4-days camp that will open the eyes of mothers and children

A rainy day in March 2024. The voices of children echo through this marginal village of 270 people. On the first day, four families gathered at Meguro Table (a community facility in Meguro village) at the entrance to Mori no Kuni Valley.

"nice to meet you"

As the mothers and staff greeted each other, they looked somewhat tense, and the children looked a little anxious.

However, as they spent four days together in nature, freeing both their minds and bodies, the participants' moods gradually began to lighten, as if in tandem with the weather, which began to change from rain to sunshine.

"With a population of 8 billion, it's said that we only meet 30,000 people in our lifetimes. The probability of us spending four days in this place right now is a miracle of 0.00000375%," says Tsuboi, the project's creator.

Crying, laughing, screaming. Every emotion was laid bare during the miraculous four days of the Mamatoko Camp. We spoke to the moms and dads who attended.

Open your senses

Exposure to rain and nature enriches the expressions of mothers and children. When children turn their attention to small insects and flowers that they normally don't notice, new sensitivities blossom in them. "As a parent, the greatest joy was seeing my child happily picking leaves and branches and touching earthworms and insects."

Perhaps people instinctively know how to enjoy nature and are always seeking it.

"It's really simple, but I really enjoy doing things that you can't do in your daily life, like walking through the forest, climbing on rocks, going into rice fields, or looking at animals."

Touching the soil

Of the four days, it rained on the first two days. However, none of the programs were canceled, and surprisingly many people commented that it was a good thing that they were able to experience spending time in the forest in the rain.

"I was worried that it would rain, but there were things I was able to see because it was raining. Even though it was the day after it rained, I noticed how clear the water was in the river at Nametoko, and as I was walking through the forest, there were lots of drops of water that overlapped to form the river. The forest was sparkling. If it had been sunny all day, I don't think I would have noticed such things."

In a program organized by Maimai Planning, parents and children go into the rice fields together and jump into the rice fields. Although it is possible to go barefoot on the grass, there are surprisingly few environments where you can do so on the soil.

"I've never let my children play outside in the rain before, and I've never been covered in mud, so it was great that it rained this time. Both my children and I played outside without worrying about getting covered in mud. I'd like to play in the city too, but it's difficult because there's concrete and no soil. What's more, I heard that the rice fields are safe and pesticide-free, so even small children could enter without worry."

Living with the Forest

Having nature so close to you makes you gradually more conscious of living in harmony with the forest environment.

Tsuboi was guiding the group as they walked through Nametoko Valley in the morning. "I felt like my normal life had changed," said one father.

When we explained that the forest in Nametoko Valley, which looks like a primeval forest, is actually 70% manmade, the participants listened with amazement and interest as they looked at the forest.

"The way the sunlight hits the area is completely different from the natural forest areas. It's dark and dense, and it's scary. There were some areas that even people wouldn't want to go near."

Then, each participant will understand the meaning of the phrase "learning from nature" through their own sensibilities.

"It was meaningful to have the opportunity to feel and learn about how humans should interact with forests. It strengthened my desire to leave beautiful forests for future generations, rather than forests that are created for human convenience. However, human efforts are also needed to restore degraded forests. I think that in this area we need to work closely with nature."

"Nature lives as it is, so it's nature. It connected to the question of what it means to live. I think that when you live your life interacting with many different people, it's easy to lose sight of yourself. At times like that, interacting with nature allowed me to return to my roots, that's what I felt through this Mori no Kuni guide. Wahoo told me exactly how he felt about the year that had passed since he moved to this village, and it really made an impact on me."

Live Free

Children grow up naturally.

Looking back, I heard many moms and dads say, "It's okay to have more freedom."

"I thought I was raising my children with a fairly free and easy attitude, but I realized that I was actually quite anxious and often restricted them. One time, while I was spacing out, my son was about to fall into a dangerous place, but he managed to stop himself. He stopped right before the dangerous place, so I guess children are better at making their own decisions than you think."

"As the days went by, I gradually let go of my restrictions and was able to interact with my child more naturally. If I was irritable, my child would get upset, but if I was in a good mood, my child would become really well behaved. Children change depending on their mother's mood."

"They can rely on you when they need you, and it's fine to lend a hand at that time. I think it's important to maintain that appropriate distance. It's strange to try to control children in the first place."

"There's something about Mori no Kuni that can only be felt here. My soul is purified when I come here. I think it's also a place to reaffirm what is truly important."

In Mori no Kuni Valley, the houses, hotels, gardens, mountains, rivers, fields, rice paddies, neighbors' houses, the whole village is a playground. The children played from morning to night for these four days, but by the last day they were still full of energy and not enough fun.

The children who meet at this camp may forget about each other when they grow up, but they will surely never forget the feelings they experienced here.

Come back to the forest and experience another miracle.

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