As the mountains were bathed in the pink of cherry blossoms, I visited Mount Yoshino in Nara. This issue of FASHION HEADLINE features a "Sustainable Social Studies Field Trip." Lately, when I think about fashion, I often imagine it not as a one-way arrow where things pass by, but as a cycle where beginnings and ends are connected. I think this is because I sense a sense of dissatisfaction in fashion that is simply consumed. So, FASHION HEADLINE decided to take a sustainable social studies field trip to discover what "cycles" mean in our lives. Our first stop was Yoshino Town in Nara Prefecture, known for its Yoshino cedar. There, for the first time in my life, I listened to the story of a forestry worker named Yamamori and went into the mountains with him. Yamamori says that even the trees so tall you can look up into the sky are only about 40 years old. He says these trees will need our continued attention and care for the next few decades. Thinking ahead. It was a time to think about the future and to sober up my spirit.
Next, I visited a lumber mill to see how the trees auctioned at Yoshino's log market are processed and stored. Each tree is stored there with a hand-painted piece of paper with a unique character attached to it. It's as if each tree is recognized for its unique personality, waiting for the perfect opportunity to be used.
My first encounter with Mount Yoshino was through an enzyme bath. I heard that the sawdust used in the enzyme bath is produced in Yoshino, and that after healing people in the bath, it is used as fertilizer in the fields of farmers who practice pesticide-free agriculture. This thought, "What a pleasant cycle," sparked my desire to take part in a sustainable field trip.
The sawdust processed by Yamamori in Yoshino heads straight to Kyoto, where it will be used to heal people in the enzyme bath at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto. After the enzyme bath, the sawdust is used in the fields of Osaka farmers. This means that the next generation growing up on safe ingredients will become the members who will support society in the future.
Since I was already in Nara, I decided to do some research and discovered that the city is home to a sake brewery that uses traditional Japanese methods to make sake, as well as a cosmetics brand that has been balancing social and commercial activities for decades.
At our "Sustainable Social Studies Field Trip," which begins tomorrow, the 16th, we'd like to share the story of the recycling of trees and the sustainable initiatives we encountered in Nara. Stay tuned!
Next, I visited a lumber mill to see how the trees auctioned at Yoshino's log market are processed and stored. Each tree is stored there with a hand-painted piece of paper with a unique character attached to it. It's as if each tree is recognized for its unique personality, waiting for the perfect opportunity to be used.
My first encounter with Mount Yoshino was through an enzyme bath. I heard that the sawdust used in the enzyme bath is produced in Yoshino, and that after healing people in the bath, it is used as fertilizer in the fields of farmers who practice pesticide-free agriculture. This thought, "What a pleasant cycle," sparked my desire to take part in a sustainable field trip.
The sawdust processed by Yamamori in Yoshino heads straight to Kyoto, where it will be used to heal people in the enzyme bath at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto. After the enzyme bath, the sawdust is used in the fields of Osaka farmers. This means that the next generation growing up on safe ingredients will become the members who will support society in the future.
Since I was already in Nara, I decided to do some research and discovered that the city is home to a sake brewery that uses traditional Japanese methods to make sake, as well as a cosmetics brand that has been balancing social and commercial activities for decades.
At our "Sustainable Social Studies Field Trip," which begins tomorrow, the 16th, we'd like to share the story of the recycling of trees and the sustainable initiatives we encountered in Nara. Stay tuned!
