Update on plans for 2016!!!
MEDIA
Empathetic Communication (basically NVC) 6-day retreat at Permaculture AWA (Phil’s place)
Permaculture, nonviolence, gift economics, and more!!!
(most links are to Japanese pages)
(most links are to Japanese pages)
I’ll just share the highlights for now since the longer I write the less likely I’ll finish the post.
I’ve been putting a lot of energy into teaching things I love (e.g. permaculture, NVC, mindfulness, etc), doing experiments (e.g. guerrilla gardening in Tokyo, gift economy inspired book and tour), and connecting with lots and lots of people. Now I think we’ve done enough soil building to start planting a forest garden of social change.
From Tokyo Urban Permaculture (which is not actually limited to Tokyo, Urban, or Permaculture) being “my” project, I am shifting it to be a more community-based endeavor. A fun three-letter umbrella that can be used to connect people, provide legitimacy for projects, and propagate the idea that permaculture is not just about rural self-sufficiency.
What happens under the name of Tokyo Urban Permaculture (TUP) is a mix of
(urban) permaculture
nonviolent communication
mindfulness
gift economics
political activism
media activism
youth empowerment
and most importantly fun!
This year, we (TUP) are hoping to creating more opportunities for people to activate, get their hands dirty, and know there is a physical place they can go to (so far its just been my blog).
MARCH
I will return from India!
Currently, I’m in Goa in an area lightly developed for tourists (not a hint of the rave scene that most people associate with Goa). What has been quite pleasant to see is cows roaming around, even in the main street, and lots of fruiting perennials. Tons of coconut trees in gardens, common spaces, and along roads. Many mango trees, guava, banana, papaya, pomegranate, cashew, and other ones I don’t know. Wonderful to be surrounded by fresh food (the fruits not the cow)!
PERMACULTURE UPDATE
MEDIA
＊(perma) Culture-Building＊
Murmur magazine (who published the Urban Permaculture Guide) will publish a special on permaculture. They have a young alternative dedicated readership so I think it will boost curiosity and commitment. They’ve also interviewed Masanobu Fukuoka’s grandson in the past, who inherited part of Masanobu’s legacy but has made some fundamental changes. No time to discuss that now.
We’re also planning to make a comprehensive permaculture manual featuring traditional and emergent Japanese designs (ethno-ecological and socio-cultural) in the next year. Not sure yet if we will design the book for just domestic use or for an international audience. We will see.
Permaculture has been featured more and more in the media, even in Casa Brutus (a mainstream magazine that is sold in most convenience stores….meaning almost everywhere in Japan). We just need more physical examples to inspire people.
PAWA PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE
＊Collaborating with All-Stars＊
Phil Cashman, Kyle Ho, and I will be launching a PDC at PAWA in Chiba! I think only Permaculture Center Japan (PCCJ) has been offering PDCs in Japan, so this will be a great chance to add diversity and increase opportunities to learn about permaculture design. Phil and I have been talking about how many opportunities related to permaculture are coming to us, but we don’t have time and energy to receive them all. The problem is the solution! We need more permaculture teachers and designers. Yes!
I’ve also wanted to collaborate with Phil and Kyle for several years so this is a dream come true! It’s going to be a multi-cultural PDC in Japanese with permaculture home stays at 3-different sites. The course filled up soon after we posted the ad so looks like we’ll need to do another one soon. At the same time, all three of us are more into hands-on stuff then lecturing about design, so we’ll see what happens after this first one.
COMMUNE 246 URBAN GARDEN PROJECT
＊Micro Community Garden in the Heart of Tokyo＊
Commune 246 is a Portland inspired multi-purpose space in the heart of the youth fashion district in Tokyo. It’s more commercial than I enjoy, but it’s a dynamic multi-cultural gathering place with many young creative professionals. The space is a mix of Portland-style food carts designed by architecture students at Tokyo University, a co-working office space, and Freedom University (like free school in the sense of “free” topics but Tokyo prices).
After a year of talking about urban permaculture, building relationships, thinking and proposing designs, we finally got the green light to install a roof-top garden! Yah mun!!! They already have food carts and a marginally used worm bin, so all they need is a bump`n garden. The design will focus on inspiring aesthetics (looks are essential here), producing edibles for the food carts, and cycling organic matter (food-cart, compost, garden, food-cart). My hope is that this will lead to more opportunities to make community gardens in Tokyo, and mobilize media, social and financial capital.
Homepage of Commune 246
Here is the ad for the garden making class (also filled up in a few days)
PERMACULTURE AND PEACE DOJO
＊The Next Phase＊
I’ve always wanted to have a physical place to grow a forest garden and learning community. Inspired by places like the Bullocks Permaculture Homestead (Washington), Casa De Paz (California), Plum Village (around the world), Schumacher College (U.K.), and Pun Pun farm (Thailand), it’s time that I start a longer-term land-based project. My focus is to explore what Satish Kumar phrases as the trinity of our time, soil, soul, and society.
Like the Bullocks, I want to offer a skill-building residential program particularly for youth, which in the permaculture field seems to be non-existent in Japan. I also want to explore and practice ahimsa or nonviolence, and experiment with social activism (i.e. changing educational, political and economic institutions). So, this will be a big experiment, to integrate permaculture, NVC, mindfulness, giftivism, and FUN! A place to be the change we wish to see in the world.
At the moment, I’m looking for land on the East-side of the Boso Peninsula, Chiba. Mainly because I want to work with Phil who lives in that region, and I want to have access to Tokyo (my target population). But, Shonan (South Kanagawa) is tempting and is also a possible area. More on this to come.
OTHER BIG PROJECTS for 2016
Empathetic Communication (basically NVC) 6-day retreat at Permaculture AWA (Phil’s place)
A chance to explore nonviolence in practice, and jam-out with those dedicated to NVC in Japan, in a permaculture setting. Hoping to organize regular retreats and practice groups in the future. April 17~22
Awakin Circle Tokyo
Awakin circles have deeply moved me and I think it will really help the development of my consciousness around nonviolence and giftivism (gift economy). It’ll be another great chance to practice giving from the heart, and developing the gift economy in Tokyo! Starting April or May?
Tour to learn with Satish Kumar at Schumarcher College. Satish has been a huge inspiration to me since my days at University of California Santa Cruz, and now I have a chance to take people to spend a week with him. June 5~11
Then an optional tour to Plum Village France for part of the 21-Day retreat exploring engaged buddhism. They also have started garden/permaculture projects which I’m quite curious about. June 12~21
West Coast Permaculture Tour
Annual tour to the Bullocks Permaculture Homestead, Portland’s City Repair and ecovillages, and Seattle’s urban permaculture scene. One of my favorite things to do! Many of my close collaborators in Japan are former tour participants.
Traditional Japanese Living and Permaculture tour for English-speakers
Lots of cool places I’d love to share like Yoshiki Hayashi’s projects in Kamogawa, Chiba, the Kabata culture featured in the documentary Satoyama, and the premier natural farming school Akamejuku. I was thinking of a 10~14 day tour in October. What do you think?
Or I might help out with a tour to take Japanese activists to Bioneers, and tour around Bay Area activist hubs. Hmmm….
End of the year I will probably go to Thai Plum Village to translate and help with sangha building. Hoping to also visit Pun Pun farm again and facilitate an empathetic communication retreat.
