Fuji Eco-Park Village, Japan

Location of Project: Mt. Fuji, Japan
Project Start Date: 2000

Project Concept:

At Fuji Eco-park Village, ordinary people do extraordinary things. Without waiting for governments or businesses or grants, ordinary people get into action, building, testing, creating and teaching a way of living that can be sustained, even in the low-energy future. The idea is everyone, when focused, can contribute to the creation of a "permanent culture", a way of living that is beautiful, convenient, and cherishes human skills and talents, as part of a lush, interdependent community of living creatures, great and small. Fuji eco-park's biggest success to date is its car conversion workshops, where over a few weekends, participants create their own (solar) electric vehicle from unwanted cars: over 100 on the road so far.

Fuji Eco-park was begun by Masa Imai, an ordinary Japanese businessman and Engineer, after hearing Bill Mollisons (in)famous, inspiring lecture at the United Nations University Tokyo 1998.

Its beautiful center house was constructed using reclaimed materials from traditional Japanese farmhouses, centuries old. It is dotted with smaller buildings, accommodation for guests, staff and wwoofers. Each year thousands of visitors come to experience creative eco-living, cooking pizza in the woodfired oven, taking a woodfired Japanese-style bath, creating alternative energy systems, harvesting and planting, and riding the fleet of electric converted motorbikes.

The most successful harvest is Daikon, Japanese radish, and experiments continue in other crops suited to this high-altitude, fertile, misty site. Fuji Eco-park features regularly on T.V. and magazines, and attracts a diverse crowd: children, designers, movie stars, grandmothers and musicians.

Detailed Project Description:

Current activities of Fuji Eco-Park Village

1. Renewable agriculture, designed so nature provides her own fertilizer and pest management
2. Cherishing water: creatively capturing, conserving and reclaiming
3. Renewable energy: Harvesting energy, making a little energy go a long way
4. Low-energy high-value, high beauty design for the built environment

Finding clever ways to work with, not against nature, and enjoy life moment to moment.

Project Duration & Schedule:

The goal over the next three years:

• Establish an English-language Permaculture school, which teaches basics of sustainable urban living and growing, along with basic, fun English conversaion practice.
• Employ young, talented non-Japanese permaculture Designers to create innovative and successful model systems, making this land more productive, and the kitchen more delicious.
• Create self-contained growing systems, suitable for balcony and station platform gardens, with their own watering systems

Project Needs:

Although Fuji Eco-park staff and leaders are experts in low-energy technology, and aspire to Permaculture aims, truly innovative, deeply useful Permanent Agriculture design only just started with the work of Ringo Kean in 2008, as can be seen at www.ringospermaculture.blogspot.com.

Ringo was not able to stay for visa reasons, so Fuji Eco-Park is now searching for:

• Ambitious designers (under 30 for visa reasons)
• Ambitious English/Permaculture teachers, that can make fun, engaging, transformative experiences for guests.

This project is currently technology dominated, and male dominated, as it was established by an Electrical Engineer. For balance, it is seeking designers, staff and WWOOFers with an eye for beauty (an important energy source) and a passion for plants, animals, and good wholefood cooking.

Wwoofers are always wanted, welcome, and very well fed.

Other Information:

Fuji Eco-Park is 3 hours drive from Tokyo, or take the train to Kawaguchi-ko station, and bus or pick-up from there.

Nestled at the foot of Mt. Fuji, it is a spectacular location. Nearby is the mysterious magnetic forest, and a complex system of caves for cave exploring (experts only).

Masa Imai and some staff speak English.