Vivinavi : New Jersey : (United States) New Jersey

The 12th Nippon Club Web Gallery Special Exhibition
"Japanese Culture ・ Wood, the Treasure of the Forest that Nurtures the Economy - Recycling Initiatives in the Odawara Hakone Area Forest"

■ October 28 （ Fri ） ～ December 8 （ Wood ）

■ URL: nippongallery.nipponclub.org

In Japan, Horyuji Temple, the oldest existing wooden structure in the world, was built around 711 AD in Ikaruga-cho, Nara Prefecture. And in November 2019, more than 1,300 years later, the Tokyo ・ Olympic Stadium by architect Kengo Kuma was completed in Tokyo Jingu Gaien, attracting worldwide attention for its extensive use of wood. Mr. Kuma said, "In the future, it is appropriate to change to the 'Age of Wood', in which wood from forests is used for construction, in order to create a sustainable world that connects humans and the earth.

More than 10 years have passed since the Japanese government announced its "Forest ・ Forestry Revitalization Plan" （ 2009 ） to increase timber self-sufficiency, and the use of domestic timber has increased along with social movements focusing on the SDGs and decarbonization. More and more examples are being seen of how forests are being maintained while revitalizing industries and communities.

This exhibition focuses on Odawara ・ Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, and introduces "recycling-oriented business activities" that lead to regional revitalization through the use of wood from thinned forests, which are being undertaken jointly by forestry cooperatives, wood industry cooperatives, and the Hakone Products Federation.

The production studio "La Loose", whose work is featured in this exhibition, develops products using wood from thinning in Odawara ・ Hakone, and uses the unused wood that is inevitably produced when making products to create value-added crafts. We reuse wood from the mountains （ preheating the wood for drying, making aroma oil from wood chips and scraps from crafts ） and recycling （ wood scraps to be used as bedding for cows and then as fertilizer ）. With the motto of "Let the goodness of wood be goodness of feeling," the company aims to give back to nature by utilizing all the benefits of nature, and proposes a way of life with designs that take advantage of the various expressions of wood.

This exhibition introduces works such as mailboxes made from local thinned wood, "hiyose" works that are in progress but could become traditional crafts, Odawara ・ Hakone's traditional crafts "Yosegi-zaiku" and "Odawara lacquer ware". Please take a look.