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The deep historical connection with forests has matured the Japanese spiritual and traditional culture.

10.6Tuesday, 2026

[2026 Trends in Human Resources for Forests, Forestry, and the Wood Products Industry] The Forestry Agency to Strengthen Comprehensive Support; New Stakeholders Include Foreign Workers, Entrepreneurs, and Architecture Students

To ensure the sustainable development of forests, forestry, and the timber industry, efforts to secure and train a stable workforce of on-site practitioners and technical specialists are gaining momentum […]

9.28Mon 2026

The Value of Disposable Chopsticks Goes Beyond Being "Disposable"—A Look at Their Evolving Role Through the Lens of Hospitality Culture and Waste Material Utilization

More than 90 percent of the disposable chopsticks used in Japan are now imported from overseas. However, disposable chopsticks are closely linked to forests, and […]

9.16Wed 2026

Forest Women’s Action Conference—Women Shaping Forests and Communities
Rebuild Your Life in Harmony with Nature Through Relocation, Career Changes, or Starting a Business
Friday, October 16, 2026, 12:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m. | Online

"Forest Circular Economy" sheds light on the ongoing efforts—including the doubts and struggles—of women exploring new ways of life in forests and local communities […]

9.9Wed 2026

[Trends in Hardwood Utilization 2026] Expanding the “Hida Model”—which turns small-diameter and short-length lumber into furniture—nationwide; Initiatives are diversifying to include supply chain restructuring and forest regeneration

Rather than simply “using” or “planting” domestic hardwoods, the goal is to build a circular system that encompasses processing, commercialization, procurement, reinvestment, and forest regeneration […]

8.31Mon 2026

[A Shinto Priest’s Perspective] Are Forests Better Protected When They Are “Left Uncut”? — Reflections on How to Pass on Our Forests to Future Generations 100 Years from Now, Based on the New Basic Plan for Forests and Forestry

When we hear the phrase “protecting the forest,” what comes to mind? Planting trees. Stopping logging. Leaving nature untouched […]

8.18Tuesday, 2026

Why Do Forests Captivate People, and Why Are Authors Who Write About Forests So Passionate? … A Year Spent Engaging with a Classic Work

The Beginning of My Column Writing It has been a little over a year since this website, “Forest Circular Economy,” was launched. The number of visitors has been steadily increasing […]

8.14Fri 2026

Practicing “Supportive Childcare” Amid the Great Outdoors of Chizu, Where Children and Parents Grow Together [The Appeal of Forest Kindergartens: Part 1]

Before I talk about the appeal of forest kindergartens, I’d like to say a few words about the challenges of raising children today—or rather, about the sense of unease I personally feel. […]

8.12Wed 2026

Experiencing the Value of the Forest Through the Five Senses — Five Women Share Their Stories of “Dialogue with Nature and a Lifestyle That Challenges Conventional Values” [Report from the Forest Women’s Practice Conference]

We held the online event “Forest Women’s Action Conference—Women Shaping Forests and Communities” on July 17. The theme for this summer was “Self […]

8.10Mon 2026

Forestry Policy and Forestry Economic Surveys That Continued Uninterrupted During and After the War, and Daily Life: The Diary of Kinzo Shimada, Written Night After Night Amid Air Raids

Kinzō Shimada (1903–1992) served as a professor at the Imperial University of Tokyo and the University of Tokyo, as well as a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, and as president of the Greater Japan Forestry Association, among other positions. He was a Shō […]

7.6Mon 2026

Wooden Toys Make Their Way into the Lexus Collection: The Intersection of Forests and Society, Expanding into Branding, Tourism, and CSR [Trends in Wood Education 2026]

In recent years, the importance of “Mokuiku”—a program that involves interacting with trees to learn about how forests work—has been gaining renewed attention in various fields. Traditional programs for children […]

7.3Fri 2026

The trees lining the water’s edge that adorn Tokyo’s only waterfront landscape: the metasequoia grove that has become the symbol of Mizumoto Park

When it comes to “water towns,” places like Itako in Ibaraki Prefecture are well-known in the Kanto region, but there are also parks within Tokyo’s 23 wards where you can enjoy the scenery of a “water town” […]

6.22Mon 2026

Forest Women’s Action Conference—Women Shaping Forests and Communities
A Dialogue with Nature, a Way of Life That Challenges Our Values
Friday, July 17, 2026, 12:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m. | Online

“Forest Circular Economy” takes a multifaceted approach to understanding the relationship between forests and society and the economy, and is engaged in "a dialogue of knowledge that bridges the field and society" […]

6.4Thu 2026

Civilization Ends when Forests are Lost? Revisiting the Cycle of Forests and People from the Remaining Beech Belt at the Edge of Eurasia Reading "Beech Belt Culture" by Takeshi Umehara et al (Part 2)

*Previous column is hereA Worldview of Cycles Linking the Jomon, Ainu, and Matagi: Reading "Beech Belt Culture" by Takeshi Umehara et al. (Part 1) Civilization [...].

6.1Mon 2026

The Goddess' Viewpoint] Can the Wooden Card Game be an Entrance to Dialogue Connecting Forests and People? How to Cultivate a Forest Circular Economy and Culture

When we think of the term "circular forest economy," we tend to think in the direction of "how to use trees" and "how to increase the value of timber" [...].

5.26Tuesday, 2026

Yamaha Motor Opens Mountain Bike Park Forest Utilization Expands to Regional Development and Human Resource Development [Trends in Forest Space Services 2026].

The value of Japan's abundant forest resources is not limited to traditional lumber production. In recent years, they have been used for health, education, tourism, and even corporate human resources [...].

5.13Wed 2026

Charcoal depicted in a 1943 toddler magazine Forest resources touted as an alternative to oil during wartime

Rikugien Garden, located near Komagome Station on the JR Yamanote Line in Tokyo, is a famous garden created by Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), the garden was owned by Yataro Iwasaki, founder of Mitsubishi [...].

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