Environmental destruction is progressing rapidly around the world, including in Japan. What familiar social groups should we refer to when we aim for a symbiosis between nature and humans? We believe that one of the appropriate social groups is older adults. They have developed a wide range of wisdom for living through the utilization of nature’s benefits and countermeasures against nature’s threats. Examples are agriculture that does not harvest more than necessary and traditional wooden houses with good ventilation. These pearls of wisdom have contributed greatly to the development of Japan’s agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries. In this study, a wide range of wisdom for living in harmony with nature (how to utilize nature’s benefits and countermeasures against nature’s threats) was investigated among older Japanese participants (N = 218, mean age = 73.04 years). An online survey was conducted, and participants responded in an open-ended format. A qualitative analysis was conducted to examine in detail which responses were frequent. As a result, specific examples of utilizing nature’s benefits included the management of fields by pest-eating animals. Specific examples of countermeasures against nature’s threats included wrapping towels around water pipes to withstand the winter cold. Meanwhile, older participants had a very favorable view of passing on the wisdom of living in harmony with nature to generations younger than themselves. The data from the open-ended survey of many older adults is of high material value and will be useful for improving the policies for supporting older adults.

Authors:
Yuho Shimizu, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Masashi Suzuki, Sompo Holdings, Inc., Japan
Yukako Hata, SAT Laboratory LLC, Japan
Toshiro Sakaki, SAT Laboratory LLC, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Mr Yuho Shimizu is a University Doctoral Student at The university of Toyko in Japan

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