Nature and People in Japan
If you have not read about his woodland management in Hokkaido, please click his photo to jump to his essay.
Here is more information from Takeshi Kusakari on people's cultural association with nature in Japan.
(Kusakari and the log house, the base for conservation projects in his local woodland)
To email him please click here!
Nature and People in Japan
In 1727, a book called The History of Japan was published in London. It was
written by Engelbert Kaempher, a scientist and doctor serving in the Dutch East
Indian Company, whose base in Japan was Nagasaki, Kyushu.
On his journey from Nagasaki to Edo(now Tokyo) to meet Shogun, Kaempher
recorded what he saw about nature, wildlife, culture, religion and
industries in the country, and compiled his journal into the book, in which
he mentions about the urban and rural scenes in Japan of those days: 'In the
countryside, rice fields, crop fields and woodlands along the road are well
managed and all the waste from farming is recycled. In the urban areas
well-swept streets are cleanc.'
However, through the 20th century we have lost 'greenness' from our daily
life. This phenomenon was not limited to my local region, but occurred all across
the country. After a rapid sprawl of urban development, we have ended up
with living in an environment in which 'greenness' is foreign to us. We did
not consider to maintain green areas in the city, or more precisely, we did
not feel like having it. Greenness was lost, or rather sacrificed for the
rapid industrialization and sheer convenience and efficiency of life.
However, we have not lost our native feeling of respect for nature. It is
still at the depth of our mind, and more and more seeds of nature
conservation will germinate in every corner of our society to restore the
lost 'greenness' to recreate our 'Garden Islands' as referred by Kaempfer.
Not only the grassroots who have already been striving for the better
environment, the government has also put up 'the Creation of a Beautiful
Country' in its main policies.
I believe that our woodland management project is a step forward for
achieving a harmonious coexistence of wildlife and people as well as an
ideal lifestyle in a beautiful, green-rich environment.
Takeshi Kusakari, Forester,
Tomakomai City, Hokkaido, Japan
I am very grateful to Takeshi for kindly writing this essay.
I hope further success of his project and prosperity and happiness to all the members!