Creating “Miyawaki-method ” forests was introduced in the spring of 2020 in various parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, as a means of restoring native forests to save the earth. In Asia, many people have already been involved with Prof. Akira Miyawaki and have been creating forests by the Miyawaki method.

On August 4, 2019, “Creating Native Forest for Life 2020⤴” was announced to the world as a project supported by the Ministry of the Environment’s project to “Connect and Support Forest, Satoyama and Sea.”

“Creating Native Forest for Life 2020⤴ to the future” is an association that aims to spread the Miyawaki method to the world from the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and to have many people carry out “Creating Native Forest for Life” correctly, according to the thoughts of Akira Miyawaki. Unfortunately, the Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2020 is an important year for humankind to confront a new pandemic around the world.

“Creating Native Forest for Life 2020⤴ to the future” will promote development of native forest for life every year for humankind to survive from 2020 onward. We appreciate your cooperation.

 

Creating forests from Japan to the world

A four-year sports festival and the pandemic of the new coronavirus

The Olympic and Paralympic Games, a global sports festival, were scheduled to be held in Tokyo in 2020, but the pandemic of the new coronavirus was “officially” confirmed by the WHO on March 11, 2020; so the games were postponed to 2021. That year 2020 was the year when people around the world confronted the coronavirus, and many people were lost. Furthermore, disasters and other damage caused by abnormal weather, due largely to global warming, are increasing every year.

Since ancient times, in the old days of Japanese gods, the Japanese have planted trees to create guardian forests and have protected them.

Meiji Jingu Shrine 100 years

The Meiji Jingu Shrine was built in Yoyogi (Tokyo) in 1920. Dr. Seiroku Honda, Dr. Takanori Hongo, and Dr. Keiji Ueda selected the evergreen broad-leaved tree species suitable for the climate as their main tree species, a total of about 110,000. Under their guidance, young people from all over the country created a sincere, full-fledged labor service to create an impressive shrine forest. As a result, 100,000 trees were consecrated from all over the country, and “the power of the citizens” created a forest of guardians that will continue for “a thousand years and a million years.”

2020 is the year 1300 of the Nihon Shoki*

The Nihon Shoki describes the story of Susanoō-no-Mikoto and his son Isotakeru sowing seeds all over Japan, turning every mountain into a lush mountain.

The Japanese already have a world-class culture that has planted trees and carefully protected the environment since the ancient times of the gods.

Therefore, Akira Miyawaki, who has planted more than 40 million trees in 2,700 locations in Japan and overseas, will create native forest for life, and will disseminate the process and results to the world. We have launched a project to develop “Creating Native Forest for Life” as a grass-roots movement by citizens. In cooperation with everyone who creates forests by the Miyawaki method in Japan, we will promote the creation of native forests to protect life, by the Miyawaki method, and in collaboration with activists around the world, we will regenerate the natural forest vegetation of the earth by creating native forests. The aim is to create buffers against the effects of global warming, to contribute to biodiversity, and to reduce natural disasters caused by human destruction.

Prof. Miyawaki, who became sick in January 2015, has recovered some and is now able to plant trees.       

Kiyokazu Kusayama
Chief priest of Sagami participle
Izumo Taisha Shrine


 

* The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀), sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical record of ancient Japan.