Tokachi Millennium Forest
Pioneering a New Way of Gardening with Nature
Tokachi Millennium Forest is a gorgeous overview of the design and construction of the Millennium Forest, envisioned by entrepreneur Mitsushige Hayashi, who bought land to make his newspaper business carbon neutral. Over time, the space transformed, with Hayashi aiming to create a landscape that would be sustainable for 1,000 years.
Photographs and text from designer Dan Pearson and head gardener Midori Shintani illuminate the process of fulfilling Hayashi’s vision for a beautiful space where visitors can engage with a variety of natural experiences, including the forest, meadow, mountains, a kitchen garden, and a rose garden.
The nearly 600-acre site on Hokkaido is blanketed in snow half the year, but its vibrant growing season allows an unexpected and lush variety of plant life. The book’s descriptions of site work and plantings get pretty geeky, but plant lovers will enjoy the beautiful photographs of the landscape and specimens, as well as the book’s explorations of how the gardens were designed to fit in with the imposing Hidaka Mountain backdrop.
Tokachi Millennium Forest is a lovely book that tells an important story about what can happen when people work together to establish a legacy that will live long beyond anyone who built it.
Reviewed by
Sarah White
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
