July 2005 saw the launch of a voluntary afforestation project at Mt. Takao in Hachioji. The sponsors are the Tokyo Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department and the Afforestation Forum, a nonprofit organization. Academic and corporate volunteer groups participate in the project, the goals being to ensure society’s coexistence with forests and for people to acquire knowledge and skills.

Mt. Takao Inspection on May 15, 2005

We participated in the inspection to assess the state of forests on Mt. Takao and identify what types of forests to create.

Weeding on July 3, 2005

In our first full effort at the mountain, we engaged in weeding.

Clearing and Making Paths on August 20, 2005

It is bad for trees to be overly concentrated, as plants cannot grow in shadowed areas. We cleared some trees and used them to make paths.

Weeding on September 17, 2005
Clearing on October 15, 2005
Building Hut, Clearing, and Weeding on November 20, 2005

We used cleared trees to build a tool hut. The hut is admittedly small, but we got a feel for the difficulty and satisfaction of making one.

We participated in the Warm Biz Fashion Show at Mitsukoshi’s main department store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. We did so with a recommendation from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Environmental Protection Section following Chuo Ward Government’s recognition of our daily environmental efforts. The models were two handsome men whom our female employees chose by ballot.