MONOSUS
ICECREAMING MAG

Where do you start thinking about energy?
-The shape of energy seen in the town-

2017.02.23 | Is our work connected to society? | CULTURE

#social good #project manager

Hello, this is Fujiwara from the production department.

At the end of January, a project called WoodLuck, based on the concept of "A gathering of wood biomass and delicious food," was held in Kyoto, and a three-day, two-night tour was held to explore the world of wood and fire. This event was started as a result of Google's " Innovation Tohoku ," a project in which our production department is involved. I would like to share with you why I decided to go beyond my usual work to take part in this event, and what I felt after participating.

What is WoodLuck?

WoodLuck is a project born from an encounter between Junichi Hasegawa of Hakoneyama Terrace in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, who is exploring the local production and consumption of energy, and Kohei Izutsu of Awakura Onsen Motoyu in Nishiawakura, Okayama Prefecture, through Google's "Innovation Tohoku." "Let's talk about the right energy for the region with people from all walks of life while eating delicious food!" This is the concept of WoodLuck, and people who share the same idea gather from all over the country to hold the event.

Previous WoodLuck venues have looked like this.


This activity has been going on since 2015.
As Uemura, also from the Produce Department, wrote in this post about the first and second events, each time, people working on wood biomass take the lead in each location, inviting people to their base of operations to think together about "the right energy for the region." Those who share their ideas there think about energy in other places, and then connect and spread, thus nurturing a vortex of local energy.

As part of my job, I am in charge of online promotion using social media and email newsletters to connect local projects like WoodLuck that are trying new things with people who want to participate.

There are three main reasons why I decided to participate in the 4th and 6th events this time.

  • Interest in living locally, local production and consumption, and local circulation
  • Interest in Kamiyama Town in Tokushima Prefecture, the site of the fourth event (it is attracting attention as a model case for regional revitalization, and is widely rumored to be attracting interesting places, people, and companies).
  • I hope that from the view I saw at the fourth event, I might discover something different in a different region.

Having participated twice, I can now honestly say that I'm glad I participated.
This is because I was able to see the site with a variety of people and share my impressions and thoughts about what to do next, which gave me the sense that the action of going to the local area was not completed by me alone, but would open up into further possibilities.

This time, we will introduce the process along with some details about the event.

The places I visited were:

WoodLuck #4 will be held in Kamiyama Town, Tokushima Prefecture, a town surrounded by mountains and lush with greenery.
Although it appears to be a peaceful town at first glance, it is also a vibrant town that welcomes new winds from the outside and works to promote local circulation and revitalization throughout the town.
For Monosus, this is an area that has a deep connection to us, as we have established a satellite office here and have launched our food circulation project, the Food Hub Project , here.


In midsummer, Kamiyama is a deep green and the sparkling river is dazzling. During my visit, an open-air cafe was open on the hill and was bustling with activity.

And WoodLuck #6 is, of course, Kyoto.
The unique scenery of this town, with its historic temples and shrines and townhouses where Kyoto residents live, exudes a dignity that has been built up from the past to the present.
This time, we got to see a variety of places, getting up close and personal with Kyoto life and the business that develops wood biomass.


Located near the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto, Honen-in Temple has a quiet and lovely garden. This temple was opened as a community space and is loved by locals, with concerts being held in the hall.


Local life, nature,
Determination to pass on to the next generation

Japan is one of the countries with the world's largest forests, but these forests are currently not being used appropriately due to competition from cheap imported timber.
Surprisingly, what happens when trees are not cut down is that the mountains become degraded.
Dense artificial forests that have grown without being thinned out block the sunlight that reaches the mountains, making it difficult for undergrowth to grow, which weakens the mountain's soil and trees, and can lead to fallen trees and flooding.

We visited Kamiyama and Kyoto, which are facing the same situation, and are trying to change the situation little by little.

At the end of January in cold Kyoto, the pellet stove warmed the room of the Kyoto Pellet Machiya Hinoko and welcomed us. The sound of the pellets occasionally falling into the combustion pot was lovely, and the flickering flames were soothing to the soul.


A pellet stove with a flickering flame that keeps you warm. It produces little smoke and is easy to bring into residential areas (left).
I was personally interested in this mini pellet stove. Perhaps this would allow us to go mountain climbing using local energy? (Right)

The fuel used is firewood and wood pellets made from thinned wood from local forests and the large amount of sawdust that is generated during the wood processing of thinned wood.


The photo shows a sawmill in Kamiyama and wood pellets produced in the same town.

By using locally thinned wood to produce fuel, light is returned to the mountains, and the CO2 released during fuel production is returned to the nearby forest, helping to nurture new trees.
Moving away from the conventional concept of petroleum energy as "depleting distant resources," there was a rational, self-sustaining cycle that used nearby energy and circulated resources, life, and human work.

Kamiyama is working on regional revitalization through local production and consumption, and there seems to be a lot of interest in wood biomass. As the number of migrants increases, there is a shortage of housing for them to live in (vacant houses are being utilized, but there are no apartments to begin with), so there are plans to build apartment complexes and use wood biomass as the heat source for these complexes.

The satellite office of a famous video company in Kamiyama, "Engawa Office," has also introduced a wood stove, and chopping firewood is apparently the job of the employees. There are also pizza shops and restaurants that use firewood, and the " Kamiyama Shizuku Project ," an initiative launched by a designer who moved here, aims to cultivate a rich forest by using thinned wood for tableware in a different way to energy.
People from all walks of life imagined what the town of Kamiyama would be like, and they all came up with the idea of "wood biomass," which utilizes nearby resources.


A 90-year-old traditional house renovated into a satellite office for a video production company (left)
SHIZQ, a beautiful vessel made from thinned cedar wood, reflects the artist's desire to protect the forests and waters of Kamiyama (right).

In Kyoto, the group experienced a forestry education initiative that uses a temple forest, a lumber dealer with over 300 years of history, and a unique wood culture, including a production area for fine wood. They also visited Miyama town, which has a strong sense of self-reliance.
Miyama Town is said to have started using wind and hydroelectric power even before Kansai Electric Power Co.
Based on the vision that the residents themselves had in mind when asking themselves "What do they want to do with their town?", they have chosen to preserve charcoal and thatched roofs, and are living a life that aims to be self-sufficient.
In the midst of beautiful nature, participants who shared an interest in the region, lifestyle, and renewable energy engaged in lively conversation, and were able to learn and exchange a lot during these short breaks.


The young representative of Miyama Wood Engineers. "It's not that forestry isn't profitable, it's how you do it," he says, and is extremely active, introducing a new sales system and working to change the image of forestry (left).
The thatched-roof houses, mountains, and clear rivers of beautiful Miyama Town (right) are protected under a vision drawn up by the residents.


What I think now after participating.
Considering energy issues from the perspective of the town

Participants will learn about the town's activities and life, share their own daily activities, and eat delicious food together while exploring the just right energy for the community.
By experiencing the town's appearance from the inside together with everyone else, the phrase "just right for the area" somehow made sense to me.

There is no absolute "good" energy, but rather it is something that is derived from the type of society we are aiming for.

So, what kind of biomass is "just right" varies from region to region, and we have to find it ourselves. Instead of blindly believing that "this is good," we first need to look back at the state of the town. If we need to change energy sources to realize the vision of how we would like our town and society to be, we need to think about it.
I felt like my horizons had broadened.

Think about your home ground

There's one more thing I think about.
By experiencing the unique cultural uses of Kyoto, I became interested in what my home ground, Tokyo, was like. It was like my eyes, which had been looking outwards, were coming back to my own feet.

What are Tokyo's forests like? Can life in Tokyo be changed?
I've come to think that someday I'd like to talk about Tokyo to the people I met this time.

After WoodLuck, everyone will have returned to their respective bases and are engaged in their own activities. Some of them have already gone to visit the areas where other participants are working.

In this way, the connections between small, passionate dots gradually draw in more people and become a big whirlpool.
This activity, which is still small at the moment, may change Japan's energy and the shape of its society.
I'm really excited right now as I sense this possibility bubbling up.

I would like to use this experience as a starting point to get to know Tokyo's forests and study energy, and use my own experiences to gently connect people with a field that is often considered a difficult, specialized industry, such as forestry.
I want to be conscious of my daily work and life so that I can help make society a more comfortable place.

bonus

Finally, the plan for the next WoodLuck #7 has been announced!
The event took place in April at Moriumius in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Everyone who attended was enthusiastic.
Stay tuned for more details.


Everyone was excited about the announcement of WoodLuck #7. We are looking forward to the next event!

FUJIWARA Marie

I oversee the creative direction of various productions.