More than ten years have passed since COP10 was held in Nagoya and the world was introduced to the concept of satoyama—a unique environment where people and nature coexist in harmony— and the concept seems to be gradually taking root. Elsewhere, the impacts of climate change are becoming more apparent worldwide, and the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need for society to take a new direction.
While the definition of circular economy seems to vary to region, the main concept is that—in contrast to a linear economy (use and dispose) and even reuse—a system where used products and materials disposed in the production process are reproduced into new products, given new value, and then sold again.
In many rural regions of Japan, where the satoyama wisdom has been passed down from generations to generations, this circular approach is a core of people’s lives and continues to this day.
With rice, for example, the ingredient in Japanese sake and sushi, both of which are becoming increasing popular worldwide, an incredibly efficient cycle has been in place for generations. It is a well-known fact that sake lees, a byproduct of sake brewing, are used to make amazake (a sweet, non-alcoholic sake) and a wide range of pickles including Narazuke. Meanwhile, in the production of daiginjo and other types of sake with high rice polishing ratio, a large amount of rice flour is generated as a byproduct. This rice flour is reused in rice crackers and dumplings. Rice bran is another byproduct of the production process, and in the Hida area of Japan where I live, this has been reused as a kind of wax for polishing the floors and pillars of wooden houses for many years. Further, after the rice bran has been used to care for the home, it is then scattered onto nearby fields, returned to the soil, and reused as fertilizer for new crops.
Examples such as these are too numerous to see throughout satoyama areas. Another example can be seen in the use of the kaya grasses used to make thatched roofs, such as those in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go. Harvested grass is used as snow shelters in the drying process, and then used for thatched roofs after drying. Later, part of the roof that have been damaged by wind and rain is removed and reused as livestock feed. This is then digested by the livestock and returned to the soil to complete a highly sophisticated circular system.
The word mottainai—that is unfortunate for anything to go to waste－has attracted attention in the past, but the source of the creation such a system in our lifestyle seem to have its roots unmistakably in the Japanese mentality. I believe that this approach holds a wealth of clues for the future of social formation.
There is also another perspective we must examine when learning from satoyama areas to create circular economies. This is bartering, or the exchange of goods without using money. It was not so long ago when I spoke with a neighbor who had acquired his garage in exchange for a gallon of sake. Sharing out the vegetables you have harvested with your neighbors, making pickles from the vegetables you receive, and then giving this back to others. Whether it is sake or farm products, this approach can be thought of as an element of a virtuous cycle between the deities who bring about a good harvest and local citizens. Perhaps our ancestors already known the importance of connection when forming societies. In the quest for convenience, in modern society we have reaped the benefits from the market and monetary economies, but these systems are far from perfect. In order for us to create a new, more enriched society in the future, it is essential that we learn quickly from satoyama and satoumi ecosystems and take the necessary actions. We must not delay, as with declining and aging populations, it can be said that the future of satoyama areas are not that long anymore.
投稿タグ: Japanese history and traditional culture
Education & Geo-gastronomy
“Let’s think about ways to minimize food mileage,” “If we can reduce meat consumption by promoting vegan foods, we can cut CO2 emissions,” and “I wonder if there are any local foods that have gone unnoticed…”—These are some of the remarks from a class of sixth grade students at the Keio Yochisha Elementary School. The classroom discussion among these sixth grade students is gaining momentum as they seek to widely communicate their ideas to society.
In November 2021, one class from the sixth grade at Keio Yochisha Elementary School participated in the Islander Summit Ishigaki, giving an online presentation on the theme “Food of the Future.”
For me, developing ambitions and ideas to transform society for the better is an important part of education. As such, using my position as a teacher, I have sought to shine a light on the relationship between the environment and food—something which children will be familiar with—and set up the following activities on the “Food of the Future” theme.
October
– A lesson from Kenichi Watanabe, representative at Geo Gastronomy, introducing a whole range of food-related issues and advanced case studies.
– An online lecture and interaction with Tomoko Kitamura Nielsen, environmental director on the Danish island Lolland, talking about food-related environmental awareness in Denmark and advanced case studies.
– An online lecture and interaction with Hitoshi Sugiura, winner of the gold prize at the World Vegan Cooking Contest, about the environmental impact of food and vegan cuisine.
– Use of official World Food Forum videos as teaching materials to further understanding of the diversity, cyclicity, and sustainability of food.
November
– Presentation at the Islander Summit and comments from experts.
– Online lecture and interaction with Prof. Seiko Shirasaka from the Graduate School of System Design and Management at Keio University about advanced space utilization and environmental issues from a space perspective.
Something that every child around the world does every day is sit down for a meal. Helping children understand the relationship between food and the environment can help them realize the close link between themselves and society’s problems.
In the lesson from Kenichi Watanabe, children were surprised to learn about the katemono (edible wild plants) recipes that were made to overcome hunger in the Yonezawa domain during the Edo period. Some children suggested that if we had a modern-day version of these katemono recipes, we might be able to help countries suffering from food shortages.
For many years, the emphasis in schools has been learning from textbooks. I believe that now is the time for students to directly confront the issues facing society and think about possible solutions.
In education moving forward, thinking about solutions to food issues will be the ideal way to encourage people to examine solutions for wider social challenges.
My aim is to use education based on geo gastronomy to develop the desire to take ownership of social issues and find the necessary solutions.
Living Alongside Indigo. New Stories from Tokushima Featuring Japan Blue.
Japan’s Coexistence with Nature and Expectations for the Future of Food Culture in Society
The Ise Jingu Shrine hosts approximately 1,500 festivals and rituals each year, but perhaps the most important one is the Kannamesai festival, which is a symbol of Japan’s rice culture. Among these annual festivals, the Shikinen Sengu ritual is said to be the shrine’s most solemn ceremony, that the shrine’s deity (the sun goddess Amaterasu) is transferred to a new shrine building every twenty years. This In the Man’yoshu book of poems and other classical texts, the Ise Jingu Shrine is so called as Kamukaze no Ise, or Ise of divine winds. “Divine winds” brings to mind a gentle climate, natural features, and sufficient amount of rain for abundant harvests. I believe it is the ideal representation of Ise. Moreover, according to the Nihon Shoki, or Chronicles of Japan, during the reign of Emperor Suinin, Amaterasu said to Yamatohime-no-mikoto, “This Ise of divine winds is a province where the waves of heaven continuously reach the shore.” Amaterasu is a symbol of the sun, and her words imply the sun, the wind and the waves nurtured the nature of Ise, and show how the sacred city exists as one with nature.
Food, clothing, and shelter are essential for humans These three elements are also an essential part of the Shikinen Sengu, which was first conducted around 1,300 years ago. Here I would like to focus on the food that have been offered forshrine deities throughout the shrine’s long history.
Today, global environmental consideration are growing and the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the disposal of leftover food are frequently broadcasted on news. I believe that the food culture at Ise Jingu Shrine could contribute to the future of global society.
According to a record from 804 (Enryaku 23) of the ceremonies held at the Kotai Jingu Shrine, which is the inner shrine at Ise, at the Tsukinamisai festival held on June 15, local peasants from Shima province offered abalone and turban shells to the deities. Meanwhile, in chapter 4 of the Engishiki (Procedures of the Engi Era; completed 927 (Engi 5)) , which is about ceremonies at the Ise Jingu Shrine, offerings at three important shrine festivals were said to be dried foods, sea slugs, skipjack tuna, seaweed, salt, and oil. In the medieval text Jinposho—a list of districts within the Ise Jingu Shrine —we can see that, including from 14 districts in Ise province, the inner and outer shrines of the Ise Jingu Shrine received offerings from 1,350 different locations in 40 of Japan’s more than 60 provinces at the time.
Even after the relaxation of the Ritsuryo system, provinces continued to present offerings to Ise. Up until the Meiji Restoration, slices of fish, wild birds, and water birds were placed in special baskets, washed in the Isuzu River, and offered to the deities at the Ise Grand Shrine’s three important festivals. The way of these offerings were varied, and in some eras, Fruits of the sea and the land were placed on special leaves (mitsuna kashiwa) atop tables elaborately woven with wisteria vines.
Organizational changes that were part of the national shrine reforms implemented in 1871 (Meiji 4) abolished the territory system, and shrines were required to be self-sufficient and provide for their own food,in principle. Today, there are a total of 25 great food offerings (known as Yuki-Omike) presented to the Kotai Jingu Shrine and the Aramatsuri-no-miya Shrine during the Kannamesai: rice, mochi rice cakes, three types of abalone, dried sea bream, Ise shrimp, raw sliced sea bream, dried barracuda, dried sand borer, dried turban shell, dried sea slug, dried bonito, carp, dried shark, dried gnomefish, dried sweetfish, wild bird, water bird, two types of seaweed, lotus root, daikon radish, pear, and persimmon. Also offered are white sake, black sake, thick sake, refined sake, salt, and water. Yuki means “sacred offering”.
Records from the Ise Jingu Shrine show that morning and evening offerings included steamed black rice, solid salt (katashio) from Futamiura, and water from a sacred well (Ameno-Oshihoi), showing that rice, salt, and water—three key elements for life in Japan—have been offered to the deities since ancient times. Moreover, this salt from Futamiura was not only used as an offering during festivals, but also used for purification purposes. This offering of has begun during the era of Emperor Suinin when Amaterasu was enshrined at the Kotai Jingu Shrine.
When Yamatohime-no-mikoto set out across the provinces to find a location for Amaterasu, Samitsuhime-no-mikoto is said to have greeted her at Futami beach and made an offering to her of solid salt. This led Yamatohime-no-mikoto to set up Katada Shrine in that location. Katada Shrine is an auxiliary shrine of Kotai Jingu Shrine in Futamichoe, and the offering of salt from Futami began from here. Later, Owakugo-no-mikoto, who followed Yamatohime-no-mikoto, is said to have established Mishio-hama beach and Mishio-yama mountain, two essential locations for salt production.
Since long ago, woods of Mishio-yama mountain have been cut to draw water from the sea. This seawater is then taken to be boiled to produce salt before being hardened at the Mishiodono Shrine. Records show that dedicated salt-producing staff worked at both the outer and inner shrines of Ise Jingu Shrine from the early Heian period.
Up until the Kamakura period, a tax system was in place so that these salt-producing staff could supply salt. However, this system ended at the end of the Kamakura period when the salt-producing staff were replaced with new salt-producing shrine officials. Incidentally, in the second volume of Ise shinmeisho-e utaawase emaki (Illustrated Scroll of a Poetry Competition Based on New Scenic Sites of Ise) there is an excellent depiction of this salt-making process.
While there have been several problems between the early modern and modern era, the supply of solid salt from Futami continues today.
Although there have been numerous changes in the above offerings, the pure, clear, correct, and honest spirit of Shinto priests, as well as the customs and rules of religious rituals and services, remain unchanged. Today, as before, people continue to pray deeply to the deities. It is important to note that these offerings are not put to waste, but divided and given to those involved in the rituals and services.
Today, global warming and the destruction of nature are becoming international problems,that is caused by energy resources wasting and industrial wasting increase. In contrast, food culture has become much more efficient in our lives today. Delicious microwaveable frozen food products are available at our supermarkets. In today’s world, where nuclear families and dual-earner households are a matter of course, saving cooking time is a revolution in food culture for families with some children or families required to be cared..
In Japan, people traditionally express their thanks before and after a meal with the phrases itadakimasu and gochisosama. This custom can be traced back to a scholar from the Edo period called Motoori Norinaga, who wrote two poems about his appreciation for food. This Japanese custom to express thanks for the blessings of nature is at risk of being lost through today’s food culture.
Earlier in this article, I introduced the many different offerings made at Ise Jingu Shrine, and you might have noticed the abundance of dried foods. Dried fish, which are also a valuable preserved food, are said to increase in umami and nutritional value when dried under the sun. At the Ise Jingu Shrine, steamed foods such as shrimps, oysters, and squid are also offered to the shrine deities. Up until medieval Japan, simmering foods was not an established cooking method, with ingredients either being grilled or steamed. Perhaps the people of old thought that steaming foods would create a more delicious offering to present to the deities. In some of today’s rituals, old cooking methods for these offerings are still maintained.
Shinto priests at ancient shrines show their appreciation for food by first offering the fruits of the sea and the land to the deities before consuming the food themselves. Looking back on my own childhood growing up in Shiga, I have memories of my grandmother or mother offering freshly steamed rice to our household shrine and Buddhist altar every morning. Although I am unsure whether the practice is still upheld today, previously, there were many families who would make daily offerings to their ancestors without fail. My hope is that this article can act as a pointer for the future before Japan’s traditional food virtues and values are lost entirely.
Qualitative Global Changes and Expectations for Japan
Securing energy resources is paramount for our livelihoods. Until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hit the headlines in 2022, decarbonization and the SDGs were the main topics in the UK, which hosted COP26 in the autumn of 2021, and in other environmentally advanced European countries. With it now compulsory for companies to disclose their environmental information, systems are in place to limit funding in industries that have negative environmental impacts and in companies with negative, passive approaches to environmental measures. Carbon neutrality, meanwhile, has been positioned as an achievable target through enormous funding and technological development, which to be prepared mainly in advanced nations. Elsewhere, through Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the distressing dependence of European countries on Russian energy has become increasingly apparent. Since the beginning of life, securing energy resources has been the most important task for humanity in every age. Behind the scenes, however, there has been a qualitative change in values that can be viewed as a countercurrent in time.
Changes in the Monetary Value
There are some who believe that the monetary value is decreasing, while others believe that the more money they have, the happier they will be. Let us use real estate as an example. New-build condominiums in the city center are often sold out on the spot. Chances of purchasing the most popular homes are less than a hundred-to-one, while the prices of these condominiums have increased by approximately 50% over the past decade. Let us now compare the value that can be obtained from a residence that cost 40 million yen ten years ago with that costs 60 million yen today. Functional value, such as convenience and safety, and emotional value, like views from the windows and local atmosphere, remain almost completely unchanged. Even if you pay 50% more, you do not get 50% more value. There are two things we can learn from this example. The first is that the soaring prices caused by the recent excess liquidity have not increased the value of an object, but rather lowered the monetary value. The second is that there is a limit to measure value in terms of monetary value.
Changes in Society
Next let us look at changes in social trends except for monetary value. I have intentionally created a list of the trends with two extremes.
From measures of the whole to measures of the individual
From individual ownership to collective ownership
From forced human companionship to human companionship connected by values
From logic and reason to intuition and sensitivity
From economy to spirit
From predetermined clothing to casual clothing
From muscle strength (outer muscles) to muscle balance (inner muscles)
From the real to the virtual
From meat-based diets to fish- and vegetable-based diets (eating from the top or the bottom of the food chain)
From cities to rural areas
From formal politics (rules) to informal politics (mutual understanding)
From visible economics to invisible economics
From a linear economy (make, use, dispose) to a circular economy (make, use, recycle)
From fossil fuels to renewable energy
From Japan’s point of view, the systems, customs, technologies, and values on the left of the above list were introduced between the end of the Edo period and the Meiji period and have been continued nowadays. The elements on the right can be said to be from before the Edo period. In this sense, the shift to the elements on the right could be seen as a return to the past or non-visualization. However, is it enough to simply take at both extremes, determine what is good or bad and keep moving forward?
Western Approaches vs Japanese Approaches
In the West, generally there is a clear line between black and white. This goes for national borders, but also for the lines between nature and man, spirit and matter, and other concrete rules. In Asia including Japan, however, these lines are somewhat more obscure.
In Europe, where natural disasters are rare and therefore nature is seen as kind, the idea that nature is under human control is ingrained. The boundary between the natural world and the human world is clear. With gardens, the Western approach is to create and appreciate manmade natural settings. In Japan, on the other hand, the harsh natural environment means that nature is both a blessing and a threat. This is why we look up to elements of nature with awe as deities, or kami. We live in wooden homes with numerous crevices and openings, and rebuild them when they are knocked down by natural disasters. Gardens in Japan make use of the surrounding landscape and are expressions of nature itself. From the reality of existing as one in nature and being kept alive, the Japanese feel living in harmony with all things in nature. We can also say that it is this natural-energy based spirit that has made the development of judo, kendo, sado (the tea ceremony), kado (flower arrangement), and other disciplines of “do” that bring together the mind, technique, and body. The Japanese also understand that spiritual and material civilization are not antinomy of one or the other, but that these are inseparable. If we use this Japanese mindset to overview the global trends once again, we can see that rather than considering them as two extremes of right or left, good or bad, they are connected, and the important thing is that they both exist in harmony.
Hundreds of Millions of Years or Hundreds of Years
There isn’t enough space here to examine all the social changes mentioned above, and so I would like to shine a little light on the energy and economy. Where is the connection between fossil fuels and renewable energy, then? Representative examples of fossil fuels are coal, oil and gas, all of which are made from the decomposed remains of ancient living things. The food chain shows that all living things benefit from plants’ ability to fix solar energy and turn it into food energy. We can therefore see that the original source of energy for fossil fuels is solar energy. On the other hand, typical examples of renewable energy are solar power, wind power, hydropower, and geothermal power. Apart from geothermal power, which comes from the earth, the remaining three are all the very energy of the sun, or are attributed to its energy. While we tend to think of fossil fuels and renewable energy as separate, both in fact originate from the sun. It is understandable that there are many groups that have been worshipped the sun as a god since ancient times.
What about the link between a linear economy and a circular economy? When simplifying roles in the food chain, we have producers (plants), consumers (animals), and decomposers (microorganisms). Replacing this with a industrialized, post-industrial revolution food chain, although the producers and consumers are the same, the decompose ways are disposal or combustion. The linear economy is known as such due to the linear connection between fossil fuels and minerals that are mined out of the earth, transformed into commercial products, sold, and then disposed of or burned. This is distinguished from the sustainable circular economy that has been in the natural world all along. That said, even with disposal, we know that they will return to nature over a long period of time. Whether it is plastic or nuclear waste, if we leave it be, it will eventually decomposed and living things several hundreds of millions of years down the line might be none the wiser.
However, the major difference between these two subjects and the other trends is the number of years for harmonization. Before the industrial revolution, in addition to hydropower and wind power that came from natural sources, the energy source for the fire power were the wood itself from the earth’s surface and even animal- and plant-based oil. All of these sources could be regenerated in a comparatively short period of time. As early as 150 years ago, despite engaging in high-quality, artistic manufacturing activities, Japan had achieved a fully recycling-oriented society that involved shared use, long-term use, re-use, recycling, and natural decomposition. At this time, Japanese society existed in full harmony with nature. This was based on the Japanese belief that kami exist in everything, as well as the thorough Japanese dislike of waste, or mottainai. Moreover, this mindset was developed by the abovementioned coexistence with all things in nature, including the aspects that couldn’t be captured by fifth sense.
Conclusion
Applying scientific technologies to effectively use the natural energy resources (and mineral resources) accumulated over several hundreds of millions of years to bring convenience, health, and happiness to mankind is admirable. However, when selfish purposes intervene, resources are kept being used in one direction (linearly) over a short period of time, causing disharmony and in turn a global environmental issue. Working to conquer nature through continued economic development with money and technology cannot solve this issue. Further, even though means of measurement have switched from GDP values to the SDGs, the structure where the means to increase the value of happiness has become the end remains unchanged. The failure to cut to the essence of the problem makes the younger generation and emerging economies disappointed with the outcome of COP26.
Although money has huge value in economic activity, that is it. Technology, on the other hand, is something that should be used to develop ways for humanity to return as a part of nature. What is important is not the means of measurement, but the awareness of humanity to harmonize with nature, including human beings, from the inside.
On an observation trip to Japan as part of a Western contingent in the late Edo and early Meiji periods, the Frenchman Émile Étienne Guimet said the following: “The Japanese have such love for nature. They are also incredibly skilled at using nature’s beauty. They have successfully built a comfortable, quiet way of life, free of overambitious desires or competition, with a sense of calm and modest material satisfaction.”
Eichi Shibusawa’s so-called collectivism, George Hara’s public interest capitalism, and Hirofumi Uzawa’s social common capital theory are all concepts of capitalism that prioritize individual spiritual happiness and harmony between the global environment and the economy. These ideas are once again garnering attention as antitheses to excessive Western capitalism. It cannot help but think that these approaches and ideas are unique to Japan.
The word “harmony” has appeared numerous times in this article—achieving harmony with current systems that are in place is also mentioned.
