Two researchers from Harvard University’s Landscape Architecture program traveled to the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, to study the region’s Satoyama area. Researchers Polly and Ada stayed at the Satoyama Marugoto Hotel in Wajima City, where they participated in local activities and learned about sustainable living through the resources provided by Satoyama.
On May 23, 2024, they were joined by Researcher Koyama from the UNU-IAS OUIK for a discussion with local residents. Koyama also introduced the initiatives that the UNU has been undertaking in the Noto region.
Under the guidance of Ryo Yamamoto from the Satoyama Marugoto Hotel and local community members, the researchers had the chance to forage for plants such as butterbur (fuki or petasites japonicus) and Japanese pepper (sancho). They learned how to prepare and preserve butterbur and make miso from Japanese pepper. The researchers emphasized the importance of creating systems and environments that enable individuals from different regions and countries to learn directly from local residents about Satoyama living, as this is vital for promoting sustainable practices.
The session also featured educational materials created by the United Nations University in 2018, including an animated version of “Let’s Make a Feast” and videos on wild edible plants. The scenes depicting their experiences of gathering and cooking wild plants featured prominently in both the animation and videos, engaging the audience’s interest.
One of the researchers remarked, “I felt that the way people living in Japanese Satoyama help each other while utilizing local resources as part of nature is quite different from the typical image of rural life in America that we know.” They expressed their desire to take the insights gained from this experience back to America and apply them to their own initiatives.
