Thursday, December 11, 2025
Thursday, December 11, 2025 — We are pleased to report that the symposium “Living with the Forest” was held successfully. We are deeply grateful to the many people who joined us, despite it being a weekday. A warm and welcoming atmosphere filled the venue throughout, making it a truly meaningful occasion to come together and think about the future of our forests and communities.
In the morning, local guides led participants on a walk through town. The stories about Yaotsu’s prosperous past as a river transport hub never fail to draw real passion and enthusiasm from the telling.
The keynote address was delivered by Hayato Fukui of the Tokai Regional Agricultural Administration Office (and Vice Mayor of Kanoya City), speaking on the topic of “Building Regional Appeal Through Primary Industries and How to Share It — Lessons from Kagoshima.” True to his word beforehand that participants were welcome to use his talk as an icebreaker, the room was filled with laughter from the moment he began, and before long everyone had been swept up in his rhythm. His account of the community revitalization efforts in Kanoya City — where he sparks a kind of “tornado” of energy by genuinely enjoying the process himself and bringing others along — tackled what can easily become a heavy subject, yet the sixty minutes flew by. It was a rare hour where learning and laughter went hand in hand.
Following the keynote, the Council for Revitalizing a Town Where 80% is Mountain offered a presentation of its own. Coming immediately after such an energetic address, the moment carried a certain pressure — but it gave us the opportunity to once again share the importance of how forest, water, people, goods, and spirit each influence and sustain one another in an ongoing cycle.
The second half featured a panel discussion facilitated by Eiichi Ito of the Forest Livelihood Research Institute. Representatives from Uchibori Brewing Co., Kuramoto Yamada, Misohira Brewing Co., the Yaotsu Town Forestry Cooperative, and Kiidake joined the stage, along with Professor Koji Ito of Gifu University. Each speaker shared their perspective on Yaotsu and the surrounding region as seen through their own work and position, along with the values and sense of connection to the land and forest that guide them.
We hope this symposium will serve as an important catalyst — a starting point from which we can move forward with even stronger connections and deeper collaboration in the work ahead. The small whirlwind that stirred here that day — we want to nurture it into something powerful enough to draw in the whole community, looking to the great tornado that the Tokai Regional Agricultural Administration Office sets in motion as our inspiration and goal. It was a day on which we were able to share that vision together.
To everyone who took the stage and everyone who joined us — thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Roughly 80% of Yaotsu’s land is covered by forest, and the town has long been nurtured by the blessings of its woods and waters. Within this richly natural environment, people have lived lives sustained by forest and river, and in doing so have cultivated a culture all their own.
This symposium takes forest space as its central theme, exploring how we might rediscover the value of local resources and open up new possibilities for building a sustainable community.
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