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Why Does the Forest Captivate Us, and Why Are Those Who Write About It So Passionate?—A Year Spent with Great Books
Updated by Kotaro Nagasawa on August 18, 2026, at 5:43 p.m. JST
Kotaro NAGASAWA
（Platinum Initiative Network, Inc.
Born in Tokyo in 1958. Former Senior Managing Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Research Institute. During his tenure, he was mainly engaged in research and studies on infrastructure and social security. During his first few years with the company, he was involved in projects related to flood control, and learned from many experts on river systems at the time to think about the national land on a 100- or 1,000-year scale. Currently, he is an auditor of Jumonji Gakuen Educational Corporation. He is also a part-time lecturer at Tokyo City University. Co-authored "Introduction to Infrastructure" (Nikkei BP, 2017), "New Strategies from the Common Domain" (Diamond, 2021), and "40 Years After the Return" (Heibonsha, 2023). D. (Engineering).
It has been just over a year since our website, “Forest Circular Economy,” was launched. We’re especially pleased to see that the number of visitors has been steadily increasing. We’re also seeing the site grow as a media platform, with spin-off events such as live talk sessions being held. The homepage, which used to be nothing but text, has now become filled with colorful images.
I was involved in the planning for this website, and while I resonated with the concept of “a gathering of forest lovers,” I also had concerns about how long we could sustain the ambitious goal of “posting one column every day.” Or rather, since there were so few columnists at the time of the launch, it was clear that the site wouldn’t function unless one person wrote a column every month.
Given the circumstances, when the editorial department asked, “Of course, you’ll be contributing posts too, right, Ms. Nagasawa?” I replied, “Sure,” but then I had no choice but to figure out how I—someone who isn’t exactly an expert on forests—could keep posting regularly rather than just once. As a result, I decided to read books about forests and share what I learned from them.
Although I had already decided on the first book—Tokuji Chiba’s *A Study of Bald Mountains*—I let my curiosity guide my choices after reading it. The result wasPast LineupAfter finishing Hageyama’s book, I wanted to gain a broader understanding of the history of Japan’s forests, so I picked up books by Conrad Tatman and the Tokugawa Forestry History Research Institute. I also became interested in Kumazawa Banzan, whom these works unanimously cite as a pioneer, and read his writings. I also wanted to learn about the German forest management philosophy—which is said to have served as a model for Meiji-era Japanese forest policy—as well as the French forest policy that is said to have preceded it, so I picked up related books. Furthermore, I became interested in the concept of potential natural vegetation—which originated in Germany (what happens when forests are left to their own devices)—as well as books on cedar forests as an extension of that concept, the cultural theory of evergreen broadleaf forests, and the cultural theory of beech forests, so I reached for those as well.
At first, I worked hard to make this website’s policy of “one column a day” a reality, but since all the books on forestry are so engaging, it’s now become a job I look forward to—wondering which book to feature next. In particular, I think the authors’ passion is something worth noting in every single book. I feel this is the defining characteristic of books on forestry. In short, there are many authors who are “passionate” and “speak with passion.”
Choosing which books to feature in this column is actually quite a challenging task. While there are many excellent books out there, if the subject matter or content is too specialized, it’s beyond my expertise—and I’d also like them to fall within the scope of the “forest circular economy.” I also take great care in how I quote from them; partly to avoid the pitfalls of spoilers, many of the books I feature are older titles.
For out-of-print books, I generally tried to purchase them on Amazon, but sometimes they were out of stock. Because of this, I even had to travel to a library—a two-hour trip one way—to make copies. There were also times when, after unwrapping a book that had arrived, my eyes would start to itch or I’d get an unstoppable sneezing fit. This was caused by mold and dust mites (or their remains)—common in used books—being released into the air. For some books, I had to air them out in the shade, vacuum them, or even wear goggles and a mask while reading.
Including the books I didn’t end up featuring, I’ve read no more than a few dozen titles, but even so, as I search for interesting books with forests as a central theme, I feel a sort of worldview beginning to take shape. Now, a little over a year after I began writing this column on forest-related reading, the image of the forest that comes to mind is “an invitation to a pre-civilizational era.” You could also call it “an invitation to the wild.”
The relationship between humans and forests dates back to before the advent of agriculture. During the hunter-gatherer era, humans gathered acorns and other nuts, foraged for mushrooms, and hunted forest animals to survive. It is said that this period spans approximately 3 million years, dating back to the era of hominids and early humans. Agriculture began globally about 10,000 years ago, but in Japan, it began only about 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. If we compress the entire history of humankind—from its origins to the present—into a single year, it follows that from New Year’s Day through December 30, we would have been living in the hunter-gatherer era—that is, living in harmony with the forest.
The fact that forests somehow captivate people, and that those who speak about forests are, for some reason, all passionate individuals, may be the result of this 3 million-year history of coexistence. I think it’s fair to say that engaging with forests has the power to take us back to our pre-civilization state.
Reading about forests is both enjoyable and rewarding. Having done so for a year, I’ve come to realize this deeply. I’d like to continue introducing good books as much as possible. However, I do reflect that, up until now, I may have focused a bit too much on my own interests.
I’ve already received a list of recommended books from the editorial department. Personally, I don’t have any particular preferences, and I’d like to introduce books that I find interesting. So, if there’s a book you’d like to see featured in this column, please let the editorial department know, and I’ll do my best to include any that I find truly engaging. (Kotaro Nagasawa, Platinum Initiative Network)
