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Satoyama capitalism

Abundant life and work with forests as a backdrop

2.12Thu 2026

Maate, Kanaate...Why does Ishikawa Prefecture's tree "Ate" have several names? Formation of a regional timber brand as seen in Noto Hiba (Hiba spicata)

It is known that the names of plants have regional characteristics (dialects) and are related to the history of how the species was introduced and used as a resource [...].

1.30Fri 2026

Strong Cooperation among Leading Players in Industry, Government, and Academia to Fully Utilize Okayama's Forest Resources [Forest Circular Economy Symposium Report, Part 2

*Click here for the first part of the report: "Okayama Model": Transformation to a Resource Self-Sufficient Nation and Urban Wood Construction, Challenged by Industry-Government-Academia [...] Report of the Symposium on Forest Circular Economy [...

1.29Thu 2026

Forest Circular Economy Talk Live Vol.2
Women Creating Forest Work - Practical Conference on Connecting Forests and Communities
Friday, February 27, 2026, 12:30 - 14:00, Online

In order to sustainably utilize Japan's forest resources, it is essential to make decisions and implement them on the ground, turning harvesting, utilization, and regeneration into an integrated [...].

1.17Sat 2026

Kawachinagano City's Challenge: Forest Circulation Model to "Protect, Earn, and Grow" Four-Party Public-Private Partnership to Create Osaka Prefecture's First Forest-Derived J-Credits

Kawachinagano City in Osaka Prefecture is working with Creation, Sumitomo Forestry, and NTT Docomo Business to create forest-based J-credits [...].

1.13Tuesday, 2026

The Okayama Model": Transforming Japan into a Nation Self-Sufficient in Resources and Urban Wood Construction, Challenged by Industry, Government, and Academia [Report on the Symposium on Forest Circular Economy, Part 1

While issues such as stagnant demand for domestic lumber and a shortage of forestry leaders are becoming apparent nationwide, the company boasts the nation's largest production of Japanese cypress and has a CLT (direct [...]].

12.17Wed 2025

Preserving Vanished Mountain Trails for Future Generations: The Challenge of Totsukawa Village's Nishikumano Kaido Revitalization Project

The Kii Mountains, stretching from southern Nara Prefecture into Wakayama and Mie Prefectures, form one of Japan's most extensive forests, characterized by deep woodlands and steep ridges [...]

12.5Fri 2025

【#: The Daily Lives of Women in Forestry】 Women Entrepreneurs' Challenge for Sustainable Forests and Communities

The forestry industry has long been dominated by “hereditary” and “family-run” businesses, and starting a business from scratch remains a minority practice even today. This is especially true for female entrepreneurs [...]

12.4Thu 2025

Bringing "Margao," a Resource Sleeping in the Satoyama, to the Table as a Domestic Spice Oisix and the Japan Institute of Forestry: A Challenge Connecting Food and Forests

Oisix Ra Daichi, operator of the food subscription service "Oisix," is researching edible plants lying dormant in Japan's satoyama landscapes [...]

12.1Mon 2025

Implementation Strategy for the "Forest Circular Economy" Advancing in Okayama — The "Okayama Model": Collaboration Between Local Timber, CLT, and Universities [December 22 Symposium]

The environment surrounding the forestry industry is becoming increasingly challenging, with factors such as sluggish demand for domestic timber and population decline. On the other hand, decarbonization and economic security perspectives [...]

11.19Wed 2025

Forest Circular Economy Talk Live Vol.1
How to Revive Local Forests: Learning from the Right Tree in the Right Place, Born of the French Forestry Industry
Friday, December 12, 2025 20:00-21:30|Online

The "Forest Circular Economy Talk Live" program will be held in conjunction with practitioners involved in the forest industry and regional economies, sharing their wisdom and practical examples of dealing with issues in the field.

11.18Tue 2025

Transforming the Forestry Industry with Data and Connecting the Region with Circulation: The Challenge of Shibata Sangyo, Iwate [Platinum Forest Industry Initiative Lecture] (Japanese only)

Why hasn't productivity in the forestry industry increased? As labor shortages and costs continue to rise, how can we change the structure of the forestry industry and how can we maintain it as a regional industry?

11.17Mon 2025

Geothermal Power Generation: A Circulation Model of Local Production for Local Consumption New Possibilities for Forest Resources Demonstrated by the Independence of Minami-Kayabe and the Cooperative Model of Okuhida

In the domestic geothermal power industry, small- to medium-scale, self-sustaining models have begun to emerge. The symbolic examples are Minami-Kayabe in Hokkaido and Okuhida in Gifu [...].

11.14Fri 2025

Reconstructing "Yusan Culture" in Unused Plantations: Tokushima-Based Culture Brand "yusan" Launches

Using disused plantation forests in Mugi Town, Tokushima Prefecture as a field, we reconstruct the relationship between people, culture, and nature starting from sensibility and creativity [...]

10.24Fri 2025

Cosmetics Using Noto Hiba to Support Reforestation of Ishikawa's Prefectural Tree Ate NAIA Donates Part of Sales to Prefectural Forest Association Fund

NAIA, which develops the Nature Science cosmetics brand, is helping to build a cycle of sustainable use of Noto Hiba resources [...].

10.17Fri 2025

Life Design Kabaya Wins Good Design Award and Wood Design Award for CLT Hybrid Construction Method to Promote Use of Lumber from Okayama Prefecture and Establishment of Circulating Wooden Housing Supply Chain

Life Design Kabaya, whose core business is the sale of wooden houses, is promoting a "regional recycling-oriented housing supp [...]" promoted under an industry-government-academia collaboration in Okayama Prefecture.

10.10Fri 2025

People and Society Inheriting Forests that Have Lived for a Long Time: Memories of Seven Communities Depicted in "Forests and Time

It was last summer when I published a book titled "Forest and Time: A Social History of the Region Surrounded by Forests" with my fellow researchers from Shinsensha Publishing Co. We went to the backwoods [...]...

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