人2024.03.18
Forest Morning Market
The Hamamatsu Creative City Promotion Council titles creative initiatives enacted by citizens “Creative Core Projects” and began promoting them to the public in 2021. We hope that by sharing information about the city’s creative initiatives, more people will gain new ideas and hints for their own activities.
This year, we would like to share with you the five most noteworthy projects, which are known as “Monitoring Projects”.
Forest Morning Market / LOCAL ACTION HAMAMATSU
What kind of projects are you involved in?
LOCAL ACTION HAMAMATSU is an organization based in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, active since December 2021 with an objective of creating a sustainable society. They currently hold the Forest Morning Market twice a month, which focuses on the sale of organic farm produce under the theme of Food x Agriculture x Environment.
We heard from those at the heart of the project.
ITO Mayuko・IKUMA Michie
What are your roles?
ITO, a yoga teacher, and IKUMA, a Pilates instructor, are actively involved in running LOCAL ACTION HAMAMATSU`s Forest Morning Market and delivering organic bento to elementary schools in the city.
What led you to get involved in this initiative?
We got the inspiration to start this initiative when contemplating what could be done by individuals of all ages in their daily lives to combat the global challenge of climate change. Our answer to this was to create a hub that could fulfill a variety of roles – from a space where consumers can buy organic produce directly from farmers and purchase healthy, environmentally-conscious goods, to a space where farmers can sell their produce, and children can play independently. This aim is that the market would ultimately serve as a gathering space and social outlet for the locality.
What is the special point of this initiative?
We started the Forest Morning Market as we wanted to make a space where customers can do their daily shop, instead of doing a gimmicky one-time kind of event. We host the market on the first and third Sunday every month, weather permitting. We offer a bespoke lineup of our vendors; contracting farmers who practice environmentally-friendly farming practices, restaurants that serve gourmet foods using organic produce, and stores that sell organic and fair trade products in the locality within a 30-minute drive of the market.
What do you want our readers to know about this initiative?
We provided “local produce and local consumption” organic bento to St. Christopher’s Elementary School. This initiative has been realized through our business with organic farmers who attend in the Forest Morning Market.
Why do you want your readers to know this?
Organic school lunch is gaining traction throughout Japan. However, we are the first to do this in Shizuoka Prefecture. It is a small step towards realizing our greater goal, but we think it`s a meaningful one.
Tips to our readers who want to start something new
You may think that some kind of grand gesture is required to contribute to society. However, even doing something small to help someone close to you, such as a family member or friend, may ultimately serve your community so I think it`s important to take action with this in mind.
Message to our readers
Food is an integral part of our lives that is connected to agriculture, the environment, and society. Recognizing the importance of food enriches our lives, our communities, and our society. LOCAL ACTION HAMAMATSU strives to create an eco-town where local residents can actively participate in the community through the Forest Morning Market initiative. We hope that you too will join us in the endeavor!
From here, we will introduce each initiative in more detail.
Living and Eating, Food x Agriculture x Environment is our theme
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Six policies of Forest Morning Market
Organic bento
We started selling organic bento in October 2022 to St. Christopher’s Elementary School. These bentos consist mainly of rice and organic vegetables provided by our farm partners from the Forest Morning Market. The bentos are made by hand, seasoned using traditional seasonings, and contain no preservatives or additives so they are safe for even small children to eat.
Lectures by invited environmental activists and others
Over the past two years, we have hosted several talks in Hamamatsu focusing on the waste issue, inviting a variety of guest speakers including social and environmental activists and comedians. Both adults and children can attend these talks which are both enjoyable and offer opportunities for learning.
Together with supporters of LOCAL ACTION HAMAMATSU
We also hold social events for the individual partners who support our activities to provide opportunities them to share information and socialize. We also host hands-on workshops, agriculture experiences, and traditional seasonal events including rice cake pounding at the end of year for all those involved to enjoy.
