July 5 2025,
On July 5 (Saturday), OISCA held an annual program for maintaining the reforestation of Mt. Fuji, which was registered in 2013 as a World Heritage. This event was organized at the reforestation site located at altitude of1,600 meters in the mountain in collaboration with the stakeholders of the Mt. Fuji Reforestation Project Council, a body consisting of some 26 private companies, labor unions, national and local government bodies, and research institute.
The event is the 19th of its kind, and was participated by a total of 210 people, including Tokyo-based foreign diplomatic corps (headed by three Ambassadors: Mexico, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan), OISCA members from Branches of Aichi, Fukushima, Kagawa, the Metropolitan areas, Nagano, Shizuoka, and Yamanashi, foreign trainees from OISCA Chubu and Shikoku Training Centers, employee of private corporations supporting the Project, Yamanashi Prefectural Government officials and professional forestry workers.
The Mt. Fuji reforestation project started in 2007 following the serious damage of the areas planted solely with Veitch fir due to the extensive infestation of insects. It has been aimed for early restoration of the diversified forests by planting five broadleaf tree species, such as the Japanese maple, Japanese Beech, Wild cherry trees, and Japanese Alder. Aside from the outbreak of the insects, the planting sites were badly damaged by wild deer and wild boars.
The event was blessed with favorable weather, through intensely hot on the way down the mountain. At the outset, all the participants gathered at the Fujiten Snow Resort for the opening ceremony. Mr. Etsuko Nakano, President of OISCA, made an opening speech. She welcomed all the participants who, despite the terribly hot weather, braved coming over to join the volunteer field work. She told the participants to be careful of heat stroke and to work to avoid injury. Afterwards, Mr. Yoshihiko Aga from the Department of Forest Environment, Yamanashi Prefecture, followed with his remarks, and Mr. Takuo Nagaike, Director, Forest Research Institute, Yamanashi Prefecture, briefed on the actual work at the site.
After doing warm-up exercises, the participants were divided into 14 groups and moved by small buses up the project site on the mountain. Prior to starting the actual work, they were given technical guidance by professional forestry workers on how to remove the old bamboo poles and protecting nets and then to install new ones, using saws, hammers, sickles, and other tools. The participants, including young children, worked up a sweat doing unfamiliar fieldwork.
The participants were all tired and hungry, and came down by buses to the Fujiten Snow Resort for eagerly-awaited bento (Japanese-style lunch box) and drinks.
In the closing ceremony, H.E. Mr. Mukhsinkhuja Abdurakhmonov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan, delivered brief remarks. On behalf of the diplomatic corps, he expressed his deep appreciation to OISCA and all other stakeholders of the project for the invitation to participate in the event. He said, “I wanted very much to join this event last year, but could not do so because of some other urgent business. This year, I am very delighted to be able to come and to contribute a small part to the long-running project”.
The representatives of KDDI and L’Occidente Japon, the Japanese subsidiary of a French cosmetic company, also shared their impressions of taking part in the volunteer activities, respectively.
Representing the foreign trainees, Ms. Amante Angel Hope Berina, a Filipina trainee from OISCA Chubu- Nippon Training Center, summarized her impressions. She said, “When I was in OISCA Bago Training Center in the Philippines, I experienced tree planting and taking care of the planting site. But the field work here is on a much larger scale and more extensive. It is very rewarding to join it.”
Lastly, Mr. Masanobu Miyajima, Chairman of OISCA Yamanashi Branch. made a closing speech. He reminded us that the project aims for the ambitious reforestation of Mt. Fuji over 100 years, and would celebrate the 20th anniversary next year. He invited all the participants to come back to the event next year.
