What is Earth Day?

Have you ever heard of Earth Day?
I myself used to join it as a volunteer about 15 years ago and later as a exhibitor.
Earth Day is the day we think about the earth and respect nature and its environment.
The concept of Earth Day was created by UNESCO in 1969.
Its origin is not in Japan but in United States.
In 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson in United States defines that April 22 as the date of “Earth Day”.
Later Denis Hayes from Harvard had been recruited and he became the national coordinator of first Earth Day.
He also found the Earth Day Network and spread it more than 180 nations.
Event of Earth Day is now held in more than 193 countries.
Here I introduce is Earth Day Tokyo in Japan.
It was held on 22-23 April.
Totally more than one hundred two thousand people came visit during the days.
Looks like the event has been getting larger year by year.

Report

Here is Yoyogi Park.
It’s a 5 or 10 minutes’ walk from Harajuku station.
Yoyogi park is famous for its sakura, too.
This Earth Day is held opposite side of the park in which sakura trees bloom.
It was sunny day, perfect day for Earth Day.
This is one of the main information centers of Earth Day.

Why vending machine?
Looks like company of natural water.

Animal Rights Center

This is NPO Animal Rights Center.
Every year I see this NPO and it stands out as it uses a bit grotesque pictures of animals.
Do you know how the animals such as pig, cow, cock, etc. are killed to become food we eat?
How some fur, cosmetics, etc. that we use are made before they become production we use?
I don’t say all of them are made in such a cruel and barbarous way but the reality is also true as we just don’t know or pay attention to it.

Animal Rights Center
Website : http://www.arcj.org/en/_lang=en

There are many booths along this boulevard.

Yugeta Shouyu

Found Yugeta Shouyu!
Shouyu means soy sauce and this Yugeta is located in near my home town in Saitama Prefecture.
Once I visited Yugeta Shouyu and I could see a part of process soy sauce made.
Surprisingly I could enjoy soy sauce soft serve ice cream there!
Do you think it is a strange salty taste?
Actually not like that but the light salty flavor and smell of soy sauce add richness to the sweet soft ice cream.

This is organic soy sauce.
Actually it is expensive but I’ve used it before and certainly it is a rich taste compared to ordinary soy sauce.
Even now I use soy sauce of Yugeta although different type as this.

Soy sauce is made from soy beans, wheat and salt.
What they use is all organic or natural ones without additives.

Can you see inside?
This is called Moromi or unrefined soy sauce.
Moromi is made in the process of making soy sauce.

I could see the process of making soy sauce on the spot.
Soy sauce is dripping.

Yugeta Shouyu
Address : 475 Tawame, Sakado-shi, Saitama
Website : http://yugeta.com/english/

Lapin Noir (Kuro Usagi)

This is a famous natural yeast bakery shop.
Lapin Noir is French and it means black rabbit.
It is also located in Saitama but it is in far side of mountain area.
I myself visited the shop of Lapin Noir before and had bread there.
It was really good taste and you can find this is made of natural yeast once you ate it.

Oh “No Nukes” it says.
What’s inside?

After all I bought ordinary Japanese bread Anpan, that is, a bean-jam bun.
Yes, it’s a safe bet!

Lapin Noir (Kuro Usagi)
Address : 1-18-12 Nosaka-machi, Chichibu-shi, Saitama
Website (Japanese) : http://www.lapin-noir.co.jp/

Looks like booth of rice shop.
They also sell rice millet, too.
They handle ancient rice such as black rice and red rice.
I sometimes see these ancient rices especially over the decade.

Bata Bata Yaki in Hokkaido

The instant I found it I decide to buy as I had tried it before and knew it is tasty.
This is called Bata Bata Yaki.
It is specialty in Hokkaido.
Looks like small Okonomiyaki or Japanese style pancake but it is not salty taste like Okonomiyaki.
It is made of red kidney bean, its broth, starch and salt.
It has a soft sweet flavor and fresh one is very hot.
I really recommend you to try this if you find it as it is taste very good.

I wanted to buy Okara or Soy pulp doughnuts at this booth of bakery shop but it has already been sold-out.

There is a talk at this small stage depends on the time.

Terada Honke

Terada Honke is a Sake brewery located in Chiba Prefecture.
It still uses traditional technique of Kimoto method for making Sake.
The sake Terada Honke makes is naturally brewed and the Junmai (made only from sake
rice and rice koji) is unfiltered.
Actually I don’t drink Sake or any alcohol drink usually as I get drunk very easily.
But somehow I can drink only Sake of this Terada Honke.
Rather I feel it tastes good.
My recommendation is Musuhi.
I bet you’ve never experienced this really unique taste.
It is not like the taste you imagine form standard Sake.
Musuhi is made of brown rice and it is said to be “Living Sake”
Yeast and enzyme are alive inside.

Terada Honke
Address : 1964 Kouzakihonjyuku, Kouzaki-machi, Katori-gun, Chiba
Website : http://www.teradahonke.co.jp/

Found bamboo shoot, haha.

Uruma Gelato

I have a sweet tooth!

Uruma gelato is a gelato shop in Okinawa Prefecture.
It doesn’t use chemicals such as emulsifier, stabilizer, Synthetic perfumes and flavor, etc. in it.
And they use vegetables that are grown organically or in environment of reducing agricultural chemical.
So many flavors from strawberry,sweet potato, green tea, milk to red pepper, parsley, etc.
Red pepper and parsley? > <

Well, I know it’s a risky choice but you know, take a chance!!
I tried parsley!
It is a poor vegetable destined to be left on the dish always when it comes with main dish.
First time in my life to taste parsley flavor gelato.
But it was not strong taste of that of parsley but fresh taste with sweetness.
Still I could also taste of parsley.
Anyway I like it, I didn’t sink!

Uruma Gelato
Address : 1860-1 yonashiroteruma, Uruma City, Okinawa
Website (Japanese) : http://urugela.com/

Daichi wo Mamoru Kai

Daichi wo Mamoru Kai is company that fist started from NGO.
Daichi wo Mamoru Kai means association to protect the earth.
It handles organic vegetables.
I could see truck of it drives down the street a couple of times before.
I wanted to buy vegetables but I knew it becomes heavy luggage if I buy it now.

Daichi wo MAmoru Kai
Website (Japanese) : http://www.daichi-m.co.jp/

Scarecrow?
I see, it sometimes stands in the rice field.

Rice ball looks good!

This Polan no Hiroba is also company that sells organic vegetables.

Fair Trad Chocolate.
Actually it is expensive but it might be fair price if we give it a thought for the process it made and its quality.

This shop looks like outdoor food shop.
I’m getting hungry.

Outdoor Brand

I forgot to take pictures of outdoor brand.
But there are also booth of some famous outdoor brand.
This time what I could see was THE NORTH FACE, KEEN, PATAGONIA.
All are leading outdoor company in the world and I myself buy and wear clothes of them sometimes.
You can buy outdoor goods, too.

THE NORTH FACE
Website : https://www.thenorthface.com/

KEEN
Website : www.keenfootwear.com

Patagonia
Website : www.patagonia.com/

Organic food for dog.
I have not seen this organic food for pets before but especially over the decade I sometimes see it.

Penguin?

Now I’m coming closer to the center.

It might be difficult to guess what this black thing is from my picture.
This is Didgeridoo.
It is a musical instrument that is used aborigine in Australia.
You can try it but to make a sound you need to get the hang of it.
Yes, I can not blow it! ^ ^ ;

Booth of Organic Cotton.

This is a main stage.
You can enjoy live music here.
Seems like students are singing when I arrived.

These are cute ones.
Owl?
Looks like it is made of gourd.

Gifts from sea!

This is T-shirt made by traditional Aizome technique.
Ai means indigo and some or zome means dying.
These T-shirts have been dyed with indigo.
It is a beautiful color.

These are Zouri.
Japanese traditional sandals.
In the old days people wore this Zouri.
Samurai or warrior must have worn it.

Here is food court.
You can enjoy food including organic and vegetarian food.

Backside of Mini Van that sells curry and rice!
Cool, I like the decoration!

Gomi Zero Navigation and Dish Reuse System

After you had your meal you need to return dishes here.
This is Gomi Zero Navigation.
Gomi means trash and Zero means literally Zero.
That focus of this activity is to reduce garbage.
It adapts dish reuse system that you need to pay 100 yen (About $1) first to use dish but it is paid back when you returned it.
This is the one I joined first as a volunteer about 15 years ago.
I remember I was lending dishes instead of receiving cash and it was busy job.
But it became very good experience to me.

Gomi Zero Navigation
Website (Japanese) : http://www.gomizero.org/index.html

Summary

I could see many NGO, NPO and group of students, etc. that work on environmental issues here.
As you can see it is not like serious (in a positive way) event only people with grumpy face come together.
Anyone can enjoy this event even if one is not interested in this kind of theme.
I think it is very important thing.
We can enjoy but we can also learn at the same time.
Theme of Earth Day is turning our thoughts to the earth.
We are not live alone but are supporting each other.
It is not the thing only about human themselves but by forest, sea, nature, animals and earth.
Each of our action in daily life certainly effects something on earth.
Giving the earth a thought means, giving within yourself a thought.
I think kindness to people, nature, animals and earth is the key.
Beyond race, religion, nationality and border, we want to treasure the earth as it is just one to all of us.

Author : Hiroshi