If you hear the theme “Drink the river and mountain”, what kind of flavor drink would you envision?
At DIG THE TEA, we have started a new series on the theme “Drink the river and mountain” which explores the use of local botanicals to create beverages that are unique to Japan and the next generation of luxury experiences.
But what does it mean to drink from rivers and mountains and receive the blessings of nature?
How has humankind established relations and connections to rivers and mountains in the past?
In order to explore the very roots of such questions, we interviewed Professor Koichiro Kuraji who researches forest and water resource management at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences of University of Tokyo.
Professor Kuraji is a long time researcher of the relationship between forests and water, and the connections between forests and humankind. He has worked in various research fields across Japan and Southeast Asia where he conducts local studies and data analysis.
Kuraji says, “Forests have been a vital part of human life since ancient times, however, we have grown distant from forests in recent years.”
In this article we will explore the current state of forest-human relations and how we can continue receiving the gift of delicious water from the forests in the future.
What do forests mean for humankind in terms of mechanisms and functions?
── First of all, what significance does forests have in relation to humankind?
In my understanding of how a forest works, I think about its “mechanisms” and its “functions” separately.
A forest is a “living being” which is composed of plants and animals. As a living being that resides on earth’s land, forests have consumed water and nutrients over time. Sometimes forests grow and expand, and sometimes they die due to changes in climate. Forests have been through various changes in their survival throughout history. I refer to “mechanisms” in forests as aspects of water, soil and nutrient utilization that forests have in order to survive that are unrelated to human presence.
Things change when humans enter the picture. Humans separate the functions of the forests that are beneficial to them with those that are not and take from the former. I refer to these as the “functions” of the forest.
Words like “services” or “blessings” also work, but either way it is a human-centered way of understanding the forest. In order to avoid unwanted inconveniences, humans have done many things to the forest. We have changed its shape and have molded it to meet our needs.
There are mechanisms in the forest that can be considered anti-functional or have undesirable effects on humans. Understanding the difference between such “mechanisms” and “functions” of the forest is the first step in understanding the mechanism of forests as part of the natural world.
── Mechanisms and functions?
Perhaps many people do not make much of a distinction between these two words. However, the difference is important to me.
If we do not distinguish between the two, people will misconceive everything in the forest as something that is useful or convenient to humankind.
I think it is better to consider the existence of forests both with human involvement and without, and understand them separately.
Humans have existed on this planet for only about 6 million years at most. It is estimated that forests have existed for over 450 million years. In other words, forests have existed without human presence for over 440 million years.
When humans evolved they began cutting trees in the mountains to use as resources to survive and have utilized such functions of the forest.
── What are some ways that people have utilized forest resources since ancient times?
One major example is its function as an energy source. Humans burned wood as fuel to make fire which allowed them to stay warm, boil water and cook food.
The next major function is the use of wood as materials to build shelter. Wood is still an essential building material.
Other functions were gathering fruits, edible plants and mushrooms for food.
How have the functions of forests changed in modern times?
── Humans have utilized the forest’s functions for energy, building materials and food. How has the relationship between humans and forests changed over time?
Although we still receive the same benefits and functions from the forest, in Japan that relationship has become invisible to people in everyday life.
The relationship between humans and forests have changed drastically, especially in modern times.
In Japan, the biggest shift probably happened in the Meiji Period (1868-1912) when energy sources were switched from wood to fossil fuels such as coal. It no longer required everyday people to cut wood themselves to use as fuel. Although charcoal was still commonly used up until the 1950s, it gradually disappeared in the 1960s.
Furthermore, wood as building materials was gradually replaced by concrete and steel. These materials were cheaper and more durable. As a result, the number of buildings made out of wood decreased.
In terms of food, the amount of food we collect from forests has decreased over time as well. For example, we used to collect mushrooms from forests in the past, but now they are mostly grown in factories.
To summarize, the functions that humans received from forests have drastically decreased compared to the past.
── How has our relationship with forests changed in terms of environmental preservation rather than an economic one?
As climate change has grown more serious over the last ten years, one idea to address this problem is to use wood from the forests as fuel as that may have a smaller environmental impact than using fossil fuels .
Steel and concrete are also large emitters of carbon dioxide, so another idea is to use more wood in our buildings.
── Although there is a growing awareness for forest protection and tree preservation in recent years, we tend to hold an image of a forest as a place that brings comfort to humans. You mentioned earlier that we must also understand that there are aspects of forests that are actually inconvenient to humans and perhaps we are not seeing that aspect as much.
First of all, native forests that have been untouched by humans are mostly inexistent in modern day Japan.
There are very few so-called virgin forests left in Japan. Most forests in Japan today have been changed for human convenience at one time or another throughout human history.
In many forests, humans have overexploited their resources beyond the point of sustainability. As a result, the ecosystems have collapsed and they are in a state beyond repair. The result of such exploitations are what are called, “bald mountains”. Such bare mountains lead to natural disasters such as flooding due to runoff of soil and sediment which causes clogging in rivers.
I believe our current understanding of the need to protect our forests comes from our realization and regret in causing such environmental problems.
The favorable conditions for forests in Japan
── We have talked about the relations between humans and forests, but what are some aspects of Japanese forests that make them unique compared to other parts of the world?
Japan is very rich in water resources.
We are surrounded by vast oceans and have high mountains which means we get a lot of rain. Moisture from the oceans is carried inland by wind and when it hits the mountains it rises up in the atmosphere. As the moistures cools, it becomes rain and falls upon the land below. Japan also has a mild climate that is neither too hot or too cold, making it very suitable for plant growth.
Even compared to the rest of the world, Japan’s environment is very favorable for plant growth because it has all the necessary environmental conditions. This is why plants and trees grow here even if we do not plant them, and eventually they grow to become a forest.
── Does this mean that humans and forests have formed a particularly close relationship throughout Japanese history?
Undoubtedly so. For example, humans had a close relationship with forests even in the Jomon Period (14,000 BC~1,000 BC). It is said that humans were hunter-gatherers at the time, but they not only foraged for food in the forest, but larger settlements also intentionally planted chestnut trees. They also utilized wood from the forests to build their pit houses.
From the Yayoi Period (300 BC~330 AD), humans started farming and leading a lifestyle that remained more or less in one place. Agriculture requires water so humans used wood to draw water to their fields.
Wood has been used as fuel since the Jomon Period, not only for heating the home but for cooking as well. Jomon earthenware was used to cook raw foods. Shellfish has been found among Jomon artifacts and shellfish must be cooked in order to eat it.
They also boiled acorns, which are too bitter to eat raw. Wood was an essential source of fuel for cooking.
This means that forests were central to providing food, clothing and shelter to humans since the Jomon Period. Humans would not have survived if it wasn’t for forests.
Where delicious water comes from
── Today’s interview is based on the theme of “Drink the river and mountain”, but can you tell us more about how forests are related to food and drinks in our lives?
There has always been a deep connection between forests and food and drink for humans.
Food is basically divided into two categories of animals and plants, but whether we are hunting and gathering or cultivating them through agriculture, water and fuel from the mountains is essential. Food production itself has always been closely connected to mountains and rivers.
Each region has a different type of forest and flow of rivers. For example, different rock formations change the quality of the water. Different food cultures were cultivated by these geological differences.
── Would you say that the biggest blessing from forests was from the water that flowed within them?
We talk about “delicious water”.
Although there may be some personal preferences, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has set a standard for what is considered to be good water. According to their standards, it is not water that is free of minerals, but water that has a certain level of minerals that tastes the best. Mineral water is considered high quality water precisely because it has minerals in it.
I research water and water quality, and it is true that the flavor of water changes depending on its mineral composition and whether the water is “soft” or “hard”. The flavor of water is greatly influenced by what kind of mountain it comes from and what kind of forest it passes through.
This is why the kind of water you use to create drinks or cook food is very important. When creating a drink, there is certainly a type of water that would be best suited for it. There is a good reason why people claim that certain water tastes better and why certain sake tastes better.
In order to obtain delicious water, it is still very important to manage and take care of the forests that exist upstream.
Forests exists because of the presence of water
── Would you say that the bounty of the forests also translates to the bounty of quality water?
More to the point, water does not exist because there are forests, but forests exist because there is water.
The earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago, and water has existed since 4.5 billion years ago. It is estimated that forests, which depend on land and water, first appeared on earth 450 million years ago. This means that water existed far before forests were formed.
Forests would not have existed without water and even today forests cannot exist in places where there is no water. Forests are a living thing that consumes and exhales resources including water.
In that sense, one could say that forests are also consumers of water. Many people seem to misunderstand and think that forests came first and that it is the reason why water gathers and flows in that location. In fact, the opposite is true and it is the presence of water that created the forests.
── So water is an important resource not only for humans but for forests as well. Perhaps it is difficult in the modern world to feel and appreciate the blessings of forests and water in daily life.
Modernization has industrialized food production and has made it possible to irrigate water for long distances for our rice paddies and fields.
In the past water had to be carried from rivers or drawn from a well, but eventually humans built dams upstream and transported water over long distances.
This is why people now do not know whether the water they are drinking came from the mountains or from rain. People used to talk about what regions had better tasting water, but those conversations have become rare.
What needs to be done to prevent indifference when talking about forests
── Lastly, what do you think the relationship between forests and humans will be like in the future?
I think the biggest problem now is that most people are indifferent to forests.
Especially because more people are now living in urban areas, the distance between people and forests has become too great. The resources that we got from the forests in the past are now being provided for by other materials and fuel resources.
Money to maintain forests is now being paid for by the Forest Environmental Tax in Japan, but almost no money that we spend in our everyday economic activities goes towards national forests.
This current state will not allow forests to regain their past vitality and they will increasingly be considered an inconvenience to human beings.
── So we must acknowledge the issues surrounding forests on a more personal level?
We need to lessen the distances we have created between ourselves and forests.
Of course it is important to go into forests themselves, but we can also create movements in cities where we utilize the bounty of national forests better in our use of water, drinks, food, timber and fuel.
When you make a purchase, it is important to choose things that are connected to the forests. Creating these economic cycles will allow vibrant city life while also utilizing forests in an appropriate way.
Of course we should not overly exploit our forests, but right now we are underutilizing them. In order to create a better balance, I think it is important to create a change in awareness among people living in urban areas.
Translation: Sophia Swanson
Born in 1990, Nagasaki. Freelance writer. Interviews and writes about book authors and other cultural figures. Recent hobby is to watch capybara videos on the Internet.
Editor, Writer, etc., for PLANETS, designing, De-Silo, MIMIGURI, and various other media.