+81: Please tell us about “Return to Forest”,in which we, +81 E code, are also participating.
Hajime Matsuda(HM): I got a job offer from Expo 2005 Aichi Japan and that was the start. I got some offers from some groups that participated in the expo, but the expo itself seemed like a corporate advertisement in which people destroyed nature in order to present themselves. It seemed like hypocrisy to me. At that point, I couldn't find any answers, but later, empathizing with Mr. Shinichi Nakazawa's way of thinking, I finally came to a decision as to what to do.
Through seven years of creating works in the mountains and wilderness all over Japan, through listening to people's opinions and through looking at our world, I realized that revitalizing the forests could solve many problems we're facing now, including issues that the cities face today. This led to "Return to Forest". The system of economic consumption used to function in a cycle. Modern society has forgotten this for some time now. I looked at and focused on some points concerning consumption and saw possibilities of social design that would return us to cyclic consumption. With these possibilities in mind, I'm working on my projects. The true nature of things cannot show themselves by superficiality. Trying to advocate the importance of designers who create things, seeing the nature of things and the essential elements of things, I first established INA Design Consulting Systems and now have finally realized the first project, "Return to Forest".

+81: Tell us about the situation of the forests in Japan now, which should be revitalized.
HM: I would urge you to realize the seriousness of the forest situation. We think the mountains we see today look as they naturally should, but they are in fact dying. The soil is poor and there are not many fish in the river or the sea. As a result of not thinning trees, which is important so that forest microbes can thrive, the forest is so dark that even bamboos can't grow there. This is the current situation. What looks like controlled mountains dense with trees are actually over-forested mountains. Think of it as a forest version of chicken farming or pig farming. It is believed that in 10m2, only one tree can grow, but in the over-forested mountains, one tree is planted in 3.3m2 or smaller. And what's worse is that tree thinning has not been implemented after forestation. Even if tree thinning has been used, the trees are often left to rot on the forest floor which produces methane gas which contributes to global warming. This methane gas is 20 times worse than CO2. Tree thinning used to be a part of our lives, and there was a demand for tree thinning devices, but as society has been modernized, and our lifestyles have changed drastically, we are able to get imported materials for much cheaper prices, and we don't need to use the trees that we've planted. As a result, certain businesses became unviable and trees were abandoned on the forest floor. There are many other instances of human beings intervening in nature which actually creates an unnatural state. Nature is then no longer cyclic. Bears and monkeys come down to where people live for these reasons.
I believe that revitalizing forests can be realized by those who live in cities by solving these problems through consumption. I don't mean to say that all the issues can be solved, but as a designer, I will create work and show it to people as a part of the process of solving such issues. There are many passionate activists in rural areas, but the absolute number of activists is so low in urban areas. Also, the kind of "eco" that we see in urban areas tend to boost consumption as well. Taking advantage of living in the city, I am aiming to take the role of social design facilitator in order to create a bridge-like system between urban and rural areas.

+81: Since last year, it seems that young people's actions solving social issues have been surfacing.
HM: It is my theory that we are a part of nature and it is nature that is manipulating us in solving such issues. I think the most natural explanation is that the earth is a living entity, as in the Gaia Hypothesis that James E. Lovelock proposed.

+81: The reason why many of those participating in conservation activities are sensitive, young people and artists must be because they just can feel nature. Now, what do you think of the relationship between the "creative" and the environment?
HM: I'm not interested in external design now. I think, when you talk about good design, it's all a matter of personal judgment and I don't want to make things that manipulate people into buying things anymore. I am thinking about how I can create a cyclic system that is based on the manufacturing-distributing-consumption process. That's design on a broader scale as well. I’m also aiming to support those who do not have access to expertise and technology by collecting and sharing information from inside and outside Japan.

+81: What is your goal for the future?
HM: A future where each one of us looks and thinks about our possibilities, and we bring back an environment in which people no longer have to pay for water.