I wondered if they were telling each other about their day.

The great white-fronted geese fly in various patterns - sometimes they spread out like an umbrella, and at other times they form a straight line. Mr. Iwabuchi told me, "The geese end up flying in that formation because birds flying next to each other exhibit the desire to be close to its family."

With great appreciation for all the waterfowls that filled me with a rich, warm feeling, I left Kabukurinuma. During the winter, 70,000 great white-fronted geese return to the wetlands in Kabukurinuma every day; the people of the region enjoy this simple, yet heartwarming sight daily. I thought that perhaps this very feeling is what drove them to want to protect the wetlands and the rice paddies in the periphery.

目次へ移動 What are winter-flooded rice fields?

Let's dig a little deeper into the winter-flooded rice fields that are great for organisms and also for rice.

Winter-flooded rice fields are home to many organisms throughout the year. Illustration by Mr. Shinichi Tanaka, the main researcher at the Advice Center for Rural Environment Support (Acres) (click to enlarge).

Please look at the illustration above. You can see that even in the winter, waterfowls come to the rice paddies to eat fallen grains of rice and grass. Bird excrement, which contains phosphoric acid and nitrogen, helps promote the reproduction of microorganisms in the water and creates natural fertilizer. Moreover, when the sludgy layer created by excrements of sludge worms and non-biting midges reach a certain thickness, it helps inhibit the growth of weeds in early spring. Algae, which conducts photosynthesis, also supplies oxygen to the fields and becomes feed for fishes such as killifishes.

Water management is a tough job for farmers, but if they could time their work well with the natural cycle of organisms, then they could reduce the use of agricultural chemicals, which in turn would reduce production costs. They would no longer need to use large farming machinery to till the land. Organisms will till the land for them throughout the winter.

Winter-flooded rice fields have quite a long history. In a document that dates back 340 years, it is mentioned that "fermented trash (organisms) from the rivers makes winter-flooded rice fields good for planting." We can presume that people even as far back as the 1680s knew that water high in organic constituents help promote the growth and activities of fungi and sludge worms. Mr. Iwabuchi refers to the writer of the document, Yozaemon Sase, as the "Superman of the Edo period." He conducted experiments on measuring the specific gravity of organisms and compiled a picture book of organisms. Yozaemon Sase with his versatile talent and sharp scientific eye had Mr. Iwabuchi speechless with admiration.

目次へ移動 Rice paddies are one of the big 3 ecosystems of the 21st century!

Mr. Iwabuchi went to visit the world's largest terraced rice paddies in Ailao Shan, Yunnan province, China, in mid January 2010. In the mountain region where the ethnic minority, the Hani tribe live, there are rice fields that have been flooded in the winter since 16,000 years ago.

Terraced rice paddies in Yunnan that have traditionally been flooded. These paddies have been registered as a world agricultural heritage site by the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO). (Photograph by Shigeki Iwabuchi).

Mr. Iwabuchi referred to the late Dr. Josef Margraf, who used to work at FAO, who moved to Yunnan after deciding it was his home for life. He established the TIanzi Center and conducted research on terraced rice paddies around the world.

Dr. Margraf listed the "tropical rainforests," "coral reefs," and "rice paddies" as the world's most important ecosystems that mankind needs to protect.

Paddies store nutrients that dissolved in the water, purify the water, and produce organic constituents. When compared to tropical rainforests and coral reefs, the scale may seem different, but they serve the same roles - rice paddies have an excellent absorption/purification system, store nutrients, and enrich biodiversity. Looking back, Mr. Iwabuchi said, "the impact this story had on him was indescribable."

Diagrams and geographical shapes that have self-similarity and thus are the same shape in its larger form or even when divided into smaller parts are called "fractals" in geometry. But when Mr. Iwabuchi heard from Dr. Margraf that tropical rainforests, coral reefs, and rice paddies are interconnected by the concept of fractals, he became certain of the unique values rice paddies offer.

目次へ移動 The 3 indexes. No.1: How many organisms live in the rice paddies?

Hearing all this makes you wonder how many organisms live in the winter-flooded rice fields. Children may ask, "So how many are there total?" When confronted with such a question, would the adults be able to answer?

Actually, there are people who got up on their feet and set to work on this daunting task. They are part of the committee that works on the biodiversity indexes and planning for rice paddies. This committee includes 16 people who have been studying various organisms, including Mr. Iwabuchi, who was in charge of birds, as well as nearly 100 researchers, farmers, NPOs, etc. who study and work on rice paddies, who got together to discuss a great number of issues.

Over 2 years, the committee looked into as many organisms as possible seen in the rice paddies, dikes, irrigation channels, reservoirs, fallowed farmland, etc. The list of all species that live in the paddies contains 5668 species. A revised version was published in March 2010, and in October of the same year, it received quite an enthusiastic response at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya, Aichi.

A list of all organisms that live in rice paddies.

The list contains 2075 species of plants and moss, 1726 species of insects, 597 species of native species/blue-green algae, 205 species of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, etc. These species have been listed in 12 categories. You will discover some species you have never seen before or subtle species that you hadn't noticed before. A truly wide range of organisms is being introduced together with information about habitat distribution and biology.

Specified nonprofit corporation, Tambo created a poster to promote the 5668 species.

This poster was also exhibited at COP 10 held in Nagoya. If you take a closer look at the design of the background, you can see that the names of all 5668 species are written there. At international conferences, scientists from around the world lean in closely pointing at species they know or can find locally.

Close up of the top of the word, Tambo.

目次へ移動 The 3 indexes. No.2: It's not just about rice. The boundless power of rice paddies.

Farming started when mankind began to take advantage of nature to produce food. So we have an obligation to get involved in the rice paddies' environment, properly learn about the organisms that live there, and live in harmony with them. However, the current economic system only values efficient management and yield. A structure that also values multiple aspects of rice cultivation such as the preservation of biodiversity had not been developed.

In an issue of "Region Quarterly" published by Rural Culture Association Japan, the former ministerial aid of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Mr. Yasue Funayama made the following statement.

The balance between supply and demand determines the price of rice. But as part of their farming activities, farmers flood their rice paddies, which helps prevent floods and help vegetation grow. They form settlements and protect traditional culture. They help create the beautiful landscape. But these efforts associated with farming are not at all reflected in the prices. (Excerpt from the August 2010 edition).

For example, the grasses on the dikes are carefully hand cut, without using herbicides. By taking such care, the biodiversity of the rice paddies change greatly. Although there are certification systems for production processes such as using none or less pesticides or organic farming, it is difficult to tell what organisms have been protected by such activities, and there are hardly any structures in place that can measure such day-to-day efforts.

That is why Mr. Iwabuchi and his team have pledged to create an unparalleled structure that will evaluate the positive effect on living organisms.

Wild flowers bloom on carefully tended dikes. (Photograph by Shigeki Iwabuchi).

First, was there a way to properly value the work farmers put in to take care of the wild flowers, vegetation, and the rice paddies? Mr. Iwabuchi and his team thought. The specified nonprofit corporation, Tambo, created a list outlining the "boundless power of rice paddies," which contains 160 items that were a part of a wide range of farming activities such as the management of the rice paddies, surrounding irrigation channels, dikes, as well as taking care of nearby wetlands, reservoirs, and wooded areas, exchange with local children and the community, and even passing on food culture.

目次へ移動 The 3 indexes. No.3: There's rich fungus right by our feet

Moreover, Tambo is also involved in expressing the efforts of the farmers that we couldn't "see" in the past. Although there was a vague definition of "good soil" required to cultivate good crops, the recently developed, groundbreaking technology has made it possible to express such efforts quantitatively. Dr. Kazunari Yokoyama, professor of agriculture of the National Agricultural Research Center developed a new index that measures the biodiversity of microorganisms in the soil and the level of activity, so now you can scientifically prove the quality of soil.

Measurements can be taken rather easily. All you have to do is take a sample of the soil and place it in plates containing 95 species of organic substances such as glycogen. If organisms that feed on the various organic substances are present, the substances are digested, and carbon dioxide is released in the process. The plates will turn reddish purple in response to the carbon dioxide. A spoonful (approximately 1 gram) of soil from the rice paddies contain about 1 trillion fungi, and you can measure the biodiversity of the microorganisms in the soil and their activity level in 48 hours by looking closely at how the color changes and the speed at which the organic substances are broken down. Farmers with soil that produced results that are over the target level, receive stickers with a "Soil mark," which they can use to promote the fact that their produce has been cultivated with soil rich in biodiversity.

The composition of soil and that of space is similar? Rice cultivated in winter-flooded rice fields. It has the Soil mark, designed to resemble a universe coming to life, is affixed on the package.

You can see that the microorganisms in the plates on the left have fed on the organic substances. The contents have turned reddish purple.

"There are researchers that continue to search for superman-like fungi in pursuit of efficiency, but actually, the presence of numerous fungi offers stable collective power, and thereby stabilizes production," says Mr. Iwabuchi. When you use chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the soil becomes thin, and will contain less organisms. Good soil, on the other hand, is one where many organisms are active. The technology, which has enabled the awarding of the Soil mark, is a pilot method developed from a big transformation in thinking - that is, recognizing that it is more important to take a comprehensive look at the activities of microorganisms in the soil, rather than to add what is missing.

A cluster of dirt worms and fungi create in 1 year. It was enshrined in the Tambo office as an object of worship and there was a sign that read, "Temple of the Sludge Worm Gods."

目次へ移動 Positive thinking and a new evaluation system!

A list of tasks that need to be undertaken to create rice paddies with boundless power has been drafted and there are new indexes. There is also a list of organisms that inhabit the rice paddies. Using the 2 lists and the new index, which are deeply interrelated, Mr. Iwabuchi and the staff at Tambo are making preparations to create a new framework for evaluation. Targets are: 50 items that contribute to creating rice paddies with boundless power, 70 species of organisms, and a figure of 70 in terms of the activity level of the soil.

Even if a specific activity may not be included in the list identifying contributing factors to rice paddies with boundless power, the activity will be included if it reflects the ingenuity of the individual farmer. "We want to be open and think positively. This is neither a regulation against pesticides nor a ranking system. It only evaluates the activities. It is important to have targets and to work towards them. The system should be an organic one, that incorporates the ideas of many people as we go along," said Mr. Iwabuchi.

"We didn't use the word, 'certification' on purpose in order to emphasize that it has been created based on a completely different idea than normal ranking or evaluation systems (where regulations are applied or points are taken off). We wanted to use and for the new evaluation system to become known by a much softer expression, 'A declaration for and promise to the organisms that live in the rice paddies.'"

The goal in the future is to get consumers and companies also involved. The specified nonprofit corporation, Tambo, would like to get people to start taking a closer look at things around them, so Tambo is preparing a new structure for environmental activities - the "7 declarations for promoting the reproduction of organisms in rice paddies." This program will encourage farmers, general consumers, and companies to make 7 pledges of their choosing, each from their standpoint, to get more and more people to be compassionate towards organisms that live near them.

"We want people to feel free to make any declaration they want. It would be great if they could post their declarations on their walls or doors and think about what organisms they helped save every day."

目次へ移動 "Winter-flooded rice fields" bring the world closer

The rice paddies in the Kabukurinuma area also have a global influence. The registration of Kabukurinuma as a Ramsar wetland, initiated joint efforts by Japan and Korea, which together made the following proposal, "Enhancing biodiversity in rice paddies as wetland systems," which was adopted as a resolution at the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (Ramsar, Iran 1971) (COP10) held in Changwon, Korea, in November 2008. Furthermore, at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya, Aichi, the roles of rice paddies as a place for an extensive range of organism to flourish was highly appraised, and with the efforts of a Japanese NGO the proposal - "Enhancing biodiversity in rice paddies as wetland systems" - was also adopted as a resolution by the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This is an interesting story. It was back in 1997 that Japan began to flood its rice paddies in the winter, but farmers in the Ebro Delta in Spain and Sacramento Valley, California began to flood their paddies around the same time as well, as a way for waterfowl and farming to coexist. Mr. Iwabuchi strongly emphasizes, "It wasn't a coincidence. Time was ripe."

Mr. Iwabuchi refers to the list of 5668 species as "modern day Schindler's list for rice paddies*." Mr. Iwabuchi strongly believes that "we cannot lose even 1 species." Farming is a vital activity. We continue farming because we know that seasons change and new life will be born again the following year. But what if new life will no longer be born? "People think of biodiversity as an added value to economic activities, but biodiversity isn't an added value. It is the true value of farming. We should never forget that agricultural produce has life, that it is a living organism," said Mr. Iwabuchi passionately. I felt that that the key would be, how many people will be able to realize this.

*Schindler's list: In Poland, during World War II, a German businessman, Oskar Schindler, saved many Jewish people from being taken to concentration camps such as the Auschwitz. The list of Jewish people he saved came to be called "List of Schindler's Jews."

In 1880, 10 ares produced approximately 200kg of rice. In 1960s, the production capacity doubled to 400kg this was due to the rapid "industrialization" of farming. During the same time, the input energy (such as chemical fertilizers, machinery, infrastructure, etc.) surpassed the output energy, and farming became an industry that became heavily dependent on extensive petroleum consumption. Mr. Iwabuchi asks, can we really call the path farming has taken since the 1960s "evolution"?

It would also be "dangerous for winter-flooded rice paddies to spread rapidly. Diversity is also important to paddies," he cautions people who want to change the environment rapidly. Rather than focusing on specific organisms such as ducks or tadpole shrimp, farmers who support environmental conservation repeatedly spoke about the importance of balance. "We can produce better tasting rice when there are a wide range of organisms and even some weeds." Having come in contact with people who think about rice paddy farming, the oldest form of agriculture on Earth, at great length and who are implementing various actions to help protect it made me, as a general consumer, want to become more aware of rice paddies near my home.

Mitsuko Iwai Biography

She has worked for a local museum/news paper publisher before she became a freelance writer. In 2002, she became involved in publishing a book of record of government's cultural programs and became intrigued with the ideas and lifestyles in the various regions that are passed down from one generation to the next. In 2004, she published the first issue of "Satomi Tsushin" which focuses on the theme, fixed-point observation of farms and farmers. She is also an as an editorial staff for the Earth News for the Think the Earth Project. She currently lives in Takasaki.

Since its inauguration in 2004, Terra Madre has been held once every 2 years, so this year was the 4th event. It was held adjacent to the food fair, "Salone del Gusto," for 5 days, from October 21st to the 25th.

One of the panels from the Terra Madre photo gallery exhibited in a plaza within the city of Torino. It seems like an ordinary shot of a local market, but it shows exactly what we need for the future of mankind and our planet.

Participants heading to the opening ceremony venue, Palasport Olimpico Isozaki or "Palaisozaki."

Many participants gather at the gigantic Olympic Palace.

Exchange among participants from different countries had begun even before the opening ceremony took place.

The opening ceremony venue, the Palasport Olimpico Isozaki prepared to welcome approximately 7,000 participants was designed by Arata Isozaki for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. The opening ceremony began with the powerful dance performance, which felt like the heartbeat of the Earth, by Acud Mirce Acev, a Macedonian ethnic dance group. Then flags from 160 countries around the world entered the arena by continent to the music performed by the youth orchestra and chorus. It really was like the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. The energy of the youthful music that kicked off the ceremony symbolizes what great expectations Terra Madre is bequeathing to the future generations. It was a truly magnificent performance that touched everyone taking part, regardless of his or her cultural background or language.

Delegate seats filled with flag bearers of various ethnicities.

(Upper left) Setsue Baba represented the Japanese delegation. She produces Unzen Kobu Takana. (Lower left) Macedonian ethnic dance group, Acud Mirce Acev. (Right) The youth chorus and orchestra performed the theme songs of each continent very energetically and livened up the event.

After the opening ceremony, participants and their Italian guest families took commemorative photographs. This event was made possible by the support of a great number of local volunteers.

Back to Table of Contents Indigenous people also play a leading role

After greetings from the Mayor of Torino and the representative of the Governor of Piemonte, representatives of indigenous people from 5 continents gave their greetings in their respective languages. They were Gamo from Ethiopia; Guarani, Indios of Brazil; Itelmeni of Kamchadal; Sami from Northern Europe; and the Aborigine from Australia.

(Upper left) Malebo Mancho Maze from the Gamo tribe of Ethiopia, who represented the indigenous people of Africa, blessed Mother Earth and everyone who attended the opening ceremony like a great shaman. (Upper right) Albina Morilova, from the Itelmeni tribe of Kamchadal, represented Asia. She was so beautiful that her pictures were on the front page of numerous Italian newspapers the next day. She expressed the plight of her tribe and also the spiritual, cultural values offered by food. (Lower left) Ol-Johán Sikku, from the Sami tribe, who represented the indigenous people of Europe, spoke passionately about the intimate relationship between traditional cultures and the environment. (Upper right) Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo, representative of the Aborigine in Oceania, spoke about the importance of Aboriginal education.

Adolfo Timótio Verá Mirim from the Guarani represented the South and North American continent. Delegates from 160 countries sat behind him.

Modernization and globalization continues and the survival of life and culture is severely threatened - amid such an environment, the indigenous people remain strongly connected with Mother Earth and continue to live within the traditional cultures that have artfully adapted to the environment. Their speeches represented the core values of Terra Madre and of the current Slow Food movement.

The Slow Food movement, which began in the late 1980s around Carlo Petrini, former food and wine journalist for a left-leaning newspaper, began in order to oppose the fast food industry and to protect the quality of food. It has grown to become a movement of global scale with over 100,000 members. In recent years, the movement has thoroughly incorporated ecological ideas and has defined itself as "eco gastronomy." The Slow Food movement, which places importance on food products as well as "biodiversity," has also set its sights on "cultural diversity," which is intricately related to food. That is why they began to incorporate ethnic music from the third Terra Madre held in 2008. This time, the importance of indigenous languages and their oral tradition and memories connected with them, were selected as themes, and many lectures and symposiums were held on these subjects during the event.

A lecture on the food culture traditionally passed down among the San Mateo community in Mexico was held by Professor Flavia Cuturi of the Università degli Studi di Napoli. (Lower left) Phrang Roy from the Northern Indian indigenous people (on the left) and Shayna Bailey (on the right) from Slow Food International. They are both members of the steering committee of the "Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty." (Right) Naomi Shimazaki from the Ainu Tribe, who took part as a representative of the indigenous people of Japan.

Back to Table of Contents Sailors who can navigate towards the future

To wrap up the opening ceremony, the chairman of Slow Food International, Carlo Petrini, appeared on stage. A wave of photographers pushed their way closer, as though they were waiting for a movie star to come out.

Carlo Petrini, the chairman of Slow Food International, standing at the podium during the opening ceremony. He was a fantastic speaker - his speech was clear and easy to understand, and it was very passionate and moving.

What he first highlighted was the teachings introduced in the speeches by the representatives of the indigenous people. "We have to realize that the defense of traditional knowledge is a practice that supplies us with tools that are indispensable for our lives."

"Who are the principal custodians of this traditional knowledge? There are four categories: indigenous people, farmers, women, and the elderly. They not only must be listened to, but they must be in the first line of defense against the challenges that this world and this crisis are throwing at us. Well, that's not how it is. These groups are the ones that are least considered by politics, the ones that are least considered by the media. A frenetic humanity, only paying attention to profit, is running at full speed towards a precipice. Today, this precipice is financial, social, and environmental... But when homo sapiens reaches the abyss, they will have to stop, they will have to reverse, and in reversing, they will find that the last will be the first, that the least will show us the right way, that indigenous people, women, farmers and the elderly will show us the right path." They will be the sailors that will lead the way to the future.

Professor Itoma, who is from an indigenous Amazonian tribe.

(Left) Representative of the women's group "Donne in cammino" (Walking Women), from Calabria, Southern Italy, giving her speech at the workshop about "traditional knowledge". (Right) A woman from Malawi who spoke at the workshop on "Women's Rights." Many case examples of women's rights movements around the world were illustrated in the workshop.

I met Vandana Shiva, the well known environmental activist from India, who accepted an interview on issues surrounding women. Ms. Shiva answered my questions and told me how feminine principles and ecosystems function in a similar way. She also emphasized the importance of the role of women in creating a sustainable society (for more, please take a look at the video of the interview.)

Back to Table of Contents Conciliation between science and traditional knowledge

The Slow Food movement has been focused on criticizing the "modernized, industrialized farming" and "global agricultural businesses". In particular, the movement emphasized the "importance of traditional farming knowledge and cultures" from a similar viewpoint as Ms. Vandana Shiva's. But Mr. Carlo Petrini's tone this time was slightly different. He reiterated to the audience that neither traditional cultures nor modern science have alone the perfect answer; understanding and collaboration between the two are necessary to open up new possibilities for the future.

Mr. Petrini answers the questions posed by the media.

On the third day, during the question and answer session, Mr. Petrini said that tarting a dialogue between modern Western science including cutting edge technology and the Internet, with traditional knowledge of the elderly, indigenous people and women will give way to a very compelling mixture. This is what will become the true source of power for transformation. So I asked, how will the collaboration and harmony of the two types of "knowledge" be established. In response to my question, Mr. Petrini introduced a case example. "Professors from approximately 400 universities from around the world take part in the Terra Madre, but they have a very important responsibility to fulfill. When they go back to their home countries, they will be working with farmers there. There have already been fantastic cases where farmers go to universities to teach students what they know." A fresh combination of universities and farmers unthinkable in the past - there are high expectations that this will give birth to new knowledge.

A corner where children can learn about food through games. Children learn the importance of acquiring correct knowledge and interest for food using the 5 senses and their minds. Over 1,000 children took part during the event. The platform for transformation starts with child education.

Back to Table of Contents Expectations for the younger generation

Another point Mr. Petrini underlined is that young people have now "a great opportunity... You are the ones who will have to reconcile science and modern technologies with traditional knowledge... Putting science and modern technology together with traditional knowledge is the most beautiful challenge you will have in the years to come... You young people have this destiny in your hands. You must not be afraid, you must fly high, you must dream, you must apply yourselves, because this is the most beautiful battle that you can lead at this moment, at this historical moment, and it is the most beautiful battle that young people can fight for humankind."

(Left) A young participant from Africa listening to Mr. Petrini's speech very earnestly. (Right) A female farmer from Uganda is introducing the crops grown on her land and agricultural technologies to students from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Agriculture in Africa is not necessarily impoverished. There is a diversity of crops and sustainable wisdom. A revolutionary change in the African farmers' awareness will be key to saving Africa.

Regardless of where they live, the future of young people today is filled with uncertainties. But Mr. Petrini's words, that place so much expectation on their shoulders, moved them very deeply. He also borrowed from the great French philosopher, Edgar Morin, saying that "everything must begin again, but everything has already begun." Although times are particularly tough, the right path is already clear to us. He went on to say, "You young people will bring about a social metamorphosis. A metamorphosis similar to what happens in the animal world, when an ugly caterpillar spins itself into a cocoon, and turns into a butterfly. This is your mission, turning the caterpillar into a butterfly, through the metamorphosis and change that we face." I am sure every youth who heard these words couldn't help but feel aspired and motivated.

Booth of University of Gastronomic Sciences. Students with gastronomical knowledge and field experience will indeed become the future leading players who will bring tradition and science together.

Back to Table of Contents Generazione T

There are approximately 100,000 young people under the age 35 in Italy who have decided to go into farming. This is only 7% of the total farming population in Italy, but they create safe and delicious foods taking advantage of modern technology such as computers and the Internet, creating direct communication routes with consumers, and taking technological leaps forward while cherishing the environment, so their status will become increasingly important. Even in terms of sales they are far above average, boasting +75% sales. When Mr. Petrini went to a few top American universities and asked, "Do any of you want to get into farming in the future?" There were 25 to 30 students who raised their hands from among 300 to 400 participants every time. These figures indicate that the world paradigms are truly changing.

Slow Food International refers to these young people who are committed to farming as "Generazione T" (T as in Terra). Through their activities, "farming" will be transformed from an "out-dated and meager vocation" to one that bears a very important function in the future that mixes valuable traditional knowledge and new scientific technology to change the world.

A workshop named "Generazione T" was organized during the event to provide a platform where Mr. Petrini and young farmers from all around the world could meet and open up a dialog.

The workshop on "Generazione T."

One of the participants, Francisco Cabeco, a beekeeper in Jandaira in Brazil told the audience how he was inspired when he attended Terra Madre in 2008. After he returned home, he told, he spent the next 6 months debating with young people in his community. He communicated about the sustainable ways to keep bees in Jandaira and got people to shift away from the ways of their parents' generation, which was dependent on chemical products. Moreover, he explained to the audience that after spreading the concept of "consumers" becoming "co-producers" who actively take part in the production of food products in varied ways, Jandaira people's awareness for food production began to change. His story taught me that one of the important tasks of "Generazione T," which performs multiple roles, is not simply producing food for themselves, but also changing the way people think about farming, food production, and consumption.

Francisco Cabeco, a young beekeeper from Brazil.

Back to Table of Contents Converging the most advanced knowledge

One of the most striking features of Terra Madre is the massive presence of young people from around the world. Another, even more impressive feature is the concentration of world's top class intellectuals who have a sharp grasp of how the market economy and civilization of advanced nations are collapsing, and who propose new paradigms. These intellectuals include Mr. Carlo Petrini and Ms. Vandana Shiva whom I have already mentioned, as well as the American economist Jeremy Rifkin, who is very well knowledgeable about environmental issues, the French Serge Latouche theorist on "degrowth," and British economist Rai Patel who is well versed in food issues. I am sure that many people who took part in Terra Madre felt through the energy of young people and the visions of these intellectuals that a new world is really on the move.

Lecture panelists speaking about the historical transformation of production models (on the right is Serge Latouche and on the left is Rai Patel).

Many lectures and workshops took place simultaneously. What seemed particularly interesting to me was a workshop called "Small is Beautiful 1973 - 2010 - the theory of Ernst F. Schumacher as a way for understanding the crisis we face today". The Italian economist Loretta Napoleoni and Woody Tasch, the founder of "Slow Money" from the U.S., joined the panel to discuss Schumacher's theories and how his book should continue to be read as these theories are becoming more and more relevant.

The workshop on "Small is Beautiful." On the left you see Woody Tasch and on the right Loretta Napoleoni.

Tasch asked himself why people didn't change their ways when they saw that the Earth was merely a small sphere within space when they saw the pictures taken from the Apollo mission in the 1960s. Why did they not shift the direction they were headed when they realized that "there is a limit to growth"?The developed nations grew economically and became wealthier, but there was not much time for leisure, and the growth in consumption did not lead to growth in people's happiness. Nevertheless, as Schumacher warned, the economy swelled enormously and pushed ethics out of the window. That is why we face the problems we do today.

During the same workshop, a discussion on Slow Money founded by Woody Tasch also took place. The Slow Money program was inspired by "Small is Beautiful" and the Slow Food movement. What the Slow Money program means is that investors invest in small-scale food enterprises (i.e. farming, dairy farming, fishing, processors, etc.) in their vicinity. This program encourages investors to commit their assets to local food systems tying money to the land, making visible the way investments are used, and producing results. This movement aims to realize a completely new way of making investments, one that is opposite to the way money is invested today. At present, we don't know where or how our savings are used, or for what purpose, so they may even be used to fund wars. Slow Money is ideal in many ways - fund management morality, investor safety, and contribution to the profits of the local community. And above all, there are high expectations that Slow Money will provide the means to create a new economy on a regional level with the participation of local residents. At the "Generazione T" workshop, Mr. Petrini said that what ever savings he has, he plans to give to the farmers. He described farmers as being much more reliable than banks, underlining the importance of Slow Money.

Back to Table of Contents The future of Terra Madre

Since 2008, Terra Madre has begun to handle cultural matters related to food, such as ethnic music and indigenous languages, which have deep ties with farm work. How will this trend will evolve in the future?

Terra Madre has acquired new features, but according to Ms. Vandana Shiva its foundations are based on food community, and this awareness needs to be reinforced. Mr. Petrini stressed the international significance of Terra Madre: "We don't have to think of this event as being exclusive to Torino". He said that Terra Madre should be held all around the world. By doing so, a holistic network of not only farmers, but also universities and other organizations will spread around the world and take root. This is what really matters.

Mr. Piero Sardo, chairman of "Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity," the operation team of Slow Food movement, talked in detail about what the network should be like in the future. He says that as an event, Terra Madre should be held once every 4 or 5 years, like the Olympic Games.
According to Mr. Sardo, what is more important is that Terra Madre is now branching into different projects and various food communities are starting to act voluntarily and autonomously. Through such activities, it would be ideal if the food communities in the North, which tend to be richer, would take responsibility to support the food communities in the South who face more adversities, learning from each other and working together. He says this is what Terra Madre should look like in the future. Not only should the food communities in the North provide financial aid: if they can add universities, technicians, young people, and volunteers within the network to their experience and technology, this would truly become a formidable ally.
December 10th is the annual Terra Madre Day, which celebrates Terra Madre all around the world. Even though you may not be currently involved in food production, why not take part and express your appreciation to Mother Earth by eating local produce as much as possible? Now that a big network has been established it is crucial that each and every one of us start acting more autonomously and begin to transform our own way of life.

Residents looking at the photo gallery on Terra Madre organized in a plaza in the city of Torino. Terra Madre involves everyone.

Related URL
Terra Madre http://www.terramadre.info/
Slow Food International http://www.slowfood.com/

Yosuke Taki biography
Stage director, artist, and critic. Moved to Italy in 1988, currently resides in Rome. Organizes stage performances and photo exhibitions. At present he conducts research on people who embody three dimensions of ecology (natural environment, social environment, personal spiritual environment). As both an artist and critic, he studies the philosophy of human activities, which places life at the center.

It was a hot summer day in early September when we visited the Ginza Pulp and Paper Hall located in Ginza 3-chome. Honey bees inhabit the rooftop of this 11-story building. The hive boxes are home to both Western and Japanese honey bees. Millions of them fly around everyday collecting nectar from trees and plants all around Ginza.

Honey bees' homes - 4 hive boxes for Western honey bees. The hive boxes of Japanese honey bees are elsewhere.

On this particular day, a seminar for those interested in creating gardens for honey bees was being held. There are hives behind the fencing. In the center stands Mr. Tanaka, co-founder of the 'Ginza Honey Bee Project'.

On the day of our visit, preparations to cope with the change in seasons - from fall to winter - were being made and honey was also being harvested. We were all set to go once we wore white, protective clothing and a hat with a net over our heads. I was a little hesitant going near the buzzing bees at first, but once you get close, you see that there is no reason to be afraid. It was like you were sharing the same space with the bees.

You burn the newspaper with the smoker to produce smoke. It is said that smoke calms the bees down.

Checking on the bees. In principle, the work is carried out barehanded.

The work is done barehanded. This is because when you wear gloves, you begin to handle the hives more brusquely and heavy-handedly, and this agitates the bees. The metropolis is full of people, so beekeeping in the city requires special consideration. Calming down the bees with smoke is one such consideration. When you get used to it, you will be okay even if you had a bee sitting on the palm of your hand.

We entered the partitioned area and our work finally began.

When you get used to it, you will not be disconcerted even if you had a bee sitting on the palm of your hand. Bees maintain a body temperature of around 34 degrees Celsius, so they feel warm to the touch.

This is how you harvest the honey. You move the bees from the hives, and shave off the bees wax attached to the hive frame (bees wax can be used to create candles). Then, you load the uncapped frame into the honey extractor, which uses centrifugal force to extract the honey from the frame. Next, you filter the honey to separate it from the bits of wax. Although it was already past the peak honey harvest season, we were able to collect approximately 10kg of honey in one day. Because nectar is available in Ginza during the summer time as well, some honey can be harvested even in September. When I tasted the honey before it was placed into the honey extractor, it had a mild, gentle flavor.

The frames after the bees have been moved.

You place the frames into the honey extractor and run it to harvest the honey.

A fresh batch of honey.

Back to Table of Contents
It began with a playful idea

The honey bee project in Ginza began in 2006. It started when Mr. Atsuo Tanaka, the Managing Director of the Paper and Pulp Hall, which rents out conference rooms, and Mr. Kazuo Takayasu from Agricreate, who is in the organic vegetable distribution business, met a beekeeper. When Mr. Tanaka learned that Mr. Seita Fujiwara, a beekeeper in Iwate prefecture, was looking for a location for apiculture in Ginza, he told him that he could use the rooftop of the Paper and Pulp Hall building. But Mr. Fujiwara replied, "There's not enough space up there to run a business. I'll teach you how to do it, so why don't you give it a go."

Mr. Tanaka and Mr. Takayasu were startled at first, but thought, "It would be interesting if there were honey bees in Ginza" so they decided to give it a try. Mr. Fujiwara has had experience beekeeping on rooftops as he already had bees on the roof of the Social Democratic Party building in Nagatacho, Tokyo. "I had seen tulip trees near the Imperial Palace, so I knew that the honey from this area would be the best quality" states Mr. Fujiwara with confidence.

There are many trees and other vegetation in Ginza even in the summer time, so there is plenty of nectar.

Mr. Atsuo Tanaka, co-founder of the incorporated NPO Ginza Mitsubachi (Honey Bee) Project.

"Keeping honey bees in Ginza - people must have though we were quite avant-garde" laughs Mr. Tanaka. But he believes that this has been possible because of the open-mindedness of the people of Ginza. Of course before they began their activities, they consulted many people in the town and also got the approval of all the tenants in the building, but some people were concerned that the bees may sting people. Having said that, there were many people who were sympathetic to this playful idea.

Back to Table of Contents Urban development from honey bees' perspective

The harvest from honey bees in Ginza the first year was 150kg. In 2007, it rose to 290kg, in 2008 to 440kg, and as of July this year, as it was the case last year, the harvest has surpassed 800kg. And the project now has 135 supporting members.

If you look at other parts of the world, beekeeping in the city is not rare. In Paris, apiculture had already begun years ago. Honey harvested on the rooftops of the Opera House and the Grand Palais, which was the venue for the world exposition held in 1900, has become a specialty of Paris. On the streets you will find acacia and lime trees, and there are a wide range of potted plants in the apartment balconies. The Tuileries Garden is located nearby as well, so Paris is an optimal environment for honey bees. And because there are many different types of flowers, you can enjoy a variety of flavors.

In March this year, New York uplifted the ban on beekeeping within the city boundaries. In London, too, beekeeping seminars for citizens are becoming quite popular. Honey bees and the city environment fit very well together. Ginza, with rich sources of nectar nearby such as in the Imperial Palace, Hibiya Park, and Hamanorikyu must be a very comfortable environment for honey bees.

For honey bees perhaps cities are more comfortable to live in than the countryside.

Mr. Hideo Watanabe, the advisor to APIMONDIA (International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations), who has kept bees at his home in Setagaya for 30 years now says, "Honey bees will save cities." Honey bees need greenery to survive, and they are very vulnerable against pesticides. They are especially susceptible to neonicotinoid insecticides, and this is believed to be a cause of death en masse. In the countryside, a lot of pesticides are used to farm effectively, and many trees that do not bloom such as cedars and cypress have been planted, so sources of nectar have become depleted. This has created a harsh environment for honey bees to live in. When thinking about the future of the global environment, it is important to create an environment that honey bees can inhabit.

Mr. Watanabe believes that honey bees have 4 roles.

First role is in "health and lifestyle." They provide honey, propolis, and royal jelly, which are great for our health.
Second, "pollination." They carry pollen from flower to flower, so they perform a key role in pollination and in helping plants bear rich fruit.
Thirdly, they help "improve the environment." Honey bees need good air and water. An environment that is comfortable for honey bees is an environment that is also good for human beings.
Last but not least, they help "improve our society." They bring people together as pollinators, and teach us how important it is to live in harmony with nature and to work as one.

Mr. Tanaka also says that the way he "perceived" the city changed since he has started beekeeping. Nearby trees get pollinated, bear fruit, and birds come to eat the fruit - touched by nature's blessing, he began to take action to create a city that is comfortable for small animals to live in as well. He decided to become a pollinator himself and began 2 projects, the "Bee Garden Project" and the "Farm Aid Project" to bring people closer together.

Back to Table of Contents The spread of 'bee gardens'

The bee garden on top of Matsuya Ginza, one of the first organizations to begin rooftop gardening. It is a shame that the greenery has welted due to the summer heat.

On the rooftop of Matsuya, you can see vegetables such as tomatoes, goya (bitter gourd), and green peppers growing. This year Matsuya also harvested "Kurosaki Chamame," a type of soybeans from Kurosaki, Niigata.

The "Bee Garden Project" calls on people to increase greenery in Tokyo, so that honey bees can live comfortably. Many such as Matsuya Ginza, Ginza Blossom, and Marronnier Gate have answered this call, and there are now more than 1,000 square meters of small farms and gardens on the rooftops of these buildings. Mitsukoshi, which has just recently opened for business after renovation, has its balconies lined with grass and small farms on its rooftops.

An especially brilliant rooftop garden is the one on the Hakutsuru Hall building. Here, they grow rice for brewing Japanese sake. The view of the "rice paddies" that spreads before you when you open the door to the roof is a sight to see. You almost forget that you are in the city when you see the ears of golden rice swaying in the wind. Of course it is probably not as magnificent as the rice fields in the countryside, but you still get to see sparrows, dragonflies, and various other insects. There are also cherry blossom trees planted on the roof, so honey bees from the Paper and Pulp Hall rooftop fly over as well. Where there is greenery, there is animal life - you can really sense that this is the case.

When you open the door to the rooftop of the Hakutsuru Hall building, a field of rice spreads before you. Here, they grow rice for brewing sake, which has been independently developed. (photo:Atsuko Koizumi)

It was in 2007 that Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd., whose headquarters are located in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, began making sake in Ginza. In 2008 they harvested a little under 15kg of rice from 70 square meters. Last year, they harvest 45kg of rice. You can taste the sake created from the rice harvested in the tasting seminar held in the same building. They also help children in the local elementary school grow Koshihikari variety of rice on the rooftop, which will be harvest in October. Tours to farms in the countryside that provide agricultural experience have become quite popular, but it is great that you can now get a taste of it quite nearby.

The consumption of sake is on the decrease, so the initial thought was to promote sake using the strength of the "Ginza" brand. But it had a much bigger effect than first expected. During harvest time, various groups of people from the Ginza Honey Bee Project staff to mama-sans (female proprietor) of hostess clubs and bartenders come to help. You could say, that the bees have performed one of their roles and brought people together as pollinators. Mama-sans, who fell in love with the fields of rice in the middle of Ginza, have even started a "greening club." And their dreams - growing ginger and herbs in the farms and serving them to their customers - continue to grow.

Mr. Asami Oda, the director and person in charge of the farm at Hakutsuru would like to start growing wheat as the second crop of the year after the rice is harvested (they harvested 7kg of wheat last year). He says, "It would be fun to be able to make something with the wheat and honey harvested in Ginza. I am constantly thinking of things we could do through our rooftop. The fields have created opportunities for people to meet each other, and I feel that it is now a precious part of my life." This feeling pushes him forward to do more.

Having said that, caring for the bees and growing rice does not happen overnight. You cannot stop caring for them because it is the weekend, so these efforts require considerable time and effort, patience, and resolve. Many cities all over Japan are embarking on beekeeping, but Mr. Tanaka from the Ginza Honey Bee Project says that what is important is perseverance. He has heard of some cases where people begin, but give up after a while.

The reason why the Ginza project has been successful is that there was strong volition to get the entire city involved. Mr. Tanaka and Mr. Takayasu has been involved in discussions about what Ginza's should be about and about its future before they began the project, and I realized as I was doing the footwork and writing this report that a big movement has occurred because they cherished the ties between people. "If your desired end product is honey, it is difficult to keep it going. The honey harvest is not consistent. Sometimes you get some, sometimes you don't. If there is no nectar, we have to work together to plant flowers. It is difficult for the project to take root if we don't think about how the honey bees are accepted by the community, and how we can help these small creatures flourish." (Mr. Tanaka)

Back to Table of Contents A project that brings farmers and cities together

Crowds of people from the city gather in front of the Paper Pulp Hall on the day of the Farm Aid event.

Straws from the rice harvested in the Niigata brewery were hung at the Farm Aid event held in September. Pictured in the photograph is master brewer, Mr. Masaru Tazawa.

"Farm Aid Ginza" is the second type of activity that was launched in 2008. Keeping in mind the idea, "Sustainable Network Festa that brings together forests, villages, cities, and the sea," events that unite the city and farmers and producers in the rural area are held regularly. In the September edition of Farm Aid, we were able to see hanging straws from the brewery in Niigata. This is known as "Hasagake," a process of slowly drying the stalks of harvested rice under the sun. Mr. Tanaka happily explained that unexpected opportunities arise one after another.

The honey harvested in Ginza has been commercialized in various ways, but what they tried to always keep in mind was "local production for local consumption." They wanted craftsmen in Ginza to use the honey to create products that could be sold in Ginza. This wish has come true turning into macaroons offered at Hotel Seiyo Ginza, honey infused castellas at Bunmeido, and cocktails in Mikasa Hall's bar 5517. Swan, a social welfare service, sells rusks at a bakery where mentally challenged people work. An association of bars and clubs, the "Ginza Shako Inryou Kyoukai (Ginza Society Food and Beverage Association)" created an original cocktail, the "Honey Highball," to commemorate its 85th anniversary. A small portion of the proceeds from these cocktails will be donated to greening efforts in Ginza.

Club bartenders and mama-sans proudly served "Honey Highballs" at the Farm Aid event. Many people stopped by to get a taste of the cocktail.

The coming of the honeybee's has given way to innumerable opportunities that cannot all be mentioned in this short passage, but one thing is certain. Honey bees have taught us that caring for small creatures has the potential to realize the dream of creating a Satoyama in an urban environment. Apiculture may even be undertaken on the rooftop of the Kabuki Theater, which is currently under renovation. I mentioned that honey is being harvested on the rooftop of the Opera House in Paris, but it may create quite a sensation if honey from the Kabuki Theater in Ginza becomes available in the marketplace, too. Some day buildings may become farms, and we may see various types of vegetables growing on the walls.

The Ginza Honey Bee Project established the agricultural production corporation, "K.K. Ginza Honey bee" this March. Until now, the project had relied on volunteers to take care of the bees, but this company has been established to help support the livelihoods of beekeepers and to expand production. The company has begun to cultivate potatoes on borrowed abandoned farmland in Fukushima prefecture. Mr. Tanaka, who was been inaugurated as the president of Ginza Honey Bee says that perhaps honey bees are a gateway that can lead people to rural mountain areas. So where will the Ginza honey bees head next? More and more exciting stories are sure to come.

Related URL
The Ginza Honey Bee Project http://www.gin-pachi.jp/

Atsuko Koizumi - biography
Editor and writer. Have reported on culture, IT, and education for many years, for a weekly international news magazine. Currently she edits books. She would like to communicate various global issues in a multifaceted perspectives.

Back to Table of Contents The world's most advanced "remote region"

There are approximately 500 windmills on the island of Lolland that supply almost all the electricity the island needs using a renewable energy source.

Located 175km south of Copenhagen, Denmark, the island of Lolland with a population of approximately 70,000 people is seemingly ordinary. The tranquil landscape is dotted with numerous windmills. The island is low lying and flat (the highest hill is only 25m above sea level), so a strong wind blows across the island constantly. Lolland takes advantage of such unique features to supply nearly all the electricity it needs with wind power generated by approximately 500 wind mills both onshore and offshore. Although it is a "remote region," Lolland is a leader in the field of natural energy (often also referred to as "renewable energy" because it is an inexhaustible energy source unlike fossil fuel, which are exhaustible).

At a "forest kindergarten," children are encouraged to play in the mud and learn from nature.

Lolland is not only known for its windmills, it is also recognized for its "forest kindergartens." "Forest kindergartens" - a form of preschool education that makes use of the natural environment, which originated in Denmark in the 1950s - have drawn much attention. Regardless of the season, children spend all day outdoors covered in mud. They are encouraged to spend their time freely - doing arts and crafts, cooking or playing music - using objects found in the forest as toys. Perhaps, education, which starts from a very young age, that nurtures the "power to live amidst nature," lives on in Lolland's energy policy decision making, thus resulting in the decision to generate much of the energy required using wind, an abundant natural resource.

Back to Table of Contents Unemployment rate fell from 20% to 4%! - Taking advantage of wind in town development

An onshore wind power generation farm where dozens of windmills stand side by side.

Although Lolland may seem like a wealthy island today, its unemployment rate was over 20% in the 1980s. Things began to change when Lolland city began to focus its attention on the renewable energy industry. The city renovated the port, where the shipbuilding industry had once flourished, and by making use of its unique resources such as the natural environment and the healthy shipping industry, it succeeded in inviting Vestas Wind Systems A/S, a world-leading wind turbine manufacturer that currently boasts a larger total market value than Toshiba Corporation, to its shores. In the 1990s, EU accelerated the shift towards renewable energy as a way to eliminate use of fossil fuels and the island succeeded in reducing its unemployment rate to 4%.

Onsevig Climate Park, the world's first offshore wind farm.

Lolland became known as a successful case of a town developed using renewable energy sources, and hence it has begun to attract various delegations of inspectors from companies and governmental organizations across the world, and the eco-tourism business is also beginning to flourish. For example, the Onservig Climate Park situated in the northwestern area is the world's first offshore wind farm established nearly 20 years ago in 1991. Research is underway off shore in order to develop a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone power plant that will generate energy using waves and also serve as a site for aqua farming. Actually, in the 1970s, there was a proposal to build a nuclear power station at the same site. The residents put up resistance and won back the land. And now the same site has become a perfect place to visit and to realize that the shift to renewable energy is indeed possible.

Poseidon, a prototype wind and wave power generation plant berthed at the port in Nakskov.

Vestas Wind Systems is based west of Nakskov. Numerous windmill blades to be shipped overseas were found all over the port. There is also an experimental facility nearby and you can see gigantic offshore windmills that are 100m tall - a truly overwhelming sight.

Although offshore wind power generation has become a worldwide trend - the US has gone into high gear and Japan has begun investigating a site off the coast of Choshi (Chiba prefecture) - 20 years ago there were various concerns such as the impact it may have on the animals inhabiting the surrounding area as well as the fishing industry. Therefore, the Danish government conducted over 100 investigations to prove that the plant is safe; today, you can see seals coming to rest on the plant.

The person in charge at the Onsevig Climate Park emphasized that "this is a positive conservation measure." And the collective consciousness of doing something that has never been done before anywhere in the world and to share the know-how openly and globally in order to accelerate the shift towards renewable energy is present throughout the island. A bridge connecting the island with Germany will be completed in a few years, but looking ahead to the future, Lolland is planning to build a university and research centers that will specialize in renewable energy. As it was the case with Hawaii, an Earth report I wrote previously, islands may face various restrictions, but that is the very reason why they have become the birthplace of state-of-the-art innovations.

Back to Table of Contents The world's first "renewable hydrogen community"

Back to Table of Contents A closer look at renewable hydrogen

Reference: A closer look at a renewable hydrogen society

Lolland has successfully become energy self-sufficient. What it is focusing on next is "renewable hydrogen," which is the main topic of this report. Renewable hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced as a result of the electrolysis of water using renewable energy. It produces hardly any harmful gases while it is being created and when being used, so it does not pollute air or water. Renewable hydrogen has come under the spotlight in order to make use of not only geothermal heat or small hydroelectric generation, which are relatively stable, but also other more unstable renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power that are dependent on the climate.

The technology used in creating a renewable hydrogen society can be broadly divided into 4 categories - "renewable energy generation," "water electrolysis using surplus renewable energy," "storage and distribution of hydrogen," and "ways to use hydrogen" (please visit http://rh2.org/en for more details. A video on renewable hydrogen is also available).

In the case of Lolland, the first one, "renewable energy generation," is based on wind power. There are a variety of options depending on the region, for example, Hawaii and Iceland use geothermal energy, small hydroelectric generation is used in the valleys in Canada, and solar energy is the power source of choice in Australia.

Then, there is "water electrolysis using surplus renewable energy." Necessary electricity is supplied by using renewable energy while a large volume of surplus electricity, which had gone to waste in Lolland in the past, is then used to create hydrogen.

Ways to "store and distribute hydrogen" differ depending on the infrastructure of each community.

And lastly, "ways to use hydrogen." When there is a shortage of electricity, renewable hydrogen can be used as an alternative to fossil fuels such as oil and gasoline in most cases to generate power using fuel cells (which takes advantage of the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen), to fuel a hydrogen vehicle, or as fertilizer by converting it into ammonia.

A hydrogen station in Copenhagen. Vehicles fueled by hydrogen only emit water.

However, all this talk about energy often sounds quite abstract and people often say that "hydrogen is something of the future." So, I went to check out the renewable hydrogen community on the island of Lolland to see for myself.

目Back to Table of Contents Residents, government, and companies work together to promote the "renewable hydrogen zone"

A renewable hydrogen house built out of bricks characteristic to Northern Europe.

The world's first "renewable hydrogen community" can be found in the village of Vestenskov, located in western Lolland. The total are is about 1km2 including approximately 40 residential homes. A hydrogen generator and a hydrogen storage tank are installed in one corner of the neighborhood, delivering hydrogen to each household via a pipeline and generating heat and power using fuel cells. Currently, there are 5 pilot fuel cells that began operation in 2007, but the plan calls for installing fuel cells in most of the homes in the village by 2012.

So, in a way this is a "renewable hydrogen zone." Lolland city's official program, the Community Testing Facilities, helps shorten the lead-time for implementation significantly with government involvement from the early stages of the project to select sites and to put in place relevant legislation. For the city, this offers benefits such as better infrastructure and better competition between local governments. Companies can accelerate commercialization of their ideas with a certain level of demand in mind. And research institutions can obtain data from specific case studies, so these projects provide benefits to each stakeholder. The scope of business is continuing to expand with big companies from Japan, like Panasonic, joining the program and starting cooperative experiments.

A "hydrogen generator," which creates water through electrolysis using power generated by wind and a "hydrogen tank," which stores hydrogen.

Having said this, this has never been attempted before anywhere around the world, and although Denmark is trying to hack out a new path, there were a few obstacles along the way. The biggest obstacle was the misconception about the "safety of hydrogen."

Many people ask, "Hydrogen is dangerous is it not?" but the household fuel cell, ENE-FARM, developed in Japan (in this case hydrogen is derived from natural gas, so it's not renewable hydrogen) has become gradually widespread, and with more and more people in Japan living using hydrogen at home, perhaps we can say that its safety is being more widely accepted. Even though such case examples are available, hydrogen is still believed to be dangerous and to have an explosive nature. Why is this the case?

If lit, there is a risk that hydrogen will explode. But this is also true of gasoline in cars and natural gas, propane gas, and kerosene used in homes. A famous experiment involved lighting the fuel of both an US Department of Energy's (DOE) hydrogen vehicle and gasoline vehicle. The hydrogen burned, but rapidly diffused, while gasoline kept burning for a long period of time, finally blowing up the car. Although hydrogen does burn, because it is the lightest element, it rises upwards immediately, so it is very safe in this respect.

Since we are not very familiar with hydrogen, information that may cause people to question its safety tends to become widespread, but if we use it correctly, it is not any more dangerous than gas or gasoline. One of the examples why we tend to believe that hydrogen is dangerous is the accident in 1937 where the hydrogen airship, Hindenburg, exploded and caught fire, but its has become common knowledge among experts that this was caused by the coating on the external skin catching fire rather than hydrogen gas.

Such discussions took place for years, and by persuading all the citizens with perseverance, the citizens accepted hydrogen and began to take pride in it in the end.

(left) Mr. Pedersen and a fuel cell. (right) Children teaching visitors at the Hydrogen Interaction.

We went and visited Mr. Ebbe Pedersen's home. Although it is a renewable hydrogen home, from the outside it looks quite ordinary. The only thing different about it is the refrigerator-sized fuel cell placed at the back end of the house. On its facade you can see the words, "POWERING TODAY AND TOMORROW." He may be older, but Mr. Pedersen said proudly, "Although I may not have much longer to live, I thought I should start now for the next generation. Because I was provided with enough information, I knew that hydrogen wasn't dangerous and it feels great to use it."

The "H2 interaction" found in the village is an educational facility where you can learn about water electrolysis, combination of surplus energy and fuel cells, and the seemingly complicated issues discussed above in a fun way, much like a game. "Most of the time, we get lots of wind here, so we can make a lot of energy, and if we have any energy left, we use it to make hydrogen. At times when we don't get any wind we use the hydrogen we stored to make electricity. It's quite neat no?" The children who will bear the next generation gesticulatively talked about the "renewable hydrogen community" as if they were talking about themselves.

Back to Table of Contents Key people from the renewable hydrogen community

Back to Table of Contents Mayor of Lolland: Mr. Leo Christensen - "Getting the central government in action with bottom-up activities"

Mr. Leo Christensen, the mayor of Lolland.

So why has it been possible to establish the world's first "renewable hydrogen community" in Denmark? What lies behind this success is the very strong public will represented by the declaration to become nuclear-free made in 1985, and the aggressive mindset of the government and citizens to adopt new alternative technologies.

For example, there are currently 500 windmills and approximately half are owned by residents. What became an accelerant for such a movement is the government's renewable energy policy, which involves purchasing excess electricity. Residents who have received financial loans from the regional bank began to build windmills on the idle land they owned, which lead to further investment, eventually turning into the "renewable hydrogen zone." Mr. Leo Christensen, who has served as the mayor of Lolland since 2009, has pushed this project forward from the very beginning.

"The local government supported the technological development of companies, and the best practices learned are passed up to the central government from the bottom up. As a result, better technology has been made widely available to society, and the government is able to implement policies that augment the sustainability and competitiveness of the nation. In today's world, remote regions seem more attractive and seem to have the power to survive. Even a large city like Copenhagen can't sit around and do nothing (laugh)" says Mr. Leo.

The energy generated on the island of Lolland is being sent to Copenhagen as well. In comparison to vulnerable cities that have to depend on energy generated elsewhere, Lolland has excellent set of criteria right at home resulting in creation of new value. Mr. Christensen's strong message may prove to be a good reference for local governments in Japan as well.

Back to Table of Contents Mr. Jan Johansson of the Baltic Sea Solutions - "Making energy more open source"

Mr. Jan Johansson of the Baltic Sea Solutions.

Next, we went and talked to Mr. Jan Johansson who works for Baltic Sea Solutions (BASS), an organization that steers the "renewable hydrogen zone." BASS is a non-profit consultancy company comprised of 10 or so experts, who help with engineering, fund procurement, and sociological analysis.

"Selling excess power generated by wind power generation is a great business opportunity for Lolland. But in 2009, in order to stabilize the power supply, a law was enacted to charge against electric energy transmission during low demand times. But rather than letting the energy generated go to waste, we wanted to control demand, so we focused on hydrogen because of its ability to be stored temporarily. The hydrogen may be used within the community, and a business may be founded based on selling surplus energy."

The next phase is to look for 2 possibilities. First is to create enough demand to convert 10,000 homes, a significant number, into renewal hydrogen homes, and to establish a framework whereby mass production of fuel cells may be realized. Second is to create a renewable hydrogen community model that is independent from the power supply especially in a rural region where infrastructure is inadequate. BASS is not only focusing on Denmark. They intend to conduct case studies best suited to the unique characteristics of the various locations and to make the know-how widely available.

"Even if we are talking about the same hydrogen, it's nonsense to make it using fossil fuels. This doesn't solve anything. If asked if renewable hydrogen is feasible or not, we can't at this point in time say that it is, but what is important in the end is the will power to make it feasible. If our vision is attractive, more funds and technology will be made available, and we will be that much closer to making it a reality.That is what is happening in Lolland now."

What we learned from Mr. Johansson is that it is not only about business. It is important to uphold a great ideal and to keep in mind "Why we are doing what we are." In Denmark, citizens are thinking about their own futures, and this seems quite commonplace. But what about Japan? Are we leaving the issues for others to resolve? With that thought in mind, I started to make my way back to Japan.

Back to Table of Contents One thing that is necessary to realize a hydrogen community

The number one reason why we went to Denmark is to see for ourselves that "hydrogen is not something of the future." Having seen it for myself, I truly realized that the technology is already available, and we can make the shift at any time if we really want to. And at the same time, I realized that there is a stark difference in the awareness and faculties between "taking action" and "inaction." (I was really encouraged and was inspired to "take action"!)

When I was spoke to the coordinator about this she said, "No matter who is in charge of the government in Denmark, what remains the same is that the 'country has the obligation to ensure that citizens receive good, fresh water and air, food, and energy." So although costs and efficiencies are tasks that must be overcome, they never become prohibitive obstacles. I am a member of the board of the renewable hydrogen network. Mr. Ehara, who is the chairman of the same board says, "One of the things that became necessary to make the renewable hydrogen society a reality is a change in awareness of the people who manage fossil fuels in the political and financial sector" but this is exactly what is happening in Denmark.

Back to Table of Contents To bring "Energy Commons" to life

Another insight gained from the trip to Lolland is that know-how regarding energy is something to be shared, something that should become commons knowledge. There are worldwide frameworks such as the "Creative Commons" that openly shares an individual's work to give way to new creativity, and the "Science Commons," and an educational commons known as "ccLearn,"it is important to openly share ideas in the field of energy, a fundamental infrastructure necessary for mankind to live on, and to accelerate the shift away from a fossil fuel society. Although it may sound like a goal for the far off future, it is essential that we uphold a clear, strong vision and tell ourselves that "That day will never come if we just sit and wait. We all need to take action!" and to create a movement.

There are many experts on renewable hydrogen not only in Lolland but also in Hawaii and Canada. And there are more and more journalists, creatives, scientists, and business people who are becoming interested. Realization of an "Energy Commons" that involves not only experts in hydrogen, but also various other renewable energies such as solar energy, wind power, and geothermal energy. The trip was extremely fruitful and I felt as though I was able to embark on a new, extremely exciting mission.

Renewable Hydrogen Network (http://rh2.org/en/)

Yoshihiro Kanematsu Biography
Born in 1979 in Akita prefecture. Involved in the web direction, event planning, writing, etc. for various projects in order to help bring a sustainable world to life in a creative fashion by 2020. Recently he has focused especially on "energy x design thinking" and undertakes various activities to augment awareness for renewable energy and "renewable hydrogen" created with it.
greenz.jp

This is the venue entrance. Flags from all around the world welcome the visitors. When purchasing an entry ticket, visitors are asked to present their business cards and to also state the purpose of their visit.

The "Bologna Children's Book Fair"is a very large international children's book fair held annually in Bologna, Italy. Every year, a great number of people from all around the world involved in publishing of children's books and the multimedia industry from authors, illustrators, publishers, distributors, people involved in copyrights and patents, mass media, to librarians come to the event. First held in 1964, the Bologna Children's Book Fair (held from March 23rd to 26th this year), which marked its 47th anniversary this year, attracted over 1,200 exhibitors from 67 countries and more than 4,760 visitors.

The booth of Corraini srl, known for having published many of Bruno Munari's works, is crowded with visitors. At this year's book fair, it boasted the greatest number of books on display.

The exhibition serves as a showcase for publishers and a place where they can buy or sell rights, as well as a forum for exchanging information about the current publishing environment or trends in various countries. It also provides all experts involved in publishing with a chance to work together and create new business opportunities. Because the latest information on children's book from around the world can be found at the exhibition, there are also some publishers who use the exhibition as an opportunity for developing new business strategies. Children's book publishers from Japan such as FUKUINKAN SHOTEN PUBLISHERS, INC. and KAISEI-SHA Ltd. also took part in the event.

The booth of French publishers, Éditions Memo. Their "L'HERBIER" was nominated in the Non Fiction category of the "BolognaRagazzi Award." With a book in hand, the staff negotiates copyrights.

The event offers an opportunity for publishers to find new, talented picture book authors and a great chance for such authors to promote their masterpieces. Because new talent discovered at this book fair has lead to works being published, everyone was quite serious. There were many authors of illustrated books and authors-to-be forming a queue in front of publishers' booths with their books in their arms.

There is a board that lets authors and authors-to-be promote their works. Fliers containing authors' contact information that people can take home are eye-catching.

There is also an area where you will see on exhibit original illustrations created by illustrators from around the world. Visitors were looking at the rare illustrations with keen interest.

目次へ移動 Changing trends in the BolognaRagazzi Award?

The only award dedicated to books and presented at the Bologna Children's Book Fair is the"BolognaRagazzi Award."It is awarded to books with the best technical elements, artistic merit, and delicate balance between text and images. It is known as one of the most important and prestigious recognitions in the field because prize-winning books are widely introduced in the media and draw great attention. This year, over 1,160 books from 34 countries applied for the awards and a total of 15 books won the prizes in 4 categories - Fiction, Non Fiction, New Horizons, and Opera Prima.

You can see the books of the "BolognaRagazzi Award" winners on a large poster displayed by the entrance of the venue as well as in various other places inside the venue. This is indicative of how much attention the award draws.

The "BolognaRagazzi Award" awards ceremony. Plaques were given to the award-winning authors during the ceremony (at the Biblioteca Sala Borsa located in front of the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna).

Every year, books that enter for the awards cover a truly wide range of themes. Some depict every day life, others depict what the world looks like through a child's eyes, and others may be comical. This year, many of the books focused on nature. Out of the 15 books that received the awards, 7 of them, so almost half were about nature and ecology. One depicted animals living in harmony, another highlighted a life of a tree. One was based on Charles Darwin's research, and another was based on a dance that celebrates the changes in the seasons. Another book expressed a sample of plant specimens with illustrations. Another one focused on the lifestyle of indigenous people in India, and the last one was created using images of natural materials.

Mr. Antonio Faeti, chairman of the "BolognaRagazzi Award" committee. He was born in Bologna in 1939. After working as an elementary school teacher, he began to study history of children's literature at the Department of Educational Sciences at the University of Bologna. Currently, he teaches Pedagogy of Reading in Bologna (at the Biblioteca Sala Borsa located in front of the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna).

"I'm surprised that there were so many books on nature because this is a new trend. Perhaps, this may be a reflection that last year is Darwin's bicentenary, but I believe authors are becoming more sensitive to nature and the environment," says Mr. Antonio Faeti, the chairman of the awards committee.

Nowadays, global warming and deforestation is often discussed and featured in the media. The publishing industry, too, has begun to focus on such issues, and so there are increasingly more books that express the importance of nature or the environment. Because environmental issues must be tackled by many generations to come, it is a theme that I would also like to see communicated to children of the future through illustrated books.

So what books received the awards this year?
Let me introduce 3 books from The Netherlands, Japan, and India that won awards in the Fiction and New Horizons categories.

目次へ移動 Completing the story with your own words: "De boomhut" (Winner of the Fiction category/The Netherlands)

"De boomhut" (etching by Ronald Tolman, illustrations by Marije Tolman/LEMNISCAAT/2009) http://www.lemniscaat.nl/

"De boomhut" (etching by Ronald Tolman, illustrations by Marije Tolman/LEMNISCAAT/2009). English title, "The Tree House," was published by LEMNISCAAT in 2010.

Generally, illustrated books are a combination of illustrations and text, but there are also illustrated books without illustrations or without text. "De boomhut," winner of the Fiction category, is an illustrated book with one illustration on each double-page spread. It does not contain any text. The illustrations depict animals such as whales, bears, rhinoceros, flamingos, pandas, and peacocks that gather by a single tree, as though they have invited each other, as though they were playing music together. ("De boomhut" means, "house in the trees.")

The booth the publishers of "De boomhut," LEMNISCAAT. Publishers from many countries are negotiating for publishing rights at the same time.

Nearly half of the LEMNISCAAT booth was dedicated to the book, "De boomhut," so you can see that they are really putting their backs into its promotion.

The book came to fruition from a father-daughter collaboration: Mr. Ronald Tolman was in charge of the etching, and Ms. Marije Tolman drew the illustrations.

Mr. Ronald Tolman did the etching for "De boomhut." He also creates sculptures and paintings. (At the LEMNISCAAT booth) http://www.ronaldtolman.nl/

Ms. Marije Tolman drew the illustrations for "De boomhut." 　Her personification of animals is what makes her illustrations unique.(At the LEMNISCAAT booth) http://www.marijetolman.nl/

The judges stated that this book "pleads for an enlightened ecological stance in which an intense awareness that we are part of nature." Perhaps the judges thought that the illustrations featuring various different animals living together in one tree represent our planet where a truly diverse range of organisms lives.

Mr. Ronald and Ms. Marije say that they wanted to create a book without words so that the authors would not be telling a specific story.

"We were trying to search for a space, realistic feel, and freedom so that the story would speak for itself, so that readers could make their own stories. We didn't want to force people to think a certain way." (Ms. Marije Tolman)

「"By reading the book, the readers can see the importance of the natural environment, but we didn't want to tell them what to do or what to think. We value the freedom to allow people to talk each other, imagine, add their own words, and to invent their own story for the pictures they see." (Mr. Ronald Tolman)

Each and every individual perceives the illustrations differently and give them a unique meaning - Mr. and Ms. Tolman hope that this process will be cherished. What people discover for themselves will shine in their hearts like beacon for a long time to come. And the book, "De boomhut," which lets readers think about living in harmony with others and with nature, will provide an opportunity for us to think about the society and the environment we live in.

目次へ移動 A message conveyed in the margins: "Little tree" (Fiction category nomination/Japan)

"Little tree" (text and illustrations by Katsumi Komagata/ONE STROKE/2009) http://www.one-stroke.co.jp/

"Little tree" (text and illustrations by Katsumi Komagata/ONE STROKE/2009). The visitor turns the pages slowly as she listens to the description of the book.

"Little tree" is a pop up book, which depicts a life of a tree, as it grows from a sapling, expressing itself differently in each season, and eventually aging. The tree in various stages of life will pop up in the center of the double-page spread. There is little text, and the ample margins on each page are quite daring.

Acclaimed as "having created a serene tranquility in today's superfluous society" it was nominated for the Fiction category. Mass production, mass consumption is the mainstream nowadays, but this book is handmade, so only 50 copies may be produced per month.

It is beautiful to look at, but the author, Mr. Katsumi Komagata, proposes that readers superimpose their lives with the life of the tree, and have fun writing their own thoughts in the margins. This book has the possibility to become a proof of our existence, a book we bequeath to our loved ones.

The book expresses Mr. Komagata's following feelings.

Mr. Katsumi Komagata. He works out of Tokyo and Paris on design, publications, product design, exhibitions, and workshops. (At the publisher, ONE STROKE's booth)

"My uncle was in a coma and hospitalized for a very long time, but when he passed away in the end, I realized again how much it affects people when they lose their loved ones. If we could recognize a person's existence or understand them while they are still alive, then perhaps we would value interacting and living with other people even more." (Mr. Komagata)

"Books are supposed to change, depending on how the person uses it. I believe that it can be 'incomplete' in a way because this will give room for change." (Mr. Komagata)

A book in which readers write down their own thoughts or experiences. It will help us realize that a person's life is precious and invaluable. A book we helped complete will certainly be a treasure we will cherish throughout our lives.

目次へ移動 A comprehensive project that transcends beyond publishing: "Do!" (Winner of the New Horizons category/India)

"Do!" (text by Gita Wolf, illustrations by Ramesh Hengadi and Shantaram Dhadpe/Tara Books/2009) http://www.tarabooks.com/

"Do!", which won the award in the New Horizons category, is a book that expresses the lifestyle of the Warli tribe who live in Westen India, in the state of Maharashtra. These illustrations are drawn on the mud walls of village homes on special occasions such as weddings. The director of Tara Books, Ms. Gita Wolf, and artists of the Warli tribe, Mr. Ramesh Hengadi, Ms. Rashika Hengadi, and Mr. Shantaram Dhadpe and Ms. Kusum Dhadpe reproduced such illustrations for the book.

Warli are an indigenous minority. They believe that gods are present in nature and live by revering and appreciating nature. They harvest rice in the fields, fish in the rivers, and live in mud huts with their cattle and chicken. Their way of life, living in harmony with nature, helping one another out, is depicted dynamically, together with simple words like "Farm," "Grow," and "Dance."

"Do!" depicts the Warli way of life - tilling the soil, growing rice. The illustrations comprised of lines and simple circles and triangles, seem like a sacred magic spell or hieroglyphs.

To the publishers, Tara Books, the manufacturing process of the book is as important as its content."Do!" is silk-screen printed and hand bound. Many of the other books are also made by hand from printing through to binding. The finish is exquisite and incomparable to mass-produced books. The paper is made of recycled paper, which is also hand-made locally.

The book, "Do!" comes with a band explaining the book making process. Everything, from screen-printing, typesetting, binding, to stitching is done by hand.

Making this book has offered low-income people, who usually paint on the walls of their homes, a chance to apply their skills to making illustrated books, a different line of work. Not only does it create new jobs locally, it also has created a place where people who are involved in the book production can live and work.

*You can watch a video of how "Do!" was created on YouTube.

Books published by Tara Books are exported to countries and read by people all around the world, such as the UK and US, and they have also been translated into Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish. The project coordinator, Mr. Arun Wolf says, "People who are involved in making the book not only get income, but they also acquire great self confidence and satisfaction."

Mr. Arun Wolf, the project coordinator at Tara Books. (At the Tara Books booth)

Tara Books has not simply just published a book. This was a "comprehensive project" that communicated the tribe's way of living in harmony with nature, employed green manufacturing processes, and created jobs for the local people. I hope more and more multi-functional projects that create such a positive cycle will be undertaken in the future.

目次へ移動 Even the book making process is green

There have been many illustrated books that focused on nature or ecology. Many people may have read "The Man who Planted Trees" (originally written by Jean Giono, illustrated by Frédéric Back), or "Life Story" (written by Virginia Lee Burton). These illustrated books communicate the importance of ecology with its "content," but the books I have introduced are ecological in terms of both "content" and "method." Both the "Little tree" and "Do!" are only hand made in small quantities and thus have a value you can't find in mass produced products. So the book making process itself is green.

Moreover, Mr. Komagata, the author of "Little tree" proposes "transforming books from a medium to a product."

"For example, if books become a product that we can look at from various perspectives or enjoy just looking at, then books will no longer be just a medium that carries information. It will start functioning as a 'product.' If we create something that preserves the paper forever, a book that is like an objet instead of using paper on direct mail and other things that are thrown away very quickly, we may be able to cherish the warmth or texture unique to paper, while reducing the amount of paper we use." (Mr. Komagata)

By reevaluating the way books are supposed to be, or to create a complete manufacturing process like "Do!" - these are themes the publishing industry should be tackling in the future.

目次へ移動 A deeper understanding we gain from experiences

With technological advancement, information is being transmitted more and more via the digital media. But throughout time, there has been a role that only books can fulfill. That is a "deeper understanding" we gain from "experiences."

Understanding that shake our way of thinking or behavior to the core cannot be obtained from information, only from our experiences. "De boomhut," which lets you add your own words to compete the story, or "Little tree," which invites you to relate your whole life to a life of a tree, let you get closer to the story and to read and experience it.

Issues on sustainability we face require a long-term commitment in order to bear fruit. And because these issues are complex and difficult, a deeper understanding we gain from our experiences will become essential.

Parents reading books to their children offer a very valuable experience to both parents and children. They can enjoy each other's voices, warmth, and share time together. The warmth and texture of the paper; the natural aesthetic of the paper, which fades and yellows with time; the warmth of the handwriting on paper - these are things that you cannot experience with digital media. Moreover, paper created from trees from the world of nature is a medium that will bring people closer to nature.

目次へ移動 The power to imagine and the ability to envision a different world

A wide range of organisms lives in and interacts with the diverse environment on our unique planet. Our way of life and social activity, and the Earth's environment that supports this are all interconnected by layers and layers interlaced relationships.

But today's lifestyle makes it difficult to trace how products are created, and where they go after we are done with it. And it is not easy to realize that problems such as the destruction of nature or poverty in far away lands are related to us. In such an environment, the "power to imagine" becomes very important.

Imagination, which illustrated books nurture, will become more and more necessary in the era that we live in. The ambiguity of the margins and illustrations of the books give way to a wide range of interpretation and infinite imagination. The rich sensitivity nurtured with illustrated books will give us the power necessary to see the various relationships and interconnectivity that are getting harder and harder to sense today.

In our era, we have seen the limits of capitalism and we are reexamining what we see and value as wealth and happiness, so where are we headed and what kind of society are we going to create? 大We are facing big changes today, and in such an era, we should not try to "predict" the future based on the present. We should "envision" a world we would like to create. And we should take action to realize this future by first understanding that various situations are interrelated.

Imagination - the "power to envision a world that doesn't exist yet." This is a power that is necessary especially for us adults in this era of change. The imagination and possibility that lie in illustrated books are not only available to children. It is also there for us adults to tap into. Why not take another look at the illustrated books you read as a child?

Keiko Hoshino Biography
Obtained a masters degree in Holistic Science from Schumacher College. She was involved in communications related to the environment and sustainability at e's Inc./Change Agent, Inc. and became independent in 2010. Planned and edited the Japanese edition of an anthology of articles from the Resurgence magazine (translation of the Japanese title - "Toward an era for reconnection: Environmental thoughts and actions aiming for a sustainable society.") Currently, she conducts research on illustrated books, educational materials, and designing relationships.

A 3-hour drive from Christchurch, the largest city on New Zealand's South Island, there is a village with a small stone church situated in front of a milky blue, glacial lake. The village of Tekapo is very small with a population of mere 300. You can look out onto the lake and the beautiful mountain range that elegantly frames the lake from the church window. This view is so mesmerizing it makes you feel at peace within. Many visitors gather from around the world to take in this view.

Tekapo has been known for this resplendent landscape with the lake and church, but there is a gentleman, who created a new image for Tekapo as a "village with a beautiful starry night sky." His name is Hideyuki Ozawa and he began working in the village as a star gazing tour guide 15 years ago.

< Upper left > Tekapo, a small village with a beautiful glacial lake, means "sleeping mat" in the indigenous language of Maori. Because the water contains fine particles of rock flour created by glacial erosion, the lake shines milky white when the rays of the sun hit its surface. < Upper right > "Church of the Good Shepherd" was built in 1935 by European pioneers. The rustic, stone structure blends in well with the surrounding nature. < Lower left > Earth & Sky Ltd., which conducts star gazing tours, is located adjacent to the information center in the village of Tekapo. < Lower right > Mr. Hideyuki Ozawa, who began conducting star gazing tours in Tekapo. When he first started, it was just him and his wife, but now he has 15 staff working with him.

Tekapo is one of the best star gazing spots in New Zealand. In 1965 an observatory was built on the peak of Mt. John, a small mountain that overlooks the lake. The Mount John Observatory is the southern-most observatory in the world.

There are many stars and constellations we can't see from the northern hemisphere, the most famous of which is the Southern Cross. Depending on the time of year, the Milky Way stretches across overhead, so even if you aren't an astronomy fan, you can't help but look up and admire the stars. What's more, it is sunny many days of the year, dry, and the air is clear, and because there are no large cities nearby, there are hardly any city lights. The beautiful starry night here at Tekapo is accessible to everyone because you don't have to climb thousands of meters to gaze at stars.

Japanese astronomers have a base here as well. There are 5 telescopes on Mt. John, and New Zealand's largest telescope - the MOA-II - is operated by the Nagoya University. They are looking for planets outside the solar system and dark matter, focusing especially on the "center of the galaxy" and the Magellanic Clouds.

The peak of Mt. John (altitude: 1030m) during the day where you can find domed telescopes. Tekapo is located at an altitude of 710m, so you only have to climb a few hundred meters to reach the peak.

With Mr. Ozawa's tour, you make your way towards the mountaintop on a bus after sundown. After the veil of darkness descends, the bus heads towards the peak without any headlights. This is because headlights get in the way of star gazing. Once you reach the peak and get off the bus, you are asked to tilt your face towards the sky while keeping your eyes closed. When you finally open your eyes you are immediately swept off your feet by the breathtakingly beautiful, starlit sky. It doesn't feel like you're looking up at the stars. It is as though you have been suddenly thrown into space amidst the stars.

Mt. John's peak at night. The Southern Cross shines bright with the Milky Way in the background. You can also lie down on the floor of this building and gaze up at the stars.

As we were gazing at the stars, Mr. Ozawa said:

"When I gaze at the stars, I feel like I am bathing in the forest, absorbing the alpha waves."

Here, it's like bathing in the stars. This is an experience unique to Tekapo, where you can immerse yourself in starlight.

Although many places may be renowned for star gazing, and these places may be located far away from large cities, you can often still see the lights of large cities shining in the distant horizon. In Tekapo, stars shine bright all the way down to the horizon. When you're up on the mountain peak looking up at the stars, you get a false feeling that the stars continue endlessly, all around you, even beneath your line of sight.

But for people who live here the starry night sky is quite commonplace; it is as commonplace as the air around us. They took it for granted and did not realize that the starlit sky they enjoy every night is a very rare sight.

"What? A business based on showing people stars...?" When Mr. Ozawa began his star gazing tour, even the local newspaper poked fun at him. But gradually its reputation spread across the country and around the world, so that now there are increasingly more people especially from within New Zealand that come to experience the star gazing tour.

The Astro Café found at the peak of Mt. John. Many people come from all around the world to "experience the stars in Tekapo."

目次へ移動 But the wave of development hits Tekapo as well

Around the year 2000, the development bubble hit New Zealand. This wave rolled in on Tekapo as well, and plans to significantly expand the commercial district,, which used to be a dozen or so buildings, and residential district were drafted. This would ruin the dark starry night in Tekapo - Mr. Ozawa, who had grown up in Japan, could clearly see where this was headed.

In Japan, and in many parts of the world, many cities have and are losing the beautiful nature and unique landscape during the process of development. And Tekapo was about to head down the same path. Mr. Ozawa became quite concerned about the future of Tekapo.

Having said that, because Tekapo has been home to an observatory from long ago, it is not as though the people here had been complacent about "light pollution" that dilute the starry night. The local council had begun regulating lights a few decades ago. Now, even the street lamps have umbrellas to prevent light from spilling over, and the village uses low pressure sodium light bulbs that have less impact on star gazing. However, there are no regulations against lighting for commercial facilities, so should the business district continue to expand, the night sky will certainly become diffused with white, hazy light.

The street lamps use low pressure sodium light bulbs with umbrellas on top to help keep light spill over to the minimum.

Vehicle headlights had long been a problem. Headlights 10km away reach Mt. John's peak. The high beams of cars heading towards the mountain peak cast a clear shadow on the observatory dome walls when they turn towards the direction of the peak.When such lights hit your eyes you can't see the stars very well, even if they are shining bright above your head.

Should development be carried out apace with the momentum of the bubble, the business and residential district expand, and number of cars traveling on the roads increase, the starry night sky will be lost. Is there something that can be done to prevent this from happening? One day, Mr. Ozawa thought of an idea.

"Let's try to get Tekapo's starry night registered as a World Heritage Site."

A "starry night sky" has never been registered as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. So it seemed, at the time, a gargantuan task.

But Mr. Graeme Murray, Mr. Ozawa's partner at Earth & Sky Ltd., was very moved by Mr. Ozawa's desire to "protect the beautiful night sky."

"Those of us who grew up in the village used to take the starry night sky foiled by the pitch darkness for granted. We never thought that it could be something that could be lost. When Hide told me, I realized how precious our starry night really was. That it was indeed a heritage that we should bequeath to the next generation. Moreover, being registered as a World Heritage Site will certainly contribute to "Astro Tourism" we are trying to promote, which fuses together the science of astronomy and tourism."

Mr. Graeme Murray, Mr. Ozawa's partner at Earth & Sky Ltd.

目次へ移動 Appearance of a formidable leader

Ms. Margaret Austin, former Labour cabinet minister of New Zealand.

Mr. Murray then asked Ms. Margaret Austin, who has long been involved with UNESCO, for her assistance on this matter.

Ms. Austin was once appointed New Zealand's Minister of Research, Science and Technology. If Tekapo is registered as the world's first "Starlight Reserve," it may help encourage interest in astronomy as well as science in general among people not only in New Zealand, but also all around the world, especially children. This hope helped convince Ms. Austin to take on a leading role in promoting this movement.

"New Zealand was discovered by the Maori who arrived here on a boat from Polynesia.For the Maori, stars are extremely important; at sea, they help them navigate and on land, they serve as a calendar and show the Maori when it is time to harvest. The first white man who arrived in New Zealand, Capitan James Cook, also was lead here by the stars. Stars, which have helped build our nation, are a great legacy for the people of New Zealand."

Actually, in 2005 when Ms. Austin heard about this movement, discussions on the inclusion of astronomy in the World Heritage provisions were also taking place in the UNESCO's headquarters located in Paris.

Although the "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage" states that sites with outstanding universal "historical," "artistic," "conservational" and "scientific" value be listed as World Heritage Sites, no sites have been recognized as being a World Heritage Site with outstanding universal scientific value thus far.

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences that mankind has been studying. Perhaps discussions on the registration of astronomical monuments, sites, and landscapes as World Heritage Sites are a natural transition.

Pursuant to various discussions, 5 sites around the world including Tekapo and the Mauna Kea Volcano in Hawaii were nominated as candidates for the pilot study regarding the registration of starlit skies as World Heritage Sites. In the end, Tekapo and nearby Aoraki/Mt. Cook was selected as the final candidate. Currently, Tekapo is closest to obtaining the World Heritage status.

目次へ移動 Local residents left behind

Tekapo's acquisition of the World Heritage status has become a real possibility with the involvement and leadership of Ms. Austin, who plays a key role in UNESCO and in New Zealand. However, people of Tekapo have begun to have concerns regarding this matter.

Mr. Andrew Simpson, a sheep farmer who owns a vast stretch of land in and around Tekapo, said:

"Although such a big movement to register Tekapo as a World Heritage Site was moving forward on a global level, residents had not been informed about it at all. Many people here are concerned that if things proceed as is, one day strangers may come and impose strict regulations on the villagers, and we wouldn't be able to choose our own destiny. For example, it would be a big problem for us if restrictions prohibiting development are implemented."

When I asked if he meant economic development by this he replied:

"I mean in every aspect, including economic growth, streamlining various social functions and frameworks for environmental conservation. There is no doubt that the starlit sky of Tekapo is wonderful. But, if we are told that 'the starry night sky takes precedence over everything, and everything else has to be sacrificed,' as residents, we can't just sit on the sidelines and do nothing."

< Left > Mr. Andrew Simpson who owns a vast plot of land including a 9,700-hectare farm.
< Right > Mr. Karl Burtchur, a local businessman.

Mr. Karl Burtchur, who operates various recreational facilities such as hot pools, spa, and ice skating rink, also expressed his concern.

"Because I run recreational facilities, it is not as if I'm not hoping for benefits that may result from Tekapo being registered as a World Heritage Site. Even still, I'm much more concerned about the lives and businesses of the local residents. For example, it would be seriously damaging to our business if we have to dim the lights of the ice skating rink at night. It won't be just my business that will be affected. Depending on the restrictions set by UNESCO, we would be bound hand and foot, and Tekapo wouldn't work."

So, how does the local government feel about this? Mr. John O'neill, Mayor of the Mackenzie District Council, which includes Tekapo, shared his thoughts:

"We have been taking measures to protect Tekapo's starry night sky by, for example, implementing the lighting ordinance, but at the same time, it is also important to help improve the lives of the local residents, which includes rights to undertake development."

The Starlight Reserve Committee has been organized to promote Tekapo's registration as a World Heritage Site. Mayor O'neill thought it was necessary to have a person who can represent the local residents in the committee, so Mr. Simpson was recently welcomed as a member of the committee. The dialogue between the local residents and the committee is finally about to begin.

Mayor John O'neill of the Mackenzie District Council.

目次へ移動 Can they strike a balance between development and conservation of the dark starry night sky?

The observatory was built here in Tekapo because the astronomer, Mr. Alan Gilmore determined that it was the best location for star gazing pursuant to surveys of various regions in New Zealand at the behest of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Gilmore, who has been gazing at the stars in the village of Tekapo ever since the observatory was built, said:

"The village of Tekapo has grown to 3 times the size of what is used to be when I first came here. However, this doesn't mean that the stars have become 3 times harder to see. Even if Tekapo becomes a World Heritage Site and the urban district becomes larger, we can prevent light pollution by employing better lighting methods and with technological advancement."

Mr. Alan Gilmore, resident superintendent of the Mount John Observatory.

Mr. Gilmore also pointed out that large cities around the world are filled with street lamps that needlessly light up the surrounding area and do not effectively light up the desired area (e.g. roads).

"Such lighting just wastes energy. And it makes it harder to see the stars at night. Not only do light bulbs have umbrellas new lighting such as sodium light bulbs is being developed. I'm sure such technology will continue to evolve."

Both Ms. Austin and Mr. Murray said that Tekapo's registration as a World Heritage Site does not necessarily mean that all forms of development have to be prohibited and people's lives have to be bound by rules. Although unchecked development would be restricted, because Tekapo has a history and proven record of controlling lighting, even if some development takes places, people of Tekapo will be able to design a starry night sky conscious town.

Mr. Takahiro Sumi, a researcher at the Nagoya University who has been observing the stars with the MOA telescope said, "The registration as a World Heritage Site may bring about an even darker night sky."

"It is true that the starlit sky has become gradually lighter compared to 10 years ago when I started coming to Tekapo and it is starting to affect our observation activities. Preservation of the dark, starlit sky would be a prerequisite for the starlight reserve's registration as a World Heritage Site, so I hope that any future development will take the conservation of the starlit sky into consideration, for example, the lighting regulation currently only applies to street lamps, but I hope this will also be applied to commercial facilities."

< Left > Mr. Takahiro Sumi of Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University.
< Right > New Zealand's largest telescope with a diameter of 1.8m. You can shoot images of the starlit sky by connecting a large CCD camera to the telescope.

On the other hand, Mr. Ozawa is quite seriously concerned about development.

"Tekapo's registration as a World Heritage Site will be good for my business. Even still, I'm very worried that once Tekapo is registered as a World Heritage Site this area would undergo excessive development, making the starlit sky brighter and destroying nature. Depending on the situation, it may be better to withdraw our application to the World Heritage Site."

What he proposed in order to stop development may have quite the opposite effect and bring on even greater development. Perhaps Mr. Ozawa feels deeply responsible about the situation since he was the one who came up with the idea.

目次へ移動 The key to "the registration of a Starlight Reserve as a World Heritage Site" lies in the hands of people living in Tekapo

Mr. Ozawa constantly asks himself "what good will the registration of Tekapo as a World Heritage Site do to local people who live here quietly."

"It's easy for people from the outside to come in and ban lighting for ski slopes and ice skating rinks, but ice skating has been an intricate part of people's lives here in Tekapo since long ago. And street lamps that light up the dark streets at night are important for ensuring people's safety. I don't think it's right to reject the village's cultural heritage and one-sidedly demand that villagers sacrifice their lives to protect the starry night sky. I'd like to talk to each and every villager and hear about their feelings towards registration as a World Heritage Site."

Enchanted by Tekapo's beautiful nature, Ms. Debra Hunter moved here 6 years ago and she now runs a café that serves organic coffee. Ms. Hunter said:

"I'm in favor of Tekapo becoming a World Heritage Site. But I think we should find the answer to striking a balance between protecting the starlit sky and our lives, lifestyles ourselves. It would be best if we can take pride in the fact that 'we are helping to preserve the starry night sky,' rather than being ordered by someone else to do so."

Mr. Ozawa asks Ms. Debra Hunter, who runs a café, how she feels. Mr. Ozawa is not taking any shortcuts; he is meeting with many villagers in search of clues that will lead the way to the best solution.

It is also my hope that the World Heritage Sites not only preserve the landscape, nature, and townscape exactly as it appears in a still photograph,but that they also pay due attention to the lives of the people who live in those areas. Heritage that does not embrace the people - for whom is it for?

Having said that, if Tekapo's starlit sky becomes recognized as a World Heritage Site, restrictions applied by UNESCO will provide a huge umbrella framework for protecting the starlit sky, and we can hope for development involving unprecedented new ideas that takes light control and environmental conservation into consideration. On the other hand, Mr. Ozawa's concerns may be justified and the starry night sky may be lost due to development that may take place with the expected World Heritage Site registration.

So, what path will Tekapo decide to take? 　Although we received varying feedback from the people we met during our visit, the common denominator was their appreciation for the beautiful nature of Tekapo and the local community. I have returned to Japan, but I am looking forward to seeing what path the people of Tekapo will choose. It is my hope that the registration of Tekapo as a World Heritage Site will not be something that is decided by the authorities, rather, that it will be decided by the local residents who will continue to cherish and protect Tekapo's beautiful starry night sky.

The Milky Way and the Southern Cross disappearing behind the "Church of the Good Shepherd" on the edge of the Tekapo lake.

Eri Eguchi Biography

Born in 1973. She became a freelance editor and writer after working at Hankyu Communications Co., Ltd. (former TBS-BRITANNICA Co., Ltd.) and at the UK-based Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. as an intern. Author of "Bonobo - The Most Human-like Apes on Earth" and "The Meerkat Family" (published by Soensha Co., Ltd.).

Photographed by: Tsunehide Chino

The state-owned "Akaya Forest" we visited this time is located in the town of Minakami, near the border of Niigata and Gunma prefectures. The nearest station to the town, the Jomo-Kogen station, is an hour and a half away on the bullet train from Tokyo. It takes about the same amount of time on a car via the Kan-etsu Expressway, so it is fairly easily accessible from the city. There are many hot springs with a great atmosphere along the way such as the Yujyuku Onsen, Sarugakyo Onsen, Kawafuru Onsen, and Houshi Onsen, so perhaps people who love hot springs have been in the area before.

Near such areas popular among tourists, there are very advanced activities underway that aim to bring back biodiversity. Have you heard about this project?

Generally speaking, the water that comes out as hot springs is water from rain or snow from 30-40 years ago that has been accumulated and heated underground. And it is the fruit of a very rich forest (Houshi Onsen, Choujukan). Photographed by: Tsunehide Chino

The Akaya Project Map
The Akaya forest, which has various visages, is subdivided into 6 broad categories. And the management theme has been tweaked to suit each area.

1. Akaya headstream area - to restore natural forests with giant trees to protect the golden eagles' nest building site.
2. Oizumata area - to protect the vegetation. Site for research and development of text for environmental education and implementation.
3. Houshizawa/Mutakozawa area - to nurture forests where headsprings may be found and to protect the mountain hawk-eagle's nest building site.
4. Old Mikuni-kaidou (road) area - to create forests that will help transform the old road into an optimal nature observation route and to restore the river/stream environment.
5. Hotokeiwa area - to research ways in which forests may be used for traditional cultures such as creating charcoal and making tools, to support people's lives, and to communicate technologies.
6. Kassedani area - to conduct research and implement experiential ways to manage man-made forests in a new era.

Shigekurasawa, where the dam destruction project I reported on is underway, is located in area 4. And the mountain stream restoration working group of the Akaya Project is in charge of the region.

目次へ移動 Seeing and experiencing what it's like onsite

November 10, 2009 - I took part in a site inspection and went to see the dam in question. Until now, countless concrete dams have been constructed in the middle of nature, but I took part in this inspection because I wanted to take a closer look at the historical site where a dam was "destroyed" for the first time in Japan through a public-works project.

The dam, which was destroyed, is the Shigekurasawa No.2 dam located on a tributary of the Akaya River, a reservoir along the Tone River. It is the second dam when you count from downstream.

No.2 dam before construction

The deconstruction began last year in October 26, and the central portion measuring approximately 8.6m of a dam 28m wide and 9m tall was taken down. Photographed by: Tsunehide Chino

From around 1945 to 1955, 17 erosion control dams were constructed on the river and tributaries in Shigekurasawa. This dam construction frenzy was a reaction to typhoon Kathleen, which hit Japan in 1947. The typhoon killed a total of 1,000 people; 592 died in Gunma prefecture. This tragedy caused by severe mudslides is still talked about even though it happened more than 60 years ago. Back then, there were hardly any trees on the mountains due to lack of resources during and after the war, which ended up magnifying the damage, and there was also a big cave-in in the Shigekurasawa area upstream. The construction of the Yamba Dam also began as a result of typhoon Kathleen.

目次へ移動 What kind of dam is an erosion control dam??

Although we referred to all dams as just being dams, there are actually many different types of dams. Some of the main dams include "flood control dams" that adjust water levels to prevent floods, "water utilization dams" that are used to secure water and for power generation, a "multi-purpose dams" that serves a combination of these functions, and "check dams" that prevent soil erosion and mudslides.

The dam that was taken down this time was an erosion control dam. Many of you may be hearing about this type of dam for the first time, but these dams are built in compliance with the "Forest Act" passed to protect and manage forests on rivers and streams where mountainsides are in danger of collapsing after heavy rains. It is hoped that this type of dam would yield the following 3 results:

1. Stop soil erosion.
2. Make slopes more gradual to slow down the speed of mudslides should they occur.
3. Anchor the foot of the mountain (technical term for this part of the mountain is "spur").

The objective of an erosion control dam, simply put, is to "fix the mountain," so once the forest recovers, it has fulfilled its mission. Erosion control dams all around Japan have become damaged and deteriorated, but this is the first time that an erosion control dam has been intentionally taken down. On the other hand, even today, there are many dams around the country that are still mid construction.

Because erosion control dams are constructed on a remote river or stream deep inside the mountains, often times they don't involve payment of any relocation compensation. These dams serve as large sandbags in time of disaster, so the scales of these dams tend to be smaller. They are relatively easy to construct as a disaster prevention measure, so it is said that more erosion control dams have been constructed across Japan than was actually necessary.These dams badly damage the river/stream environment, but there have not been many opportunities to openly discuss their demerits.

For nature, rivers are like our blood. By flowing smoothly, they encourage the "metabolism" of the river/stream environment. Photographed by: Tsunehide Chino

目次へ移動 The turning point, Erosion Control Project

As we mentioned before, The Nature Conservation Society of Japan (NACS-J) is one of the organizations that are responsible for the Akaya Project. In the feature article, "Restoration of the river/stream environment" published in its newsletter, "Nature Conservation," (March, April 2008 edition), Mr. Goichiro Takahashi, an associate professor of Environmental Systems Engineering, Toyama Prefectural University, wrote the following.

In places where disaster prevention measures have become no longer necessary or conditions have changed, we can reconsider plans to construct a concrete dam. And when reexamining the dam (for reparations or refurbishment) we can also have a think about making the dams smaller or removing them altogether. But in reality, such actions have never been undertaken (translation of excerpt).

Associate professor, Mr. Takahashi points out that "erosion control" - with traditional erosion control dams at the center - are facing a turning point since society's thinking and the law （※） is beginning to change with the times.

※　 Respective laws include the Third National Biodiversity Strategy of Japan (drafted in 2007) and the Law for the Promotion of Nature Restoration, which attempts to restore lost natural environments (enacted in 2003). Moreover, the "Integrated Management of Sediment" illustrates how the policies on sediment management should undergo change with a new word, "sand-flow," to prevent the erosion of river channels and coasts caused by the lack of sediment being carried down from the mountains to the sea. These are all indications of how society has begun to focus on how to allow sediment to flow rather than to cut off sediment flow with traditional dams.

目次へ移動 Walking along the river and a trail lined with pebbles

Because we had to cross mountain streams, with sneakers my feet would get wet, so I borrowed a pair of boots with spikes and quickly headed down the road strewn with fallen leaves.

Laboriously walking down the path putting one foot in front of the other.

Everyone involved in the project that took part in the inspection said, "The forest has changed quite a bit when you compare its state to what it was 50 years ago." After half a century, the mountains have begun to regain its rich nature.

Photographed by: Tsunehide Chino

We arrived at the still-intact No. 1 dam, which is farther downstream than the No. 2 dam. The green moss that covers the concrete is an indication of the dam's long history. The water from the stream fell gently.

The No. 1 dam is the same size as the No. 2 dam and was built around the same time.

The bottom of the No. 2 dam fell apart in a flood 8 years ago, sending sediment downstream. That is why there wasn't very much water in the river on the way to the No. 2 dam. A rocky, pebbly path continues for a few hundred meters (sediment path).

A long sediment path. The river flows down the edge.

We finally arrived at the site where the No. 2 dam used to be.

The remains of where the breaker took down the dam.

When we saw the remains of the dam, there was a few meters of sediment left at the bottom, and water was guided through pipes to go around the right side rather than the center of the dam where the bottom had fallen apart (construction completed by end of November).

Usually they create a path to let heavy machinery through, but for this construction, a small monorail was set up to bring necessary materials to the site. The construction was pushed back because they had found a Mountain Hawk-Eagle's nest, and the monorail was built to leave the environment in tact as much as possible.

A mini monorail that delivers materials.

There were many questions from the people who took part in the inspection about the reason why both sides of the dam have been left in place. Some were quite harsh and asked, "People may not consider this as being dismantled." Of course it would be ideal if the whole dam could be taken down, but after taking the risks of excessive outpour of sediment or the collapse of the mountainside into consideration, as the initial step only the central part of the dam has been taken apart.

Many participants gathered in front of the dismantled dam

Examples of "slit dams" with comb-like slits or fish ladders allowing migration of animals and fish or facilitating the swim upstream for salmons during spawning season are found nationwide, but such a bold attempt to remove the dam, even its foundation, was never before undertaken in Japan.

Mr. Tsunehide Chino, a NACS-J staff who has been engaged in the project for a long time responded, "Whether or not the bottom structure barricades and impounds water is the criterion for determining whether or not the structure is considered a dam. In this case, the structure is no longer a dam since we have taken down the concrete entirely from its foundation." If even the slightest part of the foundation remains, this would affect the habitat of insects flying right above the water's surface.

"Rivers should be created by rivers." 、Mr. Chino's words left a lasting impression. removing a dam will allow the water and sediment to flow freely and the river will regain the power to create its own flow.This is the primary goal of removing the dam.

目次へ移動 Striking the difficult balance between biodiversity and disaster prevention

After visiting the No.2 dam, we went back again to a point halfway between the No.1 and No.2 dams, where "protection walls" have been newly constructed as a measure to control the outpour of sediment or water in case of floods.

The concrete walls found on both sides are the protection walls. These walls have been erected between the No.2 and No.1 dams.

Low, concrete walls have been built like gates on both sides leaving a space about 11m wide in between. The protection walls have been constructed to prevent massive landslides in case mudslides occur as a result of heavy rainfall. They will continue to monitor the area over time and these walls will be "removed" once they are confident that the mountain may be safely preserved without these walls.

The mountain stream restoration working group was established within the Akaya Project in 2005. And at that time, a partnership with an organization of experts, the "research committee for the master plan for the Shigekurasawa Erosion Control Project in the area of Niiharu (Chairman: Mr. Takehiko Ohta, professor emeritus at Tokyo University)," was also created. Support from such an organization has also backed the reasoning for dam destruction since inspection by and knowledge of specialists are essential to verifying disaster-prevention measures.

The project finally received the green light when the following criteria were met: the forest had significantly recovered, there are no homes in the surrounding area that may be affected should mudslides occur, and since the No.1 dam is located downstream, it can prevent disasters, so technological development related to the dam destruction may be implemented further upstream. The aim of the project is to restore the river/stream environment and thereby bring back biodiversity, but it is clear that it is very difficult to strike a balance between restoring biodiversity and preventing disasters.

目次へ移動 New way to make decisions

Some people may consider the partial destruction of the erosion control dam as a "small step." But this project intentionally destroyed a concrete structure, which in the past were only constructed (never destroyed) in the middle of nature, by also involving the government. This means that the project will be financed by national tax, but the fact that the decision was made based on a consensus reached through discussions with local people was an enormously big step.

So, how was such a decision-making platform created?

目次へ移動 A coincidental beginning

The Akaya Project is officially called the "Biodiversity Restoration Program for the Mikuni Mountains and Akaya River." This project, which has rather a long name, is based on the agreement signed by the Kanto Regional Forest Office, Forestry Agency, NACS-J, and the Akaya Project local council on March 30, 2004.

What had created the foundation for this project were the protest movements undertaken by the local residents against construction plans for ski resorts and dams, which emerged during the bubble years. I was told that the region's relationship with NACS-J began back then. It became apparent through these movements that forests not only provide delicious water and rich hot springs, but they are also home to endangered species such as golden eagles, Mountain Hawk-Eagles, Asian Black Bears and Japanese Serows.

(Upper left) Asian Black Bear, (upper right) Mountain Hawk-Eagle, (lower left) Japanese Serow, (lower right) family of golden eagles - illustration by Ms. Misako Hirata, Forest Officer of the Forestry Agency who was in charge of the Akaya Forest from 2005-2007

In 2000, affected by the collapse of the bubble economy, development plans for ski resorts and dams were called off. Although the residents were successful in preserving nature, they did not consider it as "the end," rather they began to feel a desire to put into place a system that further preserves and nurtures nature. The NACS-J, on the other hand, was searching for a suitable location for a model case to demonstrate the process involved in restoring biodiversity for a case involving a difficult evaluation method. The interests of the 2 parties overlapped nicely, and they decided to approach the Forestry Agency with a proposal to jointly manage the state-owned Akaya Forests.

The response of the Kanto Regional Forest Office, Forestry Agency, to the proposal was better than what they had expected and the preparatory meeting was set up smoothly. The national government had lead the management of state-owned forests until then, but it was decided that any decisions regarding the Akaya Forest would require the approval of the "project management meeting" involving the members of the local council and NACS-J. Although legally, the manager of the forest is the Kanto Regional Forest Office, the authorities promised in the agreement that they will reflect the matters discussed with the Akaya Project in their program.

What lies behind the Forest Agency bestirring itself to take such an unprecedented, concerted step are the changes of the times with respect to state-owned forests. The prices of timber produced since the end of the war declined dramatically in the 1970s. And the Forest and Forestry Basic Act was revised in 2001 when the government saw that traditional policies that focused on the cultivation of man-made forests was reaching the end of the line. In this act, the government decided that it would focus more on the innate ability of the forest to, for example, protect water and soil, coexist with mankind, and ability to maintain a good cycle that provides a sustainable supply of natural resources.

Some newspapers reported that the Forestry Agency and NACS-J had reached a "historical reconciliation" since the 2 parties had clashed over logging of state-owned forests in the past. Mr. Naoya Tanaka, director of the Akaya Forest environmental preservation fureai (interaction) center, Kanto Regional Forest Office, recalls, "I had also witnessed the local people protesting against the Kawafuru Dam construction (planned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), so there was a growing momentum to work together for the future of forests."

目次へ移動 The voices of many people concerned about the forest

The Akaya Project is comprised of members of the core organizations and approximately 50 to 60 volunteers in the Kanto region who are recognizable by the matching hats. In the Akaya forest, there is a work shed, which was used in the past to grow seedlings for man-made forests, and this is now called "Ikimonomura (living creature's village)" and is used as a base for the project's activities. Volunteers gather here on "Akaya day," which takes place every first weekend of the month to carry out various activities such as research on living organisms that inhabit the forest, communicating with the local people, as well as traditional charcoal making. The voices of many people concerned about the forest are helping to further enrich the project.

The illustration by Ms. Hirata depicts how the children of the local elementary school, Sarugakyo Elementary School, learn about nature while playing in the area near the "Ikimonomura."

"The processes of coming up with ideas for a new system, attitudes for getting involved, how to get a consensus, or knowing what we should think about when a problem occurs so that we really do end up thinking about the core issue; these processes themselves serve as a model case" says Mr. Chino.

Mr. Chino of NACS-J

Because removal of an erosion control dam is unprecedented, there is no established evaluation technology. In addition, there are no decision criteria for biodiversity either, so they will continue to carefully monitor and collect data of endangered species, conditions of the forest and sediment along the river as well as insects and fishes. Everyone involved in the project share the hope that one day they will be able to say, "That was a significant step" in 5 to 10 years from now. The members aspire to establish the Akaya Project as a model case for management of the erosion control/check dams around Japan that have become decrepit over time and require renovation.

目次へ移動 Taking hints from the relationship between man and forest

Ms. Yasuko Mochitani , the okami (female maitre d'hotel of ryokans ) of the Sarugakyo Hotel and a leading storiologist from the village formerly known as Niiharu (currently the town of Minakami), shared a story she heard from a local elderly woman born in the Meiji Era.

A golden eagle flying over the forest Photographed by: Jyo Takano

One day in May during rice-planting season, a young mother made lunch and headed towards the rice fields. She left her baby by the edge of the rice field and began to plant. She kept checking on the baby while she planted the rice seedlings, but she became engrossed in her work and took her eyes off her baby. Just at that instance, a huge eagle swooped down and swept the baby away.
"Oragakakko (My baby)!!" The young mother hurried after the eagle with her muddy feet but she couldn't find her baby. The young mother continued to cry out "Oragakakko" as she looked for her baby, and at last she turned into a cuckoo (in Japanese "kakko" means a cuckoo).

Ms. Mochitani says, "Cuckoos actually come to the rice fields in May even today. They fly very low over the fields as if they are looking for something." The muddy feet of the mother searching for her lost child come from cuckoos' marbled colored feet. Though it is not explicitly stated whether the eagle that took the baby away was a golden eagle or not, the story depicts how people perceived the big eagle in their daily lives and you can even picture what life must have been like back then.

For example, Mr. Chino says,"Thinking about what golden eagles mean for the people in the region ultimately leads to power that will help protect the region." I was impressed by how carefully they study and respect the relationship between the local people and the forest.

The task in the future is to realize the hope of the local people to "restore the forest to its original state." The local council thinks that they "only represent a small group of people in the region" since the town is not proactively involved in the project yet. This is just the beginning.

目次へ移動 Instead of a conclusion - timeline for disaster prevention

Taking part in the inspection, I came to realize how difficult it is to "communicate" what it means to remove a dam. It takes time before we can see tangible effects of restoring biodiversity, and such "effects" are not necessarily beneficial for us humans in a way that we can easily understand. I felt that it is difficult to give a clear overview of the project with immediacy, for example, such as publishing it in tomorrow's paper.

Dams were constructed in places from where the forest has disappeared
→ Then, the forest was restored over a long period of time
→ Dams have become no longer necessary.

The removal of the dam was determined based on such a long timeline, but I thought this sequence is very important. It made me realize how we don't normally look at "disaster prevention" measures with such a long time-span in mind. In other words, we don't usually come up with sustainable "disaster prevention" measures after carefully thinking about the relationship between man and forest.

No.2 dam after removal is completed. Photographed by: Tsunehide Chino

Mr. Chino told us that "it's impossible to set a goal for the Akaya Project." Everyone involved in the project estimates that it would take a longer time than their own lifetime to restore the forests and biodiversity to the original state. I thought that understanding and sharing such timeline is the first step. I also began to think that we should listen to what nature is trying to tell us over and over again, and build consensus carefully based on what we learn from nature, and although it may be frustrating at times, making such on-going efforts is what lies at the heart of the mission of the pilot program, Akaya Project.

Photographed by: Seiichi Dejima

Links
NACS-J - THE NATURE CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF JAPAN
Akaya Project

Mitsuko Iwai Biography
She has worked for a local museum/news paper publisher before she became a freelance writer. In 2002, she became involved in publishing a book of record of government's cultural programs and became intrigued with the ideas and lifestyles in the various regions that are passed down from one generation to the next. In 2004, she published the first issue of "Satomi Tsushin" which focuses on the theme, fixed-point observation of farms and farmers. She is also an as an editorial staff for the Earth News for the Think the Earth Project. She currently lives in Takasaki.

Currently, the "Bento Day" initiative is spreading to elementary and junior high schools across Japan. Although there have been schools that had implemented their own "Bento Day," it was usually the parents who made the lunch boxes. What we will be introducing in this report is "Bento Day" where children take the initiative. This means that children do everything from planning the menu, shopping for ingredients, cooking, cleaning up, to packing the food into a lunch box on their own.
The idea originated from Takinomiya Elementary School in the town of Ayagawa in Kagawa Prefecture in 2001. The very first year, a total of 126 students from 5-6 grades who had learned the fundamentals of cooking in domestic science class wanted to challenge themselves by making their own lunch boxes 5 times a year; everyone enjoyed eating their original lunch boxes.
Children prepare their lunch boxes in the kitchen from early morning. It may seem like an easy task, but it is actually quite "hard work" for families nowadays. Mr. Kazuo Takeshita, then principal of Takinomiya Elementary School, says that the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) members immediately rejected the "Bento Day" idea when he proposed it saying, "I've never let my children touch the gas valve or kitchen knives because it could be dangerous." or "I don't think they can wake up that early." It seems that there were also parents who thought there is no way they can let their children occupy the kitchen at such a hectic time of the day.
However, this year, 9 years after Takinomiya Elementary School first started the movement, the "Bento Day" has begun to spread nationwide. As of the end of November 2009, there are 557 schools including universities in 37 prefectures that are taking part. In Utsunomiya City, the local government has implemented the "Bento Day" at all 93 elementary and junior high schools under its jurisdiction last year; the "Bento Day" takes place a few times a year and approximately 40,000 students take part.

Mr. Kazuo Takeshita, an advocate of "Bento Day".

Back to Table of Contents Stories behind the movement

So, why are more and more schools starting to adopt "Bento Day," even though it was thought at first to be "hard work"? We had a chance to learn about the various reasons in detail at the first national exchange program organized by Mr. Takeshita, which took place in Kagawa in late October 2009. 140 people who support the idea including 61 locals such as teachers and the town mayor who provided support in carrying out the initiative, PTA members, alumni, and Women's Club members, and 79 people from various educational organizations, governments, and agricultural organizations as well as midwives from all over Japan attended the event. I also took part, too.

At the beginning of the event, Mr. Takeshita shared a great story with us. The theme for the first "Bento Day" conducted by a school in Saga Prefecture was "thank-you lunch box." A girl in 6th grade woke up at 5:00 am and prepared 3 lunch boxes. One for her father who was going back to Osaka where he works during the weekday away from his family; one for her grandmother who was staying in the hospital; and one for herself to bring to school. Her parents, who were told not to help, sat at the dining table and watched her prepare these lunch boxes on her own. After eating the lunch box made by his beloved daughter on the bullet train, the father called his wife during his lunch break from work and said, "Please tell our daughter I said thank you. It was so delicious and made me so happy that I cried while I ate." When her grandmother received the lunch box, she told the mother in a tearful voice, "I have made so many lunch boxes in my life, but this is the first time someone made one for me. It was delicious."
The girl, Michiko Honda, is now a second-year junior high school student. She also took part in the event. She told us with a smile, "Because my family was so happy that I made them lunch, I really enjoy cooking in the kitchen now." Her mother, Emiko, recalls how important it was to trust children and be there for them if they ask for help. "The children are willing to do it on their own and actually they are very capable if we leave them to it. It made me realize that we, adults, were not aware of that fact."
Stories about "Bento Day" such as this one continue to emerge from other schools and homes.The movement has spread because parents, who came to realize that children exhibited the potential for "growth" in the kitchen, changed sides and began to support and encourage "Bento Day."

Back to Table of Contents "Bento Day" changes how we spend time at home

Implementation of "Bento Day" will change how we spend time at home.For example, the family may eat leftovers such as fried eggs or fried chickens made by children for breakfast and there may be more conversation during meals, i.e. talking about how the children cooked the meals. Children may begin to hang around in the kitchen before they get called to the dining table or the children may prepare the meal when their parents are busy or sick.
Ms. Michiko Uchida, a midwife in Fukuoka Prefecture, learned about the movement 3 years ago and has been supporting it ever since to get more children across Japan involved. She shared with us her thoughts about the significance of "Bento Day". "What is common among youths that repeatedly face sexual issues such as STDs, teenage pregnancy, and abortion is lack of communication within the family. Because they feel that they have no place in their home, they seek relationships with others, even with men who only want to get close to them for sex. I believe that "Bento Day" has the power to completely uproot and change such situations." Currently, Ms. Uchida gives lectures on "life" rather than sex education. She always talks about how important the time you spend with your family at home is, as well as about the "Bento Day" initiatives.
Although many have talked about how important family time is for children's growth, it is very difficult to make sure that such "valuable time" is once again part of our lives. "Bento Day" is a tangible measure that helps us get such times back.

Back to Table of Contents It all started from "appreciation for school lunches"

There are some people who ask if this movement is a statement against school lunches. But it is actually completely the opposite.Mr. Takeshita thought of letting children cook their own lunch boxes, so that they will begin to develop a sense of appreciation for school lunches.
When Mr. Takeshita attended a conference held by the school lunch association as the principal of his school, he learned that delivering lunches to schools involved a great number of staff and tremendous effort on their part throughout the process - from food control, menu planning, cooking, to delivery. But he felt that the children lacked appreciation for these people behind the scenes. That is when he thought "Then, let's make the children do everything from choosing the ingredients to cooking on their own" to help raise their awareness.
Children who have experienced "Bento Day" have become aware of "how much work it takes to prepare meals every day." Many of the students began to eat even their least favorite dishes and significant decrease was noted in the amount of school lunch leftovers at Takinomiya Elementary School. Also, at the Kokubunji Junior High School in Takamatsu City, where Mr. Takeshita was transferred to afterwards, and the Ayagami Junior High School in the town of Ayagawa, where he currently works as the school principal, there have been "almost no leftovers" ever since they implemented "Bento Day."

Back to Table of Contents Various different approaches are being taken

At Takinomiya Elementary School, the school principal made a top-down decision with respect to the implementation of "Bento Day," but I learned that each school that participated in the exchange program has implemented their own unique approach that suits their needs.
When Mr. Yoshihiro Imanasu, an elementary school teacher in Fukuoka City, first learned about "Bento Day," he had second thoughts about implementing it at his school. He thought, "I can't make the decision to stop school lunches because I'm not the school principal." When he was considering the possibility of putting "Bento Day" into practice, an idea occurred to him - "Let's use the days students go on excursions or field trips since there won't be regular school lunches anyway."。
Since he taught third grade, which didn't include domestic science class in the curriculum, he proposed a "course-based Bento Day." It let children select a course from the following 4 options (it was named "Imanasu style"): A "perfect course (children prepare lunch boxes alone)," "recommended course (children prepare lunch boxes with help from their parents)," "basic course (children make onigiri [rice balls] and help pack ingredients into the box)" and "entertainment course (children express their appreciation for the person who made the lunch box as much as they can).
On the first excursion day, 95% of his students decided to have a go at either the "perfect course" or the "recommended course." But with each excursion, more and more students began to prepare lunch boxes on their own. Mr. Imanasu said he was impressed when he found students who brought lunch boxes prepared by themselves even on sports day.

(Upper left) Exchange program attended by people from all over Japan, (upper right) Michiko Honda and her mother; (lower left) Ms. Michiko Uchida, a midwife; (lower right) Mr. Yoshihiro Imanasu, the proponent of the "Imanasu style."

Utsunomiya City, which adopted the "Bento Day" initiative for all students in its elementary and junior high schools, set a goal for every student, which was "to be able to prepare your lunch box all by yourself by the time you graduate from junior high." In other words, the city introduced "Bento Day" as a "9-year plan" to be carried out from elementary to junior high school years.
The "Bento Day" movement, which is gaining popularity among university students, begun from the "potluck lunch box system" proposed by students of the Kyushu University (Fukuoka City). They decide on a theme each time such as "dishes made of ingredient that starts with the same alphabet as your name" or "foods under 100 yen," and students eat each other's lunch boxes on campus. Assistant Professor Goshi Sato who has been supporting the students' "Bento Day" initiative says, "When students start making food for others, they will begin to focus more on the quality of the ingredients rather than low costs. They will also start to look more for local foods and safe foods as much as possible. A country's food self-sufficiency is not something that you raise. It is something that 'rises.'"
The "Bento Day" initiative continues to produce meaningful results because it can be implemented in various different ways depending on the situation.Mr. Takeshita comments, "I'm often asked for advice on how to implement "Bento Day," but only they can find the answer to their question. I believe that the process of finding a way to overcome difficulties is the most important part, so it would be a shame to simply rely on others."

Back to Table of Contents Dealing with a "pitiful situation"

"At some homes, parents don't cook. Wouldn't "Bento Day" be cruel to those children?" Such concern may be an obstacle to implementing the idea. But Mr. Takeshita says,"It would be much worse to leave them in such a pitiful situation. If the parents can't cook, why not help teach the children how to cook on their own? It will be something they can cherish over a lifetime and parents would appreciate it, too."
At the exchange program, I had the opportunity to hear about personal experiences that well paint what we can expect to see in the future. Ms. Kayoko Mizusawa, a school clerk at Ayagami Junior High School, was brought up by her mother who imposed very strict rules when it came to chores. She and her 2 siblings shared the responsibility of preparing breakfast for the family and they were not allowed to eat if they neglected their chores. One day, the day before the high school entrance exam, she asked her mother, "Can I get a break from cooking at least today?" Ms. Mizusawa can still remember how her mother scolded her saying, "You can't take life for granted. You have to do what is necessary to live your life." Her mother passed away during Ms. Mizusawa's last year in high school. Since then, she and her siblings have been running the house smoothly by themselves and she came to appreciate how her mother hand taught them how to cook by themselves. "I feel very fortunate to have learned how to cook. I appreciate what my mother has done for us and, now that I have become a mother myself, I am teaching my children the same lesson."
At the meeting participants earnestly discussed what adults should really do in order to protect children.

Back to Table of Contents Cultivating the sense of value that "it's cool to try hard"

On the next day of the meeting, I went to sit in on "Bento Day" held at Ayagami Junior High School (a total of 135 students) where Mr. Takeshita currently works as the school principal. The teachers brought their own lunch boxes, too. In one classroom a teacher was taking photos of each lunch box made by the students of the class, while in another classroom, a teacher was taking a group photo of all her students' lunch boxes together. The entire school seemed to be filled with excitement. Some students were peering into the box before opening the cover while some answered with a shy smile when a friend asked if they could exchange some food.The children seemed to be more excited and filled with anticipation than at regular school lunch time.
None of the teachers asks if the children actually prepared the lunch boxes on their own. Some parents help their children even if the children want to cook on their own, but the school doesn't think that it's important to know the truth. The classmates would know whether other students have actually made the lunches by themselves or not when they talk to them or when they watch their reactions. If there are any students who didn't cook their lunch on their own, they would think that the classmates who made theirs alone are cool and would regret not having done so themselves. Then, they would secretly promise to prepare their lunch alone next time. "It's cool to try hard." "It's cool to stand on one's own feet." I felt that such values were being nurtured at the school.

The moment students open their lunch boxes is really exciting. (Ayagami Junior High School)

The teachers also bring lunch boxes. Both teachers and students have big smiles on their faces! (Ayagami Junior High School)

The theme this time was "colorful lunch box." A wide variety of unique and colorful lunch boxes were brought in. (Ayagami Junior High School)

Back to Table of Contents Older students help encourage the "power to grow"

I had a great time at Ayagami Junior High School's "Bento Day". Since I was only there for one day, it is hard to say how the students have grown. But I thought that I caught a glimpse of the students' growth at the student choir contest held in the school gym after lunch.
The annual school festival was being held. Parents, families, and local residents gathered to watch the students perform. The first thing that impressed me was that the students who had gathered in the gym were not whispering to each other. All the students were sitting straight in their seats looking forward. So there weren't any teachers going around disciplining the students. Although it may be the proper way to behave, we rarely see such behavior at elementary and junior high schools nowadays.
I was also amazed by their performance. The second year students sang better than first year students, and third year students better than second year students. All students stood up on stage holding their heads up high. None of them seemed shy or embarrassed; they stood tall. The younger students added energy to the mood by cheering and applauding the third year students while they performed on stage, but everyone quickly went back to their seats and listened quietly once someone started speaking. I was surprised to hear that some of the students couldn't even sit still when they first came to the school.
I thought the "key" to success was included in the closing speech given by Mr. Takeshita. "I was amazed by the third year students' chorus. And the first year and second year students watching the third year students had such beautiful eyes. They may have thought this is what they needed to be like by the time they start their third year." Next year, the first year and second year students will be playing a key role in school activities. I believe that third year students proved themselves great role models for second year students by stimulating their "power to grow."

Students in Ayagami Junior High School put on a superb performance with their amazing voices.

Back to Table of Contents "Bento Day" as a "rite of passage"

Actually, a similar measure has been adopted at the Takinomiya Elementary School in order to stimulate the children's "power to grow". That is, the "Bento Day - Show and Tell", which was started by Ms. Keiko Suezawa who became the school principal after Mr. Takeshita left. Children in lower elementary grades who still don't make their own lunches look around at the lunch boxes of students in upper grades, right before lunchtime so their stomachs start to growl!
This had a great impact on the younger students. Inspired by the older students, they thought, "I would also like to become a cool fifth grader who can make a delicious lunch box," and began to hang around their parents in the kitchen so they can learn how to cook. After 9 years since its initiation, "Bento Day" has taken root as a "rite of passage" into adulthood and children in the Takinomiya Elementary School are improving their cooking skills year after year.

Currently, children in Takinomiya Elementary School present their lunch boxes using large screen TVs.

Children write comments on friends' lunch boxes. Teaching styles differ depending on the classroom. (Takinomiya Elementary School)

Mr. Takeshita talk to children eating their lunch boxes. (Takinomiya Elementary School)

Back to Table of Contents Six dreams encompassed in "Bento Day"

"I believe that if we can pass down the 'DNA' of a 'good fun family meal' to children, it may continue to be passed down to children 100 years from now." Mr. Takeshita hopes to transform the environment in which Japanese children are raised in through the "Bento Day" initiative.Lastly, I'd like to share the "6 dreams encompassed in Bento Day" that also touches upon this "DNA" that Mr. Takeshita would like to pass down to the next century.

1. "Family meals" becomes commonplace
2. Children will be able to recognize "life" that is present in food
3. Refine children's sensitivity
4. Children will learn to enjoy being appreciated
5. Children will see things with a sense of appreciation
6. Children will see the future with more clarity

If we recognize that there are difficulties and uncertainties present in the society we live in today, it is the adults' obligation to help nurture the next generation, so that they will not have to experience the same issues. Mr. Takeshita would like to change the future of Japan by getting kids into the kitchen, and he would like to get more and more adults that will help the children who are right in front of them to join this movement. By doing so, I believe that the "DNA" will continue to be relayed from people to people and, eventually, become the power that will open up a new future for many around the world.

Author profile
Miho Watanabe
Joined The Nishinippon Shimbun in 1997. Member of the "Shokutaku no mukougawa (Beyond the dining table)" team since 2003. Her work as a reporter made her reexamine her own dietary habits and improved her physical condition. She left the company in June 2006 to live with her husband who often gets transferred to different regions. Currently, she resides in Tokyo and works as a contributing writer for the Nishinippon Shimbun as well as a freelance writer.

I was able to write this report by taking part in the Tohoku University Ecosystem Adaptability Global COE Program consortium led by Professor Tohru Nakashizuka, who kindly supervised the publication of our book, "Ikimonogatari." The key objective of this program is to provide doctoral students with opportunities to visit forestry ecosystem so that they can conduct research onsite as part of their graduate education. The destination was Borneo, the 3rd largest island in the world. The program was comprised of various content including the inspection of an FSC certified forest, which is still rare in Southeast Asia, as well as lectures on forest policies of the Sabah and Sarawak states, but in this report, I would like to mainly focus on the current situation in the lower reach of the Kinabatangan River located in the state of Sabah in northeastern Borneo. As one of the writers of the "Ikimonogatari," I introduced conservation activities being undertaken in the area, but this was my first trip to Borneo. I was astounded by what I saw and learned there.

Back to Table of Contents Oil palms stretch all the way to the horizon

When I arrived in Malaysia, I was truly stunned by the vast oil palm plantations that stretched out to the horizon. When you look out of the airplane window, at a glance it looked as though the land is endowed with rich, green nature, but it is actually covered with a single type of plant. When you get closer to the plantation, you will see that there are hardly any insects or birds near the oil palm trees. I was told that there are rats that come to feed on the fruit and cobras that prey on these rats, which seemed like quite a savage food chain.

The oil palm plantation stretches as far as the horizon.

The plantation looks like a very rich, green environment at first glance but

Why has the palm oil industry expanded? There are several reasons. Its yield per unit area is far higher than any other vegetable oil, it can be harvested year round, it is inexpensive, and unlike petroleum it can be reproduced and does not become depleted. As you can see, its advantages as a resource are the main reason why the industry has expanded exponentially. There was even a time when people believed that palm oil plantations were "environmentally friendly" because although the tropical rainforests may be cut down to make room for plantations, you are still planting vegetation that absorbs CO2. Today, it has taken the lead with respect to global vegetable oil production, only second to soy oil. As a result, the total surface area dedicated to plantations in Malaysia was only 1 million hectares in 1980, but by 2008 it had increased to 4.8 million hectares (according to the MPOA). This is more than 20 times the area of Tokyo prefecture. Japan imports 550,000 tons of the 15.4 million tons of palm oil Malaysia exports annually. Globally, 38 million tons of palm oil is produced, so it has now become a mega industry and a significant part of the world economy.

Fruit cluster (bunch) of an oil palm tree.

The oil palm fruit and its cross section.

Oil palm trees grow to a height of approximately 20 meters and produce about 10-12 clusters. A few hundred fruit can be collected from each cluster that can weigh more than 30kg and both the fruit and seeds contain high volume of oil. 　 Since the quality of oil palm fruits deteriorates immediately after harvest, they have to be processed within 24 hours. That is why oil mill factories must be located near plantations. In addition, you need at least 4,000 hectares of land to have an economically viable factory. And this is why much of the land has been transformed into plantations.

A palm oil factory in Sarawak. Trucks transporting fruit clusters of oil palm trees arrive at the factory one after another.

A row of massive tanks.

Palm oil has become an intricate part of our lives. More than 80% of food products such as snacks, chocolate, ice cream, frozen food, instant noodles, and margarine contain palm oil. Soaps, detergents, cosmetics, and candles are examples of non-food products containing palm oil. There is probably not a single day that we don't come across or eat anything containing palm oil. Although Japan's consumption of palm oil is lower than that of Western countries, the annual average per capita palm oil consumption is said to be 37 liters.

Back to Table of Contents Orangutans in danger - a tragic wildlife sanctuary

Expansion of the palm oil industry is driving wild animals in the tropical rainforest to extinction. For example, in the lower reach of the Kinabatangan River in the state of Sabah in northeastern Borneo, wild animals including orangutans are on the verge of extinction. This region was once covered by lush tropical rainforests, but the forests have been divided into fragments due to the expansion of oil palm plantations. As a result, wild animals in the rainforests have been confined to a much smaller habitat. Animals need a certain amount of space in order to survive. Living in a small forest makes it more difficult for them to find enough food and mating partners. Orangutans are one of the endangered species. It is said that wild orangutans require more than 70,000 hectares of forest to survive. According to the survey conducted in 2003, there are currently 1,125 orangutans living in the 27,000 hectares of protected land. The Cardiff University researchers estimate that if forests continue to become fragmented, 95% of the orangutan population will become extinct in 50 years time.

The Kinabatangan River.

We took a ride in a boat to observe the wild animals that live along the river. There, we encountered the original inhabitants of the forest. We saw many animals such as orangutans, crab-eating macaques, Asian house martins, kingfishers, red leaf monkeys, crocodiles, Borneo elephants, gibbons, and proboscis monkeys. We were told that we were particularly lucky to have run into so many animals, but relatively speaking, you can observe many wild animals in this area and so eco tours of the region are quite popular, and there are numerous cozy lodges or camping sites being built along the river.

Animals we encountered: a male orangutan (upper left), proboscis monkey (upper right), kingfisher (lower left), and hornbill (lower right)

But why can we see such a wide variety of wildlife here? There is a sad story behind it. If you look carefully, although some woodland remains along the river, you can see that the plantation is closing in. The animals have fled to this narrow strip of forest to find a place to live and that is why you can find a wide range of animals along the river. Some oil palms are also being planted illegally in the protected areas. If you visit this place without knowing the circumstances, it may seem like a sanctuary for animals surrounded by a rich waterfront and forests, but it is actually a tragic sanctuary to which we, humans, have forcefully confined the animals to. The orangutan in the photo is the last male left in this area.

Plantations closing in on the river.

View Larger Map
A satellite image of the Segama River basin located south of the Kinabatangan River; wildlife extinction is also a concern in this region. You can see from the image how the forests are concentrated in a narrow area along the river and how the fragmented forests have become isolated, surrounded on all sides by the vast plantation, like small islands in the sea.

A male gibbon calling wistfully for a female on the other side of the river. Because forests have become fragmented, they cannot meet in person (or rather, gibbon). Drainage from plantations or rivers becomes natural barriers for gibbons, a species of primates, like orangutans, that cannot swim. So the inability to find a mate on the same side of the river leads directly to extinction.

Back to Table of Contents Reinforcing the green relationship - activities of the Borneo Conservation Trust

Borneo Conservation Trust (BCT) is an NGO engaged in conservation activities of wildlife in the lower reach of the Kinabatangan River. Dr. Toshinori Tsubouchi, a representative of Borneo Conservation Trust Japan (BCTJ) and associate professor of Seisa University, says, "What we (people in developed countries) think is convenient and useful in our daily lives is actually causing the rainforests to become fragmented and isolating the animals. I want people to be aware of this fact because I believe that not being aware of the truth is, in a way, a sin."

Dr. Toshinori Tsubouchi, Chief Operating Officer of BCTJ.

BCT undertakes a wide range of activities. Dr. Tsubouchi, who was a veterinarian, wants to establish a wildlife rescue center. Having run out of food in the narrow strip of forest, wild animals such as Borneo elephants sometimes wander into the plantations looking for food. These animals get caught in traps set by workers who attempt to supplement their low income by obtaining wild animal meat. Dr. Tsubouchi would like to rescue such animals rather than stand by doing nothing and watch them die. BCT is also calling for the creation of "Green Corridors" by re-connecting fragmented forests thereby helping prevent the extinction of wildlife. This plan aims to purchase back plantation land, restore the forest back to its original state, and to create pathways for animals by connecting fragmented forests together. It is said that we can help avoid wildlife extinction by purchasing 20,000 hectares of land along the Kinabatangan River and the Segama River in the south and creating these corridors. According to the research conducted by the Cardiff University, we can reduce the risk of orangutans becoming extinct in 50 years time to 5% by building green corridors. The land costs approximately 1.2 million yen per hectare (as of September 2009). There is still a long way to go to, but the number of sponsors is increasing thanks to the efforts of Dr. Tsubouchi and other members, and so they have been able to buy back plantation land little by little (currently, they are raising funds for Lot 3 and Lot 4). In addition to purchasing lands, as part of its efforts to connect fragmented forests, BCT is also undertaking the "bridge of life" project, which builds suspension bridges for orangutan in places where the river is narrower with the help from zoos and bridge architects in Japan.

A suspension bridge constructed in April 2008 using fire hoses. Unfortunately, there has been no report of an orangutan crossing the bridge so far.

I saw a Proboscis monkey crossing the bridge during our visit. So this fire hose bridge is successfully fulfilling its role to connect the forests. If we could only get an orangutan to cross it!

Back to Table of Contents Developing a sustainable palm oil industry

There are companies that have become aware of the environmental problems caused by palm oil and have begun to take action. Saraya Co., LTD., a soap and detergent manufacturer, took part in the establishment of BCT and has been supporting its activities ever since. Saraya has promised its consumers to donate 1% of the proceeds of "Yashinomi," the company's representative botanical detergent, to BCT's "Green Corridor" project and is implementing various initiatives including the "bridge of life" project for orangutans and activities to save injured Borneo elephants. You can see how serious Saraya is about its commitment through other initiatives such as the "Borneo Investigation" activities where selected consumers report about what they saw onsite during the inspection and share that information on the website. According to Mr. Hirotsugu Daishima, director of BCTJ and General Manager of Marketing, Advertising and Publicity Department of Saraya, who has guided us in Borneo together with Dr. Tsubouchi, the company is striving to strike a balance between its business and biodiversity conservation by reexamining the way palm oil business should be conducted through these activities.

An example of a more international commitment is RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), which was formed in 2004 backed by the WWF. It brings together companies that are part of the palm oil industry, NGOs, and governments to brainstorm about making the palm oil industry sustainable for both humans and wildlife. Although discussions just started, if certification platforms and other measures come into place, it may give consumers the option to choose products made with environmental-conscious oil. As of 2009, 6 companies including Saraya from Japan have joined RSPO.

It is not realistic to stop oil palm production right this minute. As the world population grows and people's lives become richer, consumption continues to increase. How do we strike a balance between meeting the needs of the world economy and conservation of biodiversity, which is absolutely essential? We must also take into consideration the local economy that supports the lives of the local people. Dr. Tsubouchi emphasizes that in the field you can't just think and theorize in your head when taking action. There are people who attempt to inhibit forest preservation using force and there have been cases where people have been wounded or killed. Standing there at the actual site, I was blown away by the complexity of the problem. I very much admire Dr. Tsubouchi and other members' passion and dedication; they refuse to give up and continue to make headway despite the circumstances.

If we just sit here and do nothing while wild animals become extinct just for short-term, immediate benefits, it will be our turn next to go extinct. We cannot survive without nature's blessings. The problems regarding oil palm reminds me of the problems associated with bio-ethanol production using corn and soybeans. Rapid and excessive expansion of production ultimately leads to irreversible destruction of nature. The 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10) is scheduled to take place in Nagoya in 2010. We need to face these issues and come up with ingenuous ways that help strike a balance between the economy and ecosystem conservation as soon as possible. Dr. Tsubouchi says, "What we need are green relationships that bind mankind and the ecosystems together." His words have stayed in my head. I sincerely hope this report will help people get a better idea about what is really going on.

An orangutan we found near the Gomantong Caves. The future of these orangutans is our future.

www.demos.co.uk

DEMOS upholds the slogan, "building everyday democracy." This think-tank, which focuses on policies and politics, aspires to realize a liberal and powerful civil society. DEMOS undertakes various activities to empower people, to enable them to build a better society with their own hands. It was Mr. Jonathan Birdwell, a researcher, and research director, Ms. Julia Margo who described DEMOS to us in detailed.

About 20 people and 8 to 9 interns currently work in the DEMOS London office. Each member has a different background, i.e. consultant, academic researcher, advertising creative. The business scope extends from media, public relations, project planning to consultation. Although each member has a unique set of skills, because they have developed training programs to hone their skills, all of the members also has expert knowledge of research, analysis, and media. That is why they can respond to all kinds of tasks.

DEMOS undertakes several types of projects, but they are all conducted in partnership with companies and governments.

The first type of project is undertaken as a think tank. DEMOS conducts research and analysis for decision and policy-making for their clients (companies/governments). However, because DEMOS aspires to "create a better society," it conducts research that benefits people and society based on partnerships rather than pursuing the interests of a specific client. Clients utilize the findings from such research for decision-making, formulating and improving policies, publicity activities, and for strengthening the network. These types of projects only account for a fraction of DEMOS' entire business.

The second type of projects is the "partnership program." This involves companies and organizations coming together and forming partnerships for specific projects. For example, with the "Let's Think About Civil Rights" program, participants including citizen panelists exchanged their opinions about the issue. By participating in these programs, companies and organizations may deepen their understanding, allowing them to utilize their findings for decision-making or policymaking.

The third type involves projects launched by DEMOS. DEMOS then recruits companies that will help support the project. DEMOS is a think tank with a mission to "change society," so this is the key area it focuses on. Each project is carried out over an 8 to 12-month span with the cooperation of investment banks and large distributors. It is difficult to obtain on-going support for these projects because sometimes participating companies and organizations find it hard to realize what the direct benefits are. But DEMOS is working hard to help create an ideal society by conducting promotional activities and by augmenting awareness.

All of DEMOS' projects, which aim to create a sound society, have one or many of the following 4 themes:

1. independence
   Examining the relationship between individuals and governments to promote.
2. security
   Exploring the role of individuals in society to promote domestic and international.
3. capabilities
   Promoting the betterment of society and environment to uplift personal and material capacity.
4. citizenship
   Promoting active participation of individuals who are part of society and decision-making.

As an example of their work on "security," let us introduce a program presented to the government last year that examines security under potential threats such as terrorism and disaster. Hearings, researches, and reviews were conducted for the entire process of the existing security system in order to draft scenarios for each crisis, and plans for a security system capable of promptly responding to a state of emergency such as terrorism. The findings were reported to the government at seminars and conferences, and DEMOS also submitted recommendations for ways in which the system may be improved.

DEMOS also conducts research on corporate social activities and provide relevant feedback, studies on various social issues (e.g. crime and alcohol abuse) in the UK to make recommendations to each company about how they could help deal with such issues and what they must do to fulfill their social responsibilities. As you can see, DEMOS forms partnerships with various companies and organizations to think of ways in which a better society may be created.

DEMOS has developed strong ties with a great number of companies and foundations throughout its 20-year history, and it is these long lasting relationships that have brought these projects to fruition.

Back to Table of Contents Clownfish

www.clownfishmarketing.com

The first thing that caught our attention when we visited the Clownfish office was the shopping bags made in collaboration with Cath Kidston, an interior and accessories brand also quite popular in Japan, and TESCO (UK-based large supermarket chain). You may already know about these bags since they have received major media exposure in Japan and other parts of the world. Ms. Diana Verde Nieto, the CEO of Clownfish, gave us a description of Clownfish and its activities.

These much talked about bags were not created just so that they would look cool. In addition to the environmental benefit they offer by helping reduce the use of single-use plastic bags, with these bags, Clownfish also aims to realize people's well being or a state in which one is healthy and filled with happiness. Reducing environmental impact has been taken into consideration at every stage of their lifecycle, from procurement of raw materials to distribution and marketing communication. Six plastic bottles are recycled as raw materials, and the production process requires less sewing. Also, soy ink is used for printing, and the supply chain has been shortened as much as possible. Clownfish proposed the best method available in all areas including finding an appropriate company that handles recycle plastic bottles, appropriate sewing plants, as well as a distribution methods that minimizes waste. When you no longer need the bag, you can return it to TESCO, so that it can be recycled as new fabric. With regard to social contribution, 100% of the proceeds from the sales of these bags are donated to a breast cancer charity with the help of Marie Claire magazine. By purchasing these bags, users naturally help support the charity. Clownfish believes that helping people feel that they are "doing some good" is important because that is also part of one's "well being." On the practical side, these bags are designed to be durable, yet lightweight and also washable. What's more, they are also very economical ? they only cost 3.50 pounds. In sum, these bags have been produced by carefully taking every aspect into consideration.

"As you can see, Clownfish considers social, environmental, and economical aspects because sustainability cannot be realized if one of these is lacking. Sustainability is not achieved by simply making donations," says Ms. Nieto.

Approximately 30 people with varying backgrounds such as in environmental technology, environmental design, and marketing communication are working at the Clownfish London office. Currently, it is expanding its reach to other parts of the world including NY and Shanghai.

As the example of the shopping bag indicates, Clownfish offers a wide range of recommendations to its clients as a sustainability communications consultancy. With the shopping bag project, Clownfish succeeded in bringing together TESCO, Marie Claire magazine, Cath Kidston, factories, society, and people. Clownfish also works with other clients such as Unilever, Nike, and Coca-cola providing expertise on developing sustainability.

Clownfish places importance on 3 key words - People, Planet, and Profit. They recommend values for bringing sustainability to life on all levels, from strategy through to communication; i.e. meeting consumer needs, motivating employees, enhancing brand value and the bottom line to cost reduction.

Back to Table of Contents CURB

www.mindthecurb.com

We spoke with Mr. Anthony Ganjou, the founder of CURB, and learned about their activities. CURB is a "natural media company" that uses earth's natural elements (sun's rays, sand, soil, water, etc.) to develop effective advertising with the lowest environmental impact. CURB aspires to offer clients with outstanding "natural" marketing that leaves a great impression without causing damage to the environment. The company was established in September 2008, so it has been up and running for less than a year, but CURB's high-quality work has a great international reputation. Their activities have been published in magazines in Korea and Japan and has also been reported on by the BBC.

CURB offers various natural media solutions. Please go to their website and have a look at some of the work they have worked on.

Clean Advertising
They place stencils on the wall and remove the dirt from parts of the wall to create a design that uses the contrast between the dirty surface and the newly cleaned original color. The dirt is removed using stored rainwater.

Logrow (grass)
Creating a brand logo using grass.

Sand Sculpture (sand)
Buckingham Palace built and carved out of sand was so intricately finished that the human sand statues inside the palace seemed as though they would start moving. It seems this also impressed Queen Elizabeth.

Snow Tagging (snow)
The method used was quite simple, yet innovative. Imprints were made using a stamp. The snow tagging campaign for an extreme sports channel was held during the snowstorm in February. This generated publicity worth over 50 million yen in advertising value.

Solar Art (sunlight)
The artists burned an image into a piece of wood using magnifying glasses and the rays of the sun to create an incredibly intricate visual image.

H2 Show (water)
A computer controls the amount of waterfall to depict text and imagery with water.

Crop Ad
CURB created a mystery circle like advertising in a large field. Some of these ads measured 120m in diameter (e.g. enormous Hello Kitty). "In the future, we would like to make a really big one, so that you can only see the whole image from a satellite." says Mr. Ganjou.

All the work has been created in collaboration with top artists. But, why have they chosen and stuck with earth's natural elements? According to Mr. Ganjou, their work is based on a simple idea - with green marketing and environmental communication, the media, which conveys the messages, should also be natural. If plants are used as a medium, you can preserve it, and with snow or water, they will just return to nature. Moreover, the use of natural elements leaves a great impact - people take photos of the work and send them to their friends and it becomes well known quite quickly by word of mouth. The sheer quality of their work often leads to great exposure in magazines. The team at CURB believes that what they do is great for both the environment and for the clients.

Back to Table of Contents BASH

www.bashcreations.com

BASH is located in the Shaw Ridge area in London. This area is home to young artists, museums, and creative boutiques. BASH is a creative agency and event production company. They advocate ethical creativity and ecological entertainment and introduce ecological methods to the British entertainment industry. The interview was conducted in the garden created as part of the "roof project" developed on the roof of the BASH office building.

The team at BASH goes up to the roof to take a break from their work and enjoy a relaxing time. Occasionally they have a beer or two on the roof surrounded by greenery. They throw small parties and sometimes live events. We learned about BASH from Mr. Daniel Silver, Creative Director, and Ms. Erica Sara Probst, Director of Operations, in a very relaxing atmosphere.

BASH was formed 3 years ago by Mr. Joseph Oliver. Mr. Oliver, who has been selected as one of the leaders of the "London Leaders" program, has been integrating sustainability in London by persuading the media in cooperation with cultural, political, and governmental leaders. BASH is the first organization in the UK that undertakes activities in partnership with the cultural sector (libraries, museums and archives). Clients, participants, and members of BASH include artists, fashion designers, musicians, and students and they also work with companies, NGOs, and government institutions. BASH boasts both artistic and environmental expertise and attempts to form a bridge between the world of art and environment.

BASH is also known for the sustainability network it has created in London. BASH helps create an environment in which people can think about sustainability, and they also brings artists and companies together to realize sustainability.

For example, BASH runs events and campaigns particularly targeting the younger generation (between 16 to early 30s) to help sustainable culture take root.

BASH recommends and implements effective projects in the following 3 areas, or by combining these 3 elements.

1. Events
   BASH holds eco-conscious events with a various focus and scale. They may be a very accessible, casual events or quite serious, and may range from small-scale conferences to international corporate conferences.
2. Marketing
   BASH offers its clients various sustainable and eco-conscious solutions, from product design to more traditional advertising such as newspapers and TV ads.
3. Consulting
   As a sustainability consultancy, BASH offers advice and assistance for implementing green communications and eco-conscious business practices.

In addition, BASH is in charge of the operations of the building in which its office is located. So they also run and produce the club on the first floor (called Black Lotus Karate Club) that offers organic food and drinks.

They described one of the projects to us in detail. "We are in charge of the operation and management of the 'Radical Nature' exhibition, which is currently being held at the Barbican Center (Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue located in London).
First, to promote the exhibition, we asked 50 dancers and pantomime artists to wear tree costumes designed by a young artist. These 50 "trees" paraded through central London. They stood alone as trees at times, or together forming forest. Since we started at 8:30am in the world's largest financial center, this parade created quite a commotion among the commuters. We carefully planned the best route (which included populous locations such as St Paul's and Piccadilly Circus) and times. Photos and videos of the parade were uploaded onto the website in real time. This created quite a stir and gave way to debate about trees and nature in London on online discussion forums. Around 6:00pm, when the exhibition was coming to an end, renowned curators of the Barbican gave a presentation on the environment and the project. Although this project was held to promote the exhibition, it also provided an opportunity for people to think about environmental issues.

Rather than simply offering eco-conscious advertising methods and encouraging the use of eco products, we also strive to raise awareness for the environment so that people will start thinking about environmental issues as an individual. To this end, we also effectively use SNS (social networking service) as a way to create social momentum."

By the way, the "roof project" launched by BASH had another mission. It serves as a test bed for a green roof that is being contemplated for the media center for the London 2012 Olympics Games. This test bed will help with scientific observation of the interaction between compost (PAS100) and materials as well as the impact such interaction may have on plants.

Back to Table of Contents Appendix

Social communication in other parts of the world @Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival http://www.canneslions.com/

The 56th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festivals was held from June 21 to 27, 2009. We would like to introduce some high profile, social and environmental campaigns we discovered at the festival.

TRILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN (Zimbabwe)
http://work.canneslions.com/outdoor/
http://work.canneslions.com/titanium/?award=2
http://work.canneslions.com/media/?award=2

"Trillion Dollar Campaign" - the name of the campaign is really intriguing and stirs your curiosity. But then, when you look at the campaign poster, you are blown away by the hundreds and thousands of Zimbabwean currency that make up the poster. The advertiser of this campaign was The Zimbabwean newspaper. The journalists of The Zimbabwean were exiled for reporting on how the Mugabe regime had rigged the elections, crushed the opposition, and was responsible for poverty, disease, and the total collapse of the economy. In addition, the Mugabe regime imposed a 55% luxury import duty on this newspaper (as though implying that freedom of speech can only be bought at a very high price). Financial funding was necessary in order to get the paper into the hands of the Zimbabwean people, so the newspaper needed to raise its awareness outside of the country. That is why this campaign was implemented.
The campaign received media coverage only a few hours after its launch, was introduced nationwide via TV and radio after only 2 days, and became widely known around the world via the Internet. It was introduced in hundreds of websites and blogs including the website for the New York Times, Yahoo News, and the Huffington Post.
The 1 trillion Zimbabwe dollar bills, which came about as a result of the world's highest rate of inflation, is a symbol of the country's collapse. A trillion dollars bill isn't even enough to pay for a loaf of bread, let alone advertising. So, why not use those trillion dollars bills as a medium? This is the concept underlying this campaign.
We had a chance to talk to the creative director at the awards ceremony. We asked him if it didn't occur to him that he could get arrested. He said, "Of course, we were aware of such risks. That is why we only did these guerilla campaigns for 4 days. But we successfully gained public support, and this kept the government at bay."

SELLING HOPE (Portugal)
http://work.canneslions.com/promo/?award=2
http://work.canneslions.com/pr/?award=27

The Red Cross campaign held during the Christmas season in 2008 saw the development of a completely new structure of donation giving. A shop was opened in the most popular shopping mall in Lisbon. But in this store, you couldn't touch or see the products, try them on, or even listen to them. The only thing you could do there is to "feel." The product that this retail store was selling was "HOPE." Just like any other store, this shop had hangers, windows, fitting rooms, and bags; the only difference was that people walked out empty handed. Rather than buying something, people who came to the store donated their money, and this filled their hearts with hope.
The timing at which the campaign was conducted was quite miraculous. It was just when the world craved for hope stronger than ever. Store sales on the opening day reached top 10 amongst other stores in the shopping mall. This campaign also saw an increase in the number of volunteers, people who donated for the first time, and potential Red Cross partners.

YUBARI (Japan)
http://work.canneslions.com/promo/
http://work.canneslions.com/pr/?award=27

Many of you in Japan may have heard about the promotional campaign for Yubari City in the news. Burdened with heavy debt, the city declared bankruptcy in 2007. But this campaign zoomed in on the fact that Yubari boasted the lowest divorce rate in Japan. So the campaign, "Yubari, no money but love," was developed based on the idea that Yubari may not have money, but it had a lot of love. They developed the characters featuring Yubari melons called "Yubari Fusai" (the word "fusai" may refer to "debt" or "married couple" depending on the Japanese characters used). A "happy couple zone" was created within the city hall, and married couples that visited this zone received an "official happily married couple certificate." In addition, an original song for the characters, and many branded merchandise and souvenirs were sold, and they were also featured on various magazines. The campaign got a great deal of exposure - mention in 100 newspapers, 100 online media, 30 TV programs, and 53,100 blog entries. Since this project was launched, the annual number of visitors to Yubari increased by 10% year on year. But most importantly, through this campaign the citizens of Yubari got back a sense of pride in their city.

KHEDE KASRA (Lebanon)
http://work.canneslions.com/pr/?award=27

This campaign aimed to raise public awareness for the gender inequality suffered by women in Lebanon. In Arabic, the words address either men or women depending on how you pronounce the words or where you place the accent. "Kasra" refers to the accent, which is used for words when addressing a woman.
The campaign attempts to demonstrate "how people in the Lebanese society (regardless of gender) automatically address men when speaking Arabic." Posters and billboards demonstrated how the meaning changed when the words were spoken using the kasra accent (marked with a red line). The campaign also became widespread through the digital media - YouTube, Facebook, and email. On March 8, 2009, on International Women's Day, TV personalities in various programs wore the kasra badge. This campaign, which encouraged women to "wear your mark" and demonstrated that "a small step can change the world," enjoyed substantial newspaper and magazine coverage, while sparking debate about the Lebanese judicial system, which is currently disadvantageous for women (for example, Lebanese women lose custody of their children who are older than 9 in any divorce case, and domestic violence against women is still quite commonplace).

LET IT RING... (Belgium)
http://work.canneslions.com/promo/?award=2
http://work.canneslions.com/direct/?award=2

In Belgium, more and more accidents occur as a result of people talking on the mobile phone while driving. The danger of driving while talking on the phone would best ring home if people could virtually experience the danger. This campaign made this happen. First of all, you enter the email address and mobile phone number of a friend you wish to give the experience to on the campaign's website. Then, your friend receives an email of a link from you. When your friend clicks on the link, what looks like an ordinary Internet video created from the driver's viewpoint starts to play. As the friend watches the video, his/her mobile phone suddenly starts ringing. If your friend, who doesn't know what's going on, picks up the phone, he/she causes an accident in the virtual movie (the accident won't occur if he/she doesn't answer the phone). The image they will see when they cause an accident is quite shocking. The main purpose of this campaign is to make people remember one key message - "Let the phone ring."

There were a great many more excellent nominations that zoomed in on social communication (like last year, organizations such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and UNICEF won several awards). An exhibition featuring social graphic advertising was held at the foyer of the venue and the hall next-door while the poster of "Hopenhagen," a campaign created by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and a coalition of the world's leading agencies for the COP15 scheduled to be held in Copenhagen in December this year, was exhibited on the billboard in front of the venue. We definitely felt as though the tides of time are changing the direction in which the advertising industry is heading towards.

Koji Kagoshima Biography
Born in Niigata in 1968. Graduated with a degree in Master's Program in Education, from University of Tsukuba. Working as a copywriter and creative director at an advertising company and the NGO, 2025 PROJECT. Coauthor of "Missing Peace", "Love, Peace & Green; Missing Peace 2", "ecotoba," and "It will be fine."

Yoko Okazaki Biography
Born in Hiroshima in 1980. Graduated with a degree in Law, from the Faculty of Law, Sophia University after studying abroad in Finland and Hawaii. Currently, working as a copywriter and planner in an advertising company and the NGO, 2025 PROJECT. Coauthor of "It will be fine."

Outline of 2025PROJECT
2025 PROJECT is an NGO engaged in activities that attempt to help create a sustainable society by 2025. 2025 PROJECT continues to create content with an aim to change the world and the future. Its "Tigers Save Tigers!" campaign was nominated for the PR category this year at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. http://www.2025.jp/

Many of you may have heard of Ecovillage. Ecovillage encompasses a great range of activities, from communes that cultivate new communities to establish self-sufficiency within the region, building communities around eco housing that reduces environmental impact as much as possible, to building collective houses. What all these activities have in common is that they attempt to establish a completely new community from ground zero. Although this provides an opportunity to develop an idealistic community, you have to build houses, farms, and the structure for collectives from scratch, so it requires a vast amount of energy and time.

In a nutshell, Transition Town is a movement that transforms existing regions (towns and cities) into an Ecovillage. The word, transition, evokes a sense of "change," a "shift." But what are we transitioning from and to? In this respect, the transition is from "a vulnerable society that is completely and heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels" to "a resilient, robust society that is regionally based." Having said that, it is not as though Transition Town and its initiatives advocate a special social organization or ideology. As expected, the shape of the society that lies beyond the transition will differ from region to region, and you can "think about what it will be like as you take action." This is the thinking that underlies the Transition Initiative. If we describe Ecovillage as being initiatives that are objective-oriented, that plunges forward in pursuit of an ideal society, perhaps we can describe Transition Town as initiatives that are process-oriented, that value the processes.

Needless to say, we aspire to create a low carbon society. But what do we need to bring this into fruition? Believe it or not, we already have many of the necessary solutions and technologies. Local production for local consumption employing organic farming, permaculture, and natural farming methods; energy self-sufficiency using biomass energy, solar and wind power generation; streamlining transportation with community transportation, car sharing, rental cycles, etc.; eco construction that is health friendly and has little environmental impact; developing eating habits that incorporate a greater proportion of fresh vegetables; the importance of moving our hands and bodies, such as by farming - as you can see, we already have more than enough vocabulary to carry on a discussion about low carbon societies. What were lacking, and thus precluded us from combining and using the means described above well, were the consent of and the cooperation amongst the people in the community. This is where the Transition Initiative comes in; they serve as a catalyst that bridges together the various individual initiatives.

Back to Table of Contents How the Transition Town Totnes began

The transition activities began in the autumn of 2005 in Totnes, a small town located in the country of Devon in South West England. Although Transition Initiative began in this small town with a population of 8,000 people, in just about 3 and half years, it spread across United Kingdom, and on to numerous other regions such as Europe, United States, and Asia. Currently, it is said that there are 170 towns that have been officially designated as Transition Towns and 1,000 cities are said to be making preparations to join the ranks. But why has the Transition Initiative caught fire, resonating with a great number of people across the world in such a short time?

It is not as though Totnes, the first Transition Town, which has produced great results in 3 years, went under a great visible transformation. In other words, people didn't follow in its footsteps because they thought that Transition Town Totnes was an interesting and appealing case example. So why have the activities resonated with so many people and why are so many towns ready to make this transition? One of the reasons may be that the "process" of making the transition is "fun." The process defined states that we must remain tuned in to the circumstances of the town, while effectively utilizing its unique resources. This process involves 12 steps, but let us first take a look at the key characteristics of the Transition Initiative.

• Aspire to develop fundamental and comprehensive countermeasures that address both Peak oil and climate change issues
• Focus on the region
• Bring out the creativity, adaptability, and solidarity of the people of the region
• Maximize resources that are present in the region and organically combine such resources
• Strike a balance between the "3Hs" - the head, heart, and hands
• Envision a better future, believe that it is attainable, and have fun in the process

Every element is important, but the most attractive aspect of the Transition Initiative may be the last point - "Envision a better future, believe that it is attainable, and have fun in the process." Although we may want to help society make the shift towards the better, we may become burned out in the process. Rather than clenching our teeth and running the risk of becoming burned out, we should all cooperate and have fun. Let us not act from "the fear of what our futures may become," but act to "bring the future we have envisioned to life." This positive thinking is what is great about the Transition Initiative.

What is also important is "striking a balance between the '3Hs' - the head, heart, and hands." We should not merely just think about it in our heads. We should move our bodies, acquire the skills necessary to live, and also pay attention to our hearts. Indeed, the Transition Initiative provides measures to ensure that the core members of the initiative do not become burned out.

Mr. Rob Hopkins is the founder of the Transition Initiative. As he has pledged that he would not use airplanes, he participated in the Ecovillage Conference held in Tokyo at the end of April by video.

Back to Table of Contents 12 steps to make the transition

12 steps
Step 1: Set up a steering group and design its demise from the outset
Step 2: Awareness raising
Step 3: Lay the foundations
Step 4: Organize a great unleashing
Step 5: Form sub groups
Step 6: Use open space
Step 7: Develop visible practical manifestations of the project
Step 8: Facilitate the great reskilling
Step 9: Build a bridge to local government
Step 10: Honor the elders
Step 11: Let it go where it wants to go
Step 12: Create an energy descent plan

Steps 1 through 5 comprise the initial stage, and steps 6 through 10 comprise the growth stage. And step 11 helps get you in the right frame of mind, while step 12 is the final destination. Mr. Rob Hopkins may not have developed all these individual steps, but his philosophy is very much reflected in every one of them. This also reminds us that he is a lecturer on permaculture and a specialist on natural architecture. As each element has a wide range of functions and is supported by various other elements, it seems as though the principle, which values diversity and makes the most of natural patterns, have been applied to a social movement.

Of course these 12 steps need not be undertaken in order. They only serve as guidelines, so you can proceed as you best see fit. (Currently there is a move to do away with these 12 steps, but I included them in this report because I thought it would be helpful in understanding what the Transition Initiative was about).

A flyer, which introduces numerous events held in Totnes in December 2006. The main event is the unveiling of the Transition Initiative. Many other lectures and seminars were also held.

Back to Table of Contents Peak oil

The Transition Initiative attempts to address both climate change and peak oil issues. Peak oil refers to the point in time when the amount of petroleum extraction from the oilfields currently known reaches peak production. This may give you the impression that we still have half way to go, but once the oilfields reach their peak production, extraction becomes more laborious, and the quality of the crude oil worsens. In other words, it will be more and more difficult to obtain crude oil at prices that are cheaper than water as we do now.

Needless to say, civilization in the 20th century has been founded upon mass consumption of crude oil, but this was because crude oil was cheap. The movie, "The End of Suburbia," which zooms in on the peak oil issue, well captures the subtleties associated with this issue. Taxes are not levied on gasoline in the United States, so you can buy gas there for about 50 yen a liter. That is why fuel intensive American cars could be sold and people could commute by car to their work place, which may be more than 100km away from home. But what would happen if the gas prices rose to 100 yen or 200 yen?

Of course this will not only affect commutes. Gasoline is essential in transporting farm goods and processed foods, and materials such as timber and steel. If we take a look back how it was like when the oil prices soared, we can easily imagine how badly the distribution system would be affected by a sharp rise in crude oil prices. In addition, oil can be "transformed" into various other items, from food, clothing, PET bottles, plastic, to electricity. Its application is extensive; it is used for personal computers, video game consoles, packages of software such as DVDs, and food trays used by supermarkets. Crude oil is used either as a raw material, in manufacturing, for transportation, or in all such processes. Nearly everything is oil-derived or uses oil-derived substances.

If the price of oil doubles or even quadruples, we would suddenly be facing a crisis. It would be such an earth-shaking event. The Transition Initiative attempts to mitigate our dependency on oil and to build a regional-based society, which would not be affected even when we reach our peak oil supply. Needless to say, this would overlap with the movement that focuses on minimizing, as much as possible, the impact of climate change. If each region forges a path towards a low carbon society, enhances its self-sufficiency with respect to food, agriculture, and energy through the Transition Initiative, it is clear as day that CO2 emissions would be also decrease.

Back to Table of Contents Transition Fujino

Fujino, a town blessed with rich forests and lakes, is home to great many artists, who have moved to Fujino seeking nature.

Currently, Fujino is implementing activities as an official Transition Town in Japan and regions such as Hayama, Sagamiko, Kamakura, Zushi, and Takao are making preparations to join the initiative. We spoke with Mr. Hidetake Enomoto, who launched the Transition Initiative in Japan and the initiator of Transition Fujino.

Mr. Enomoto introduced the Transition Initiative at the Ecovillage Conference as the representative of Transition Japan.

"I first heard about Transition Town in November 2007 while I was living in Findhorn, an Ecovillage in Scotland. I was very intrigued by the speech made by Mr. Rob Hopkins, who had been invited to speak at the 'Be the Change Conference' held in London. It was also the first time I learned about the peak oil issue and I was shocked by the gravity of the situation. I learned, however, that Transition was one way to help resolve such issue.

I was particularly intrigued when I heard that the Transition Initiative encompasses region-based activities and utilizes the strengths of the local community. It was based on the idea that by bringing out the power of each citizen in the community, we may enable to tackle systematic problems the human civilization faces. Another point I found interesting was that the Transition Initiative lets you work with a positive image about the future. It is important to face up to the problems, but we should not act from "fear" for the bleak future that could descend upon us. A future without crude oil could be a richer, more resplendent era. So the idea is to not fear the onset of peak oil, rather consider it a great opportunity to make the shift towards a "richer, better world."

Another fact that made the concept more associable to us was that Mr. Rob Hopkins was a lecturer on permaculture and natural architecture. The Transition Initiative is also based on permaculture in some ways. The key word here is "ties." Although ties cannot be seen, they certainly do exist. The idea here is to use such ties to build cities. I thought that the Transition Initiative serves as a catalyst for bringing together diverse people and carious resources of the town."

Fujino is a town in Kanagawa prefecture with a population of approximately 10,000. It became part of Sagamihara city in 2007 but the autonomous region will be present until March 2011. It is well known for its rich forests, lakes, and for its art, and numerous artists have migrated there. Also, the Permaculture Center Japan is located in the area, thus it is considered the home of the permaculture movement. Moreover, the Steiner School was opened about 3 years ago. It can be said that Fujino is a region where people with an alternative cultural background reside.

"The Transition Initiative in Fujino began with 3 core members, who are relatively new residents who have only lived in the region for less than 10 years. They visited old residents as well as organizations and individuals involved in regional activities to gain their understanding and support. The core members also asked former executives of the town hall to get influential people together and made presentations. Being new residents, we were worried that the old residents may reject our new proposal. However, they listened to us with an open mind and even began telling us how they would like to change their region. I was very pleased, and felt glad to have moved to this region." (Mr. Hidetake Enomoto)

A scene from the "heart and soul" workshop held jointly with Transition Sagamiko. Transition Initiative not only places emphasis on visible activities necessary in realizing a low carbon society. It also focuses on "inner transition," in other words, changes in the meaning of life and sense of values. In Transition Fujino there are also workshops on renewable energy and preserved foods, and planning or operational meetings on such activities are held at the beginning of March and April. This is representative of the spirits of the people of Fujino who value a lifestyle in which they can remain tuned in to nature and the changes in the seasons.

Back to Table of Contents Transition Hayama

Hayama is also known as a region where many artists live. Moreover, there are many people who have moved to Hayama from other regions because they fell in love with Hayama's environment. You could say that Hayama is a region that leads the way in eco consciousness. It is here in Hayama that a proposal was made to carve out recreation trails. Mr. Shunro Yoshida from Transition Hayama is one of the people who spoke out against the construction of such trails.

Mr. Shunro Yoshida from Transition Hayama. Realizing that it wasn't his true calling, he left the company he had been working for in 2008. He is trying to hack out a "way of living" in Hayama he could feel satisfied with.

"The mayoral elections had just ended, and I was just thinking that it would be great if I could turn Hayama into an Ecovillage. Shortly after, in March, I was invited to go to Findhorn by Mr. Enomoto. That is when I listened to Mr. Rob Hopkins' lecture and learned about Transition Town. I knew that I just had to try it in Hayama. Hayama has great seafood and because it is blessed with mountains covered in dense forests, it can also count on food from the mountains. Artists have been moving to Hayama since 30 years ago. There are also a great many number of people who love the region and its environment. As soon as I returned to Hayama in May, I conducted three orientation meetings. Many people from Hayama, Zushi, Kamakura, etc. came to the meetings. And I have been actively taking part in environmental events, rice reaping, harvest festivals, and river clean up activities among other events to establish a great relationship with other entities. Moreover, we also created a market where farmers can sell their produce directly to promote local production for local consumption. Although at the moment we only offer a limited range of products, someday soon we hope to also offer fishes caught by local fishermen." (Mr. Shunro Yoshida)

A photograph of a Transition Hayama event, "A look back at the good old days of Hayama." This event offered an opportunity to learn about how people lived and what they ate from the elders of the community.

"Shiro-san," a famous fisherman in Hayama. Although he is quite jovial usually, he spoke to the people gathered in a very compelling voice. "Because the catch in Hayama is quite small, the Tsukiji fish market won't take us seriously. I want the people in Hayama to enjoy the fishes in Hayama. As a fisherman, this would give me greater joy." Perhaps the Transition Initiative has the power to make this wish come true.

A photograph from the Transition Hayama's event, "Bun Bun Tsushin (Communication) Vol. 1." In response to the movement against nuclear power plant in Iwashima, the event called on people to think about the energy issue.

A global cafe style meeting. Transition Town places importance on holding creative meetings and drawing out "collective wisdom" by also incorporating methods used in the business environment such as open space technology.

The meetings become more fun and enjoyable with coffee and homemade foods.

A local market where farmers can sell direct to local consumers built by Transition Hayama with the cooperation of the local people.

The Transition Hayama team's farm. Employing permaculture and natural farming methods, they grow a great variety of crops.

Back to Table of Contents Huge movement that makes use of diversity

I hope I was able to give you an idea of how the Transition Initiative instantaneously draws many people in. Social and environmental movements in the past have begun when people shared the same vision and sense of purpose, however, with the Transition Initiative all you need is a shared awareness about peak oil, and to realize a low carbon society to overcome this issue. Other than that you are free to uphold any ideology or philosophy.

Another key feature is that it is a regional initiative. Issues such as food and energy had been national level issues addressed by the government. However, it is true that this thinking has lead to superfluous centralization of power. The farther we transport food and energy, the more petroleum we consume. It would be ideal if we could produce and consume both food and energy locally. Creating such a mechanism before the national and local governments get into gear. This is also true for education and social welfare. And even the way businesses are run may be localized. Everything rests on each and every citizens' self-motivation and creativity.

Casting off the roles imposed upon us by a great wave of "labor" and "consumption," and thinking as an individual citizen, and acting in cooperation with the local people. And resolve big issues not with the wisdom of a single individual, but with creativity using collective wisdom. An individual, Mr. Rob Hopkins, began the Transition Initiative, but he only built the scheme. It is each citizen in the region who puts it into action. You can simply start by talking to people who live in the region, who you get along with "about how you want to change the region you live in." Why not begin Transition Town activities in your town?

Meeting among the members of Transition Town Takao, which has just begun its activities. It brings people who live in the same region great joy to be able to get together and talk about the future of the region.

For more information about Transition Town please see:

Transition Towns WIKI
http://transitiontowns.org/

Kato Hisato Biography
Born in Tokyo in 1957. Graduated with a degree in French Literature, from the College of Arts, Rikkyo University. President of Basho House. Publishes books on the environment, energy, climate change, recycling, localization, etc. Member of the board of NPO Natsukashii Mirai (Nostalgic Future). Author of "ecoyomi 3."

We often learn that technologies of Japanese companies we may have never heard of before are actually supporting super futuristic space development, or that a Japanese coach is directing a national team that may have suddenly made their mark. Without our knowing, there are people and mechanisms that bring on valuable change.
The stage for this Earth Report may be quite similar to this kind of situation.

Myanmar is a part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), sharing a border with China, India, Thailand, Laos, and Bangladesh. It is often associated with Japan's invasion during World War II, devout Buddhism, military government, and multi ethnicity, and is often referred to as the world's poorest nation. And for Japanese people who are a bit older, this country evokes a certain air of "nostalgia." It seems like this country has retained what Japan has lost during its development.

The streets of Yangon. The gold pagoda of the largest temple in Myanmar, Shwe Dagon, sparkles in the sunlight.
©HIROSHI ITO

Back to Table of Contents The ultimate goal is to help this country become independent
- The Japanese project manager of UNICEF

Myanmar, described as the world's poorest nation, is said to have a per capita GNP of 220 dollars, so approximately 20,000 yen. Nevertheless, due to political reasons, it is hard for the international aid from Western nations to reach the country. In Rwanda, for example, the per capita international aid is around 6,000 yen, while on the other hand Myanmar's is 300 yen.

Here in Myanmar, vaccinations for children, who are essential to the future development of the nation, are conducted in collaboration with the local government, UNICEF, and organizations that have donated funds. There are 3 key parties taking part in the polio NID that was conducted this year. There is UNICEF, which offers advice and training on the planning and operation using their know-how on supplying vaccines in developing countries; the Myanmar government and public administration that act as the main constituent of the project, secures the staffing, and runs the vaccinations in large cities as well as in small villages; and finally, there is the authorized NPO, Japan Committee "Vaccines for the World's Children" (JCV) which provides donations from, for example, individuals such as the baseball player who donates based on his own "rules" to supply the funds to purchase vaccines. NID is successfully conducted with the collaboration of these 3 parties.

Dr. Osamu Kunii from the UNICEF Myanmar office used to work in Somalia when he was younger. He used to treat many infected patients back then. But they would come back with a different illness, requiring more treatment, and this cycle went on and on, ending with the patient's eventual death. Many children and women died this way even though these diseases were all preventable. He remembers feeling extremely powerless. He became keenly aware of the importance of preventive medical care, and hence changed his career from a clinician to a specialist in public health. We asked him to give us an overview of the NID, a day on which polio vaccines are given to all children under the age of 5 in Myanmar.

Dr. Kunii from UNICEF Myanmar during the NID site inspection (center photograph). ©HIROSHI ITO

"Vaccination may be divided into 2 broad programs. Regular vaccinations (5 types - polio, paralysis, diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT), Bacille de Clamette et Guerin (BCG), and hepatitis B) are given each month to children under the age of 1. In addition to this, the NID gives vaccinations in high risk areas that are not covered by these regular vaccinations, or nationwide. Although polio had nearly disappeared for 6 years since 2000, there was an outbreak of vaccine-derived poliovirus*1 in 2006 and a wild strain of the poliovirus*2 in 2007. So in 2006 the vaccinations targeted specific regions, and in 2007 they were given nationwide once a year on NID. So, with approximately 7.4 million children around the country in mind, the project aims for a 95% vaccination rate."

*1　Vaccine-derived poliovirus: The given vaccine mutates, becoming toxic and turning into a virus.
*2　Wide poliovirus: Poliovirus that exist in the natural world.

The vaccinations required for polio, measles, and BCG are vulnerable to heat and light. And because depending on the type of the vaccination, they need to be either frozen or cooled (without being frozen), appropriate management facilities and personnel training are essential. If they are not stored under the proper conditions, there is a risk of giving children vaccinations that are ineffective. In order to make sure that the vaccinations work effectively, it is key to have a mechanism in place that lets you deliver vaccines under the right cold conditions without any hiccups. This system is referred to as the cold chain.

What does the cold chain in Myanmar look like?
First, donations from supporters in Japan are amassed by the JCV. After receiving requests based on the vaccination plans drafted by the local WHO and UNICEF offices as well as the Myanmar government, JCV decides on the amount of assistance to provide. Then it sends the necessary funds to UNICEF. Using the assistance, the UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen, Denmark starts to source vaccines. Vaccine companies all over the world take part in the bid each time, so the Supply Division is able to purchase quality assured vaccines for the lowest price possible. The system also assures on-time delivery of vaccines to the designated location. The conditions vary slightly depending on the type of vaccine and the time and location, but these vaccines sourced from factories all over the world are flown to Myanmar.

"The vaccines that arrive from different parts of the world first go to a central cold room in Yangon. This facility was built using funds from UNICEF and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Then the vaccines are delivered to central hospitals in 325 townships via 19 storage facilities around the country. But beyond these points, there are no power generation facilities that can supply electricity to refrigerators and freezers. The Rural Health Clinics (RHC) and the Sub-Health Centers (SHC), which are in even more remote areas and do not have sufficient facilities, so figuring out how to keep the vaccines at an adequate temperature is a very big issue. There are even some midwives who pay for ice out of their own pockets to keep the vaccines cold."

According to Dr. Kunii, although there are still issues that need to be resolved, the vaccination program in Myanmar is progressing steadily.

"In the beginning, we had to provide technical and financial support for the preparation, planning, through to implementation and evaluation of the program. But now everyone - from people in central to rural areas and even people working on the ground - recognizes the importance of the NIDs, and they have acquired the necessary skills to conduct them on their own. Nevertheless, our ultimate objective is not just conducting NIDs for polio; we would like to empower the Myanmar government, both technologically and financially, to conduct all vaccinations on their own. The final goal for providing assistance to a nation, is to help them become independent, so that they will no longer require aid."

After the NID this year, a smaller scale, sub-NID will be conducted in key areas around the nation that will give vaccinations to everyone in the region all at once. And if we can achieve an immunization rate of 95%, Myanmar will be able to declare that it is polio-free in the near future. UNICEF has already drawn up such plans.

(Left) If you are infected by the polio virus and become pathogenic, you will be affected by very serious residual effects such as numbness in the hands and feet. A photograph of promotional posters placed in various areas. ©HIROSHI ITO
(Right) Dr. Kyaw Myint Aung, a young, excellent doctor who is a member of the staff from UNICEF Myanmar works on the project with Dr. Kunii. He says, " I want to help as many people in my country as possible." ©HIROSHI ITO

Back to Table of Contents Roles

We took a closer look at the people who work on this program, by actually following the path of the cold chain that safely delivers vaccines to people all over Myanmar.

Back to Table of Contents Managing vaccines across Myanmar
- Staff working in the Ministry of Health

The vaccines sent to Myanmar from different parts of the world are delivered to the central cold room in Yangon. Dr. Kyaw Kan Kaung from the Ministry of Health is in charge of the management of the facility.

The central cold room in Yangon.

Dr. Kyaw Kan Kaung , from the Ministry of Health in charge of the management of the central cold room (right) and his boss, Dr. Than Thein Win.

"Because the old cold room had become decrepit, and it didn't have the sufficient capacity, we renovated an old warehouse and built a new one 2 years ago. It started operation last year, after the cyclone hit. It has 7 "walk-in cold rooms" big enough for people to freely walk around in. There are enough vaccines for 400,000 people stored in these rooms at all times, and depending on the type of vaccine, they are stored at specific temperatures in refrigerators and freezers" says Dr. Kyaw Kan Kaung.

The modern and hygienic cold room is located only 10 minutes from central Yangon, but it seems that there are still some unresolved issues.

"Because the power supply in Myanmar tends to be still unstable, power failures aren't quite frequent. That is why temperatures are maintained 24-7 using an independent power generation system. The vaccines are delivered to places across the nation from this cold room, but you can hardly say that there are sufficient transportation vehicles. But as we are in charge of vaccines for the entire nation, 10 members of the staff work in tandem to stringently manage the temperatures, so that the vaccines don't go to waste."

(Left) Walk-in cold room. (Right) In Japan, BCGs are given through a 9-needle injection. This vaccine prevents tuberculosis. ©HIROSHI ITO

(Upper left) This bottle contains enough polio vaccines for 20 people.
(Upper right) Ice bags and refrigerants used for transportation are also stored here. ©TAKASHI MORIOKA
(Lower left) Power generator used during the cyclone.
(Lower right) The vaccines are placed into these boxes, and delivered to areas across the country by air and land.

For them, the mission is very clear.
When we asked Dr. Than Thein Win, the supervising manager of the vaccination program from the Ministry of Health, about the goal for Myanmar, he replied clearly, without hesitation.

"Our 3 big goals are: eradicating polio, decreasing cases of pneumonia, and preventing measles. That is why we study up on new information about vaccines and implement new methods. Negotiating and developing relationships with JCV is also an important part of our job."

The vaccines are delivered by land and air to RHCs in 21 areas around the country, and then on to 325 townships following the path of a well planned cold chain.

A lime tree (tree of Buddha) found within the premises of the facility.

Back to Table of Contents Overcoming the cyclone and keeping an eye on NID
- A feminine force in regional medical treatment

Myanmar has a population of approximately 50 million people, has a total land area measuring 1.8 times the size of Japan, and is comprised of 325 townships. And doctors who are in charge of the general hospitals in each township and of the regional medical treatment are referred to as TMOs or Township Medical Officers.

We learned about a township called Bogale in the Ayeyarwaddy Division, which was severely affected by the cyclone that hit Myanmar in May 2008. The TMO here is Dr. Hle Hle Kgi. She has been involved in NIDs each year since 1997. She was placed in charge of the region right before the cyclone hit.

Dr. Hle Hle Kgi, the TMO of the Bogale township (right). "I inspected 3 areas traveling by boat yesterday." She went with a nurse, her right hand woman.

"There are 320,000 people living in this city. The cyclone took 34,000 lives. 31,000 children under 5 will be receiving polio vaccinations this time around. This amounts to approximately 1% of the population. The NID takes place over 2 days, but on the first day, which was yesterday, we vaccinated 99% of these children at 531 locations region wide. Today, we will vaccinate children who live in remote areas, who can't make it to the vaccination centers. With our list in hand, we visit every single home to vaccinate these children."

The Ayeyarwaddy Division refers to the area around the Ayeyarwaddy River, which is a delta area where tributaries big and small crisscross through like veins. The major means of transportation here are boats. Having said that, there are high waves in the southern areas near the sea, and there are places you can't get to within a day. So it's difficult to get to each and every settlement. Many people are astonished when they see a female TMO who come on a boat with her nursing staff through such conditions.

Boats are necessary to get around. During the rainy season, the water level rises, and the landscape changes drastically.

The cyclone completely or partially destroyed 70~80% of buildings in the region, and the cold chain was also severely affected (i.e. the vaccines became immersed in water). At one time, they could not even conduct regular vaccinations, but they managed to start back up again 2 months after the disaster. This was made possible with the fine assistance they received from UNICEF right after the disaster, but also with the rich experience and the great awareness of the TMO.

"This hospital has a solar power generation facility, so the temperature management of vaccines is in top shape here. There are also many fishermen in the area, so it's not hard to get ice making it relatively easy to deliver vaccines to villages and settlements. We are beginning to see that there are less and less people who are becoming infected with polio or the measles, so we feel that the parents are really beginning to recognize the importance of vaccinations."

(Upper left) Solar power generation system installed with the aid from UNICEF. It cost 600,000 yen to build.
(Upper right) The refrigerator in the hospital. Vaccines are delivered from here to the various vaccination centers. ©HIROSHI ITO
(Lower left) The vaccines are placed in individual vinyl bags to make sure that the labels don't come off while they are being cooled. © TAKASHI MORIOKA
(Lower right) At the vaccination centers in the region, the vaccines were kept cool with ice inside the transportation box.

The conditions in the 325 townships differ depending on their location and the region. In the northern area near the border, a limited number of staff must cover a wide region marked by steep Himalayan mountain ranges. And in another region, there are many ethnic minorities that speak different languages, so it is difficult to communicate the benefits of having vaccinations. But here in Bogale, Dr. Hle Hle Kgi over came the devastating affects of the cyclone, and pulled off the NID with great success. Her experience and confidence is sure to help other regions in the future.

Back to Table of Contents NID's Last Mile
- Midwives that provide medical care to the people in the region with the help of volunteers

Beyond the townships are the NID vaccination centers where the children are waiting. RHCs and SHCs are where the NIDs take place. We are nearing the end of the cold chain. This is what is often referred to as the "Last Mile."

We went and paid a visit to the Shan Kwin Gyi village, which is situated by the river in the Pyapon township in the Ayeyarwaddy delta. Like in many RHCs and SHCs, midwives play a key role here. Today is the first day of the NID. There are many mothers with their children under 5 from all over the village gathered in front of the SHC.

People gathered at the vaccination center. © TAKASHI MORIOKA

We asked the midwife, Ms. Than Than May, who is in charge of this SHC about what it was like to run the NID here.

Ms. Than Than May, who responds to the questions of the observers. © TAKASHI MORIOKA

"There are 307 families living in this village. That is 1,470 people, 187 children under 5, and 42 children under 1. I went to the RHC in Kyun Tar first thing in the morning to pick up vaccines that arrived yesterday from the central hospital in Pyapon. It's a 30-minute walk from here. There is also ice in the case we carry vaccines in, so we can keep it stable for 24 to 48 hours during the NID."

Boats are essential to get around this region. Ms. Than Than May also uses a boat or a motorcycle that her husband drives when paying other areas a visit

"We first check the names and ages of the children and mothers against the list. We are giving them polio vaccines and vitamin A at the same time, but we give them different tags, so that we can recognize their ages. Then we give them polio vaccines; 2 drops each. Then vitamin A. After they receive their vitamin A, we have them wait outside for about 15 minutes. We use a black marker to mark the fingernails of each child who has received the vaccine, so we can keep track."

(Left) There are children who are accompanied by their fathers. ©HIROSHI ITO
(Upper right) Polio vaccines taste sweet. Although it doesn't hurt, he has started to cry. ©HIROSHI ITO
(Middle right) Marking the fingernails of children who have received vaccinations. ©HIROSHI ITO
(Lower right) Dozens of local volunteers help out. ©TAKASHI MORIOKA

The limited space in the center is partitioned off into the reception area, polio vaccination corner, and the vitamin A corner. The children visit each corner in order. Although there are many people here, there doesn't seem to be any confusion. Usually the midwife single handedly manages this clinic, but during NIDs, she's gets great backup. Women wearing matching uniforms from a mother/child group and men who are fire fighters volunteer their services.

The NID is held with the help of all villagers not just in this village, but in every village. What was impressive about the "Last Mile" of the vaccine aid was the smiling faces of the children and their mothers and fathers, the many volunteers that help the midwives run the center, villagers that watch over the children protectively, and the people who gathered around the center.

Many villagers gathered around the center.
©TAKASHI MORIOKA

Young boys and girls that watch the vaccinations taking place. ©HIROSHI ITO

Back to Table of Contents * "I want to keep going until I retire"
- An interview with a midwife

The midwives who are in charge of the "Last Mile" of the NID are very busy. In addition to the roles the midwives in Japan play, they also serve as nurses, health advisors, and even doctors at times. Although their compensation may not be that great, they still work extremely hard. What drives them so? To get a better idea, we drove an hour from Yangon to the RHC in the village of Zaw Ti located in the Twante township on the day before the NID, to talk to the midwife who manages the center there.

(Left) It's been 15 years since she became a midwife.
(Right) The RHC she is in charge of. Although the building was completely destroyed by the cyclone, it was rebuilt with the help of an NGO in Italy. The volunteer staff that help her out.

What does your regular day at work look like?
"In the morning I run the clinic here and treat people for colds and other illnesses. In the afternoon I visit people's homes and treat them there. It's been 15 years since I began. I sleep here at the clinic during the week, and then go home over the weekend."

Do you like your work? What do you find especially difficult?
"I love my work. I am actually from a village nearby, located 30 minutes away from here. But people here treat me as if I were one of their own. Because this village doesn't have a doctor, giving birth is often difficult, but I feel very happy every time a baby is born without major complications."

What would you like to do in the future?
"Everyone in this villages is very calm and quiet, and nice. So I want to stay here and help them until I reach 60, my retirement age."

Her simple yet well-balanced response, as well as the way in which she calmly went about her work, despite having to take on so much was very impressive.

Back to Table of Contents Passion

The right system, and the people who steadfastly undertake their tasks exist in Myanmar. But what is essential to keeping this functioning sustainably is people's passion.

Back to Table of Contents How donations from "My Rules" reach the people who need them
- NPO staff

How do people from the NPO who stand between and talk to people from both Japan and Myanmar feel? We asked Ms. Reiko Ezaki, the Deputy Director-General of the authorized NPO, Japan Committee "Vaccines for the World's Children" who provided 80% of the vaccines given during the NID this year what she values the most.

Ms. Reiko Ezaki who came to the vaccination center located in a region affected by the cyclone. (The fourth person from the left)

"Since we have been working in Myanmar for over 10 years now, the name JCV has become well recognized by people in the medical industry in Myanmar. But we try to communicate that it is not the JCV that is donating the vaccines, rather it is people from all over Japan, from children to the elderly, who have donated them."

The funds gathered in Japan provide vaccines essential to the healthy growth of children in villages across Myanmar. There is a system there that has been built on the findings of the international society, and people who perform very clear roles. And it also seemed like the regional cooperative framework was in place and functioning. Nevertheless, not everyone who has donated can go to Myanmar to see what positive benefit their donations have had for themselves. So how can this be communicated to them?

"Of course providing data, such as quantitative information about aid is important, but what is most important is the reality. Numerous volunteers from JCV have gone to Myanmar to observe vaccinations taking place. There are many people who say that this experience made them think about their careers. By talking about it and sharing their experiences in various situations, i.e. in conversations and on blogs, people can communicate what the situation is really like in Myanmar. I think that it is important to widen our reach this way."

Here is a cooperative framework that transcends borders, a system that is operated on a national level, and people who unwaveringly fulfill their tasks.
People's sense of responsibility towards their work, their pride, sense of mission to contribute to the brighter future of their country, and the respect and trust placed in the people who fulfill these tasks - it may sound a bit too dramatic, but I felt as though I witnessed these things during my trip.

People wave to the observers leaving the clinic with great wide smiles.
©TAKASHI MORIOKA

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