Regenerating 100-Hectare Forest in Mt. Fuji

Dear Donors,

Always thank you for your generous support of our “Regenerating 100-Hectare Forest in Mt. Fuji” project. This quarter, your donations have been taking care of hundreds of trees, providing jobs, empowering local residents, and sharing knowledge with partner communities in Asia Pacific.

Here’s a closer look at your accomplishments for this quarter:

(1) Maintenance activities for 2025 fully completed

Thanks to your generosity, all necessary maintenance works for this year have been concluded just as planned. This means that together we repaired 980 tree nets, protecting young trees from animal damage through the upcoming winter. This major task was completed owing to the help of nearly 400 volunteers, including local residents, youth, international organizations and major Japanese companies.

Actively involving volunteers in maintenance activities is a key part of the project. Through hands-on experience such as net repairing and tree thinning, participants not only connect to and learn about forests, but also discover that reforestation means more than simply planting trees – it is about responsibly taking care of them until they grow into a healthy, mature forest. These activities form an important part of our environmental education efforts and ensure long-term sustainability of our project, especially through engaging local youth.

At the same time, volunteer involvement allows us to extend our reach far beyond what limited resources and manpower could achieve. Our project area spans approximately 100 hectares, of which 40 hectares we planted with 42,000 broadleaf trees. Since nearly every tree is protected by an individual net, the annual repair workload is enormous.

While we continue to commission local forestry workers for maintenance – contributing to local employment and rural revitalization – volunteer participation remains an indispensable force and helps us use donations most effectively.

(2) Visit from Malaysian Government Representatives

We often welcome international visitors and volunteers to our project site – starting from foreign embassy staff and trainees from overseas. This quarter we also welcomed representatives from a Malaysian government agency for a study visit.

This agency carries out programs in Malaysia that support rural communities and foster youth and entrepreneurship. The purpose of their visit was to understand how various sectors – government, NPOs, corporations, researchers, and local forestry stakeholders – collaborate on this project and what impact the project brings to local communities. Drawing on their insights, the representatives were determined to develop similar initiatives back home.

At the project site, staff from Yamanashi Prefecture, which owns the forest land, explained the characteristics of Mt. Fuji and Yamanashi’s forests. During the visit, the Malaysian representatives asked, “Why is it necessary for people to be involved instead of leaving tree growth entirely to nature?” We explained that by taking an active role in forest care, people can accelerate the forest’s regeneration, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a continuous human connection with nature.

Since its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, Mt. Fuji has welcomed many international visitors every year. Beyond tourism, we hope to create more opportunities for people around the world to learn about Mt. Fuji’s forests and the challenges they face.

Lastly, we would like to share some photos showing the beautiful autumn and winter scenery of Mt. Fuji.

We are deeply grateful for your continued support. Thank you as always, and we look forward to working together in the future.

Warmest greetings to all of our GlobalGiving supporters!

Thank you always for your unwavering support of the “Regenerating 100-Hectare Forest in Mt. Fuji” Project.

 With many of you standing behind us, extensive work has been done. In this report, we will introduce two components of our work that we deem vital for a wide-reaching impact of our project: mobilizing local forestry workers and providing environmental education to children.

Mobilizing local forestry workers – a pursuit of revitalizing forest industry

Woodlands cover approximately two-thirds of Japanese territory, earning it a name as “a country of forests”. However, to fulfil Japan’s 2050 “Net Zero” agenda, it is necessary to ensure that forests absorb a maximum amount of CO2. Facilitating forests’ lifecycle by cutting down trees that have reached their usage period, utilizing the wood and reafforesting the cutdown areas amplifies the CO2 absorption effect beyond what is expected by trees’ natural cycle. Such enormous work, however, is only possible with the efforts of professional forestry workers.

Involving forestry workers and relying on guidance they provide to volunteers, we get to carry out the necessary forest management, such as thinning, protecting young trees from animal damage, etc. Moreover, delegating forest management to local professionals provides them with employment opportunities, further contributing to revitalization of local forest industry.

While people living in cities rarely have a chance to interact with forestry professionals, we bridge this gap through involving volunteers from urban areas in our forestry activities. This also helps spread an important message that Japan’s forests, including those around Mt. Fuji, are being protected thanks to the dedication of local professionals. We are committed to further disseminating this message and support Japan’s forestry through our work.

Educating young minds – nurturing hearts connected to nature

Located in Yamanashi prefecture, Mt. Fuji sometimes remains unvisited by local residents and kids. As part of our Mt. Fuji forest restoration activities, we host annual environmental education programs for local elementary school students. Our goal is to help them feel connected to Mt. Fuji and learn about the environmental issues surrounding it.

This June, we hosted an event where the kids could create potpourri from tree branches and leaves while enjoying the sounds of forest. They also tried themselves in thinning of the trees under the guidance from local forestry workers. Learning about and having exposure to the on-site work, they became really thrilled and connected to the forest.

Seeing kids light up in nature, we get even more determined to continue our efforts so that future generations can inherit the country’s abundant woodlands.

P.S. We spotted a deer while driving through Mt. Fuji. While they usually run away once spotted, this one responded with a stare.
We are normally busy protecting our planted trees from deer, but this time, its cuteness took over. Looking like a fawn with adorable eyes and a little white heart on its backside – it was just too cute.