Satoyama Consortium

With 2015 research led by University of Georgia professor Jenna Jambeck revealing that approximately 8 million tons of plastic waste flows into the ocean every year, combating marine plastic litter has emerged as a major global challenge. Since the challenge is too immense for a ...

Engagement of nonresidents can be effective in revitalizing rural communities and their industries. At the same time, there are certain things that are only possible through utilizing existing regional resources of rural, mountain and seaside areas that people, especially nonresidents, find valuable. “We intend to ...

Satoyama capitalism is a new concept of capitalism that centers around effective use of natural resources in creating new values to foster a sustainable future for local communities. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the idea of satoyama capitalism is being increasingly embraced and ...

The city of Shima in Mie Prefecture is blessed with natural richness in both seaside and mountain areas. A group of 25 people went on a study tour to three locations in the city to witness the environment’s resources and to meet the people ...

As a society with an aging population and dropping birthrate, Japan is facing the question of what sustainable development is — and how to achieve it. This is what Kosuke Motani, chief senior economist at the Japan Research Institute Ltd., stressed when he gave the ...

In a bid to share experiences and ideas about the effective use of existing resources of rural areas for revitalizing Japan’s local economy, the Japan Times Satoyama Consortium and the city of Shima in Mie Prefecture co-hosted a two-day event at the Hotel & ...

Fishermen, divers, nonprofits and other organizations are working in communities across Japan to conserve marine and coastal environments that have been threatened by natural disasters, unbalanced marine ecology and other factors. A two-day event on topics related to satoyama (mountains and woods used and maintained ...

Spinning cotton, crafting traditional decorations and cooking hand-picked edible grass are just a few of the activities organized by the Tsukuba Green Tourism Association, a collection of some 15 local organizations and individual members in the city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. The association, which started ...

Kito Design Holdings is striving to achieve the ultimate goal of revitalizing what used to be the village of Kito in Tokushima Prefecture in a sustainable and creative way to make it a miraculous place where all residents and visitors are happy. A national dam ...