Peace and Permaculture Dojo UPDATE 4 Spring 2018

Hi All

Its been a while since I wrote an update in English!

Cherry blossoms are starting here, and the frogs are singing with energy.

I've been quite busy learning how to be a dad, contemplating about life, and chopping wood to keep my wife warm.

I've also been busy growing the Peace and Permaculture Dojo with an amazing group of people. The DOjo is inspired by the most inspiring communities I've experienced, places practicing peace and sustainability from around the world.

 This project is still in its infancy but its an interesting experiment and I'm learning so much! I think of it as "peace infrastructure", where we incubate a more resilient and powerful movement for peace and sustainable living. 

Here are some articles from last year (haven't had time to update)

Peace and Permaculture Dojo in Japan part 1

Peace and Permaculture Dojo Tour and Culture (April 2017)

Peace and Permaculture Dojo update part 3: Earthen Wall workshop

We are currently doing pilot projects such as

1. 3 month training program where people start by building their house, planting their food, learning facilitation and community living skills, and experimenting with culture and ecology. We're aiming for it to be a model for holistic education exploring the 3 S's (Soil, Soul, Society) through the 3 H's (Head, Heart, Hands).

This will be our first year and we have 4 people in their 20s, and a family of 5 with two goats. A small but big experiment in peace and sustainable living.

2. Hosting regular lectures and workshops by leading thinkers, designers, and social change-makers, all gift economy based

3. 6 day nonviolence retreat - through Nonviolent Communication we attempt to move from power-over dynamics to power-with dynamics, and work on inner transformation as well as understanding fundamentals to integral nonviolence (both principled nonviolence and strategic nonviolence), and structural oppression and change.

We've had quite a diversity of attendees such as activists, community organizers, teachers, a political strategist, a politician, a lawyer, an executive consultant for a major bank.

4. Sudberry School, a school where children practice direct democracy, and adults treat children as equals.

5. Earth regeneration technique called daichino saisei, a movement growing in popularity in permaculture circles here. Basically about getting air and water to move underground, which will develop a healthier microbial ecosystem, which will restore the ecological vigor of the land.

6. Natural rice farming. And with that, koji-making, miso making, and soy sauce making.

A lot more is happening but its hard to write it all. If you read Japanese you can follow us on my Japanese blog Tokyo Urban Permaculture or look up パーマカルチャーと平和道場。

We are a bit over-capacity so we're still not ready to take on most people wanting to get a tour or wanting to stay (e.g. WWOOFing). We don't have anybody consistent able to receive and respond to emails or messages at the moment (my email box is at 12,000 unopened emails!). Its also particularly hard to host visitors who can't speak Japanese. But, if you have something to offer and the timing is right, it sometimes works out.

Hopefully in the future, we can make it more accessible to non-Japanese speakers but it takes time to grow roots and that is where our energy is focused. Roots before Branches.