NFUAJ Selects 10 More Projects to Be Listed as Heritage for the Future

The National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ) released on December 19, 2013, a list of 10 projects selected for the Fifth Heritage for the Future Project. The project is part of the association's initiative called the "Heritage for the Future," which aims to preserve local culture and the natural environment and pass them on to future generations over the next 100 years. NFUAJ calls on communities to make efforts to conserve their cultural and natural heritage, listing a total of 49 projects as Future Heritage during the five years since the launch of the program.

One of the newly selected projects is being conducted by Groundwork Mishima, a non-profit organization (NPO) in Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The NPO started by working to restore the Gembei River, which had once been known in Mishima City for its clear-flowing water but became polluted with garbage and domestic wastewater. The NPO initiated river cleaning activities with citizens in cooperation with municipalities and businesses, and successfully restored the indigenous ecosystem. Teaming up with volunteers, citizens, local businesses, and the local government, the NPO is currently working on improving the local natural environment and promoting environmental education..

Other selected projects include activities by the Tenmyo Imono Densho Hozonkai ("association for transmission and preservation of cast products") of Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture, which works to preserve 1,200 years of casting history and culture and address the issue of training successors; and the "Light the Town" project by Kurashiki Machiya-trust, an NPO of Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, that aims to pass down and preserve the town's historic streets by restoring and utilizing traditional townhouses.