Land Purchased for "The Office In The Forest" on Mt. Yatsugatake, Yamanashi Prefecture
To Build the International Headquarters where Nature and Man Live Together
Seicho-No-Ie has recently purchased land (approx. 70,000 square meters) at Aza Ishido Nishi-Ide, Oizumi-Cho, Hokuto City in the northern part of Yamanashi Prefecture, which will be the site to construct the “Office in the Forest.” The International Headquarters will be moved to this location in a woody area, where man joins nature and executes work, while making use of the forest’s functions. We hence aim at further progress of the “Movement that Grows with Nature.”
The land is located at 1,310-1,370 meters above sea level on the southern slope of Mt. Yatsugatake and can be reached in about 20 minutes by car (approx. 13.5 km) from Kobuchizawa Station on the JR Line or about 15 minutes by car (approx. 10 km) from the Nagasaka Interchange on the Chuodo Expressway. The ground, covered with natural and Japanese larch groves, sits on a gentle slope and gets a lot of sunlight. It offers a beautiful sight of the Southern Alps. The neighboring area is rich in biomass resources (wood and agricultural residua, etc.).
Near the site there are facilities which feature harmony between man and forest, such as Seisenryo training facility for environmental education (owned by a foundation called KEEP Inc.) and Yatsugatake Club, where one can experience the woodlands maintained by Hiroshi Yagyu, an actor. There are also many unique art museums and artists’ studios.
The idea for the “Office in the Forest” was announced in the 2003 Movement Policy. Since acquiring the ISO14001 certification in 2001 as the first religious organization to do so, Seicho-No-Ie has been engaged in environmental protection activities as an actual practice of a religious life in a modern sense. In the 2003 Movement Policy it is stated, “This Movement year, the International Headquarters will establish a project team for the realization of the ‘Office in the Forest’ to execute work that is in harmony with the natural environment and begin the study and examination to realize the idea.”
To follow up on this, the “Basic Thinking on the ‘Office in the Forest’ Plan” was formulated in 2004, which outlined three guidelines: (1) change the employees’ awareness about coexistence with nature, (2) realize an office aimed at coexistence with nature, and (3) cooperate with the local community to protect and preserve bio-diversity.
Furthermore, in the 2009 Movement Policy it was stated, “The International Headquarters aims to move one portion or the entire functions of the International Headquarters to the ‘Office in the Forest’ by 2012 and will examine various measures and decide on them.”
In April of the same year, seven-point Specific Plan for the “Office in the Forest” (intermediate and long-range vision) was decided: (1) establishment of a religious base to promote the way of life that “grows with nature,” (2) expanding the voicing of opinions on earth’s environment, bio-diversity, life ethics and so forth, and promotion of cooperation among religions, (3) development of successors of the International Peace by Faith Movement, (4) establishment of a low carbon lifestyle, (5) active introduction and use of natural energy and energy-efficient technology, (6) reduction of carbon emissions from execution of work through active use of IT and communications technology, and (7) active reduction of carbon emissions by forestation and carbon capture and storage.
In May, prerequisites for the land were decided, such as: less than three-hour travel time to Haneda airport from the train station, which is the most convenient to the “Office in the Forest,” and about 20-minute travel time by car to the Office from the nearest train station, usability of IT communications technology more advanced than Broadband, and enough natural acreage for reforestation and carbon capture and storage.
The investigation of properties began in February 2007. Seven candidate sites were selected for comparison and review against the prerequisites. After checking with the local governments and inspecting the actual grounds, the site in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture was selected. After holding an explanation meeting with local residents, based on Hokuto City’s rules and obtaining their approval, the land was purchased in December of last year.