Sustainable Travel Japan

So excited to finally get the podcast version of this seek-sustainable-japan talk with Rowie up and include some of the fun clips from my visit to her lovely "funky cottage". Going through these old clips really made me want to revisit this lovely area! It's another reminder that there are so many lovely areas of Japan worth exploring and worth thinking of settling for a new life and new career surrounded by nature and great communities! Hope you enjoy it!

Originally from Melbourne Australia, Rowie Geraerts has found a home and supportive community in the town of Nozawa Onsen in Nagano, Japan.

Rowie describes her career in Japan as an entrepreneur as a stopover before settling down which became a place to start planting roots. In Australia she says she always felt she was an easy-going water-baby, but has found more focus to run businesses among mountain people in the village of Nozawa Onsen where she has set up a yoga studio, runs wellness retreats and started a vegan cafe called SHIZEN.

At the end of our Seek-Sustainable-Japan talk in December, bonus clips from my in-person chat with her at her beautiful FUNKY COTTAGE - introduced by village Minka (traditional home) ambassador Ed Stratham:

https://seek-sustainable-japan.captivate.fm/episode/fixing-up-a-250-year-old-house-in-japan-snow-country-house-tour-talk-with-ed-stratham

BGM thanks to Casey Bean of The Beanpod podcast - support his original singing-songwriting on BandCamp: https://caseybean.bandcamp.com/

Tove & JJ wrap up their favorite sustainable short-takes of the year and give suggestions for great organizations to support, great blogs to read and shopping mindfulness as we enter the holiday season. Enjoy!

• TELL mental-emotional support
• Best of Sustainable Japan events
• Fabric Regenerative Biz event
• BCCJ Gender Equity event
• Hiroko Yoda Blog
• Import Concepts Localization
• Sustainable PRIDE value
• Useful Gift Japan tradition
• Consider Gift End of Life
• Recycled Wool Japan
• Sustainable Shop Tours
• Japan Denim
• Japanese Indigo
• HAKKO Fermented Goods
• Venture Cafe Yokohama
• Powerful Questions event
• End-of-Year Mindfulness

LINKS

TELL mental-emotional support helpful https://telljp.com/counseling/

Japan Travel Awards 2024: https://japantravelawards.com/jta-2024-en

Sustainable Japan Times 2024 Awards: https://sustainable.japantimes.com/sjaward-company2024

Fabric Regenerative Business Report: https://fbrc.co/en/home

Hiroko Yoda - Japan Happiness Blog: https://blog.hirokoyoda.com/

BCCJ (British Chamber of Commerce Japan) https://bccjapan.com/

Art of Powerful Connections event: https://www.dccj.org/events/workshop-the-art-of-powerful-questions

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Tove & Joy are both focused on sustainable issues in work across Japan doing consulting, training, educating, advising & developing sustainable strategy for business, events, organizations and tourism.

Tove Kinooka is cofounder of Global Perspectives & Enteleco Consulting: https://www.entelecoconsulting.com/

JJWalsh is founder of Inbound Ambassador & cofounder of GetHiroshima: https://seeksustainablejapan.com/about/

Obsessed with the sounds of Japan whether they be natural or wacky electrical, lead composer-producer artist Facundo Arena has dreamed of coming to Japan for over 10 years as he has been making music inspired by the country.

Facundo joined the Seek Sustainable Japan talkshow-podcast to share insights about their Japan-inspired ambient musical journey as creators of THE KYOTO CONNECTION.

After years of admiration of Japan, especially Japanese music and culture, the trio are finally on their way to Japan in April 6th to May 18th 2025.

Join us as we talk about the 25 years they have been making Kyoto & Japan inspired music and their plans for visiting Japan on their tour.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thekyotoconnection

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekyotoconnection/

Website: https://www.thekyotoconnection.com/

BandCamp: https://kyotoconnection.bandcamp.com/music

Dr.Donna Weeks joins us again on the Seek Sustainable Japan talkshow to give us her insights on some of the key issues since the latest 2024 Japan election which created a government party, leadership and power dynamics reshuffle.

Dr.Weeks has been following Ishiba's career over her political science career of 30+ years and has lots of great historical examples to draw on.

We focus on the key issues PM Ishiba outlined in his policy speech this week: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/11/29/japan/politics/ishiba-policy-speech/

BIO:

Dr.Donna Weeks was a Political Science Professor at Musashino University’ Faculty of Law in Tokyo from 2016 to 2024. She taught Japanese politics, political philosophy and security and her research focused on peace issues and Japanese elections.

Psephologist Dr. Donna Weeks has spent the last 40 years engaged with Japan's politics and peace issues. Now based back home in Brisbane, Australia, but still with an eye on Japanese politics Dr.Weeks can walk us through some of the key issues happening in Japan's government since the election.

Dr.Donna Weeks blog: https://psephyspix.blogspot.com/

on BlueSky, Instagram & threads: @psephyspix

Tove & Joy are both focused on sustainable issues in work across Japan doing consulting, training, educating, advising & developing sustainable strategy for business, events, organizations and tourism.

Tove Kinooka is cofounder of Global Perspectives & Enteleco Consulting: https://www.entelecoconsulting.com/

JJWalsh is founder of Inbound Ambassador & cofounder of GetHiroshima: https://seeksustainablejapan.com/about/

LINKS

* Dr.Donna Weeks talks about Japan's new government and PM Ishiba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvIO2IhjayM

* Tove Kinooka Featured (YEA) by the Japan Times Sustainable Mag: https://sustainable.japantimes.com/lr/115  @thejapantimes 

* BCCJ Women at Work in Japan Focus: Unlocking Japan's Potential with Gender Focused Investment https://bccjapan.com/events/unlocking-japans-potential-with-gender-focused-investment/

* Climate FRESK: https://climatefresk.org/world/

* Ichigo Bloom Climate Fresk: https://ichigobloom.jp/bloom/climatefresk/

* REI - Refugees Empowerment International: https://rei-npo.org/en/

* Mikan Bags: https://www.mikanbags.com/shop

* BikuDesigns: https://www.bikudesigns.com/

* Organic farmers I am grateful for: https://medium.com/@jjwalsh/grateful-for-educator-community-building-farmers-in-japan-db0a188e688e

Music thanks to talented original songwriter-singer in Ishikawa, Casey Bean: caseybean.bandcamp.com

I had a great opportunity to talk with kids in 5th grade this month about sustainability and sdg's to simplify the key concepts- it was a great reminder that simplification is the standard I use use for all talks - especially for the sustainable tourism and travel talk I am giving to a general audience at the beginning of next year.

Let's keep issues clear and simple so that the possibilities for positive change can stand out more clearly.

Read the story here on MEDIUM: https://medium.com/@jjwalsh/talking-sustainable-solutions-with-kids-a-reminder-to-keep-it-simple-606e24b2ec7c?sk=8609316f42ada8cade10fe31e5a5d271

So grateful for the beautiful colors of autumn this time of year and family and friend gatherings over amazing foods- a time to show KANSHA gratitude for Japan's amazing farmers- especially those who are also regenerating the land, educating those eager to learn, reusing old AKIYA houses and rebuilding dying rural communities!

• Read the MEDIUM article here connected to this episode
• All the talks & farm visits on Seek Sustainable Japan - Organic Farmer Playlist

BGM thanks always to the talented Casey Bean - support Casey's original music on BandCamp

Introducing Hiroshima's sacred island of Miyajima latest sustainable product, Miyajima Salt as written about on GetHiroshima.com

• GetHiroshima article about Miyajima Salt
• 3-min SHORTS version on YouTube
• Sign your name of support for the campaign to reduce Hiroshima ocean plastic pollution

#miyajima #craft #salt #hiroshima #entrepreneur #japan #sustainablebusiness #sustainabletourism #trades #suportlocal #buylocal

BGM thanks to the talents of Casey Bean - original singer-songwriter based in Ishikawa Japan - find all of his tunes on BandCamp

Our Monthly Sustainability focused talk by two sustainable business & tourism consultants in Japan- Tove Kinooka and Joy JJWalsh

• 00:00 Welcome
• 00:30 No Snow Mt.Fuji
• 02:00 Climate Change Gov
• 03:00 Fabric KK B Corp
• 06:25 WE EXIST docu-series
• 08:40 Gender-Focused Investing
• 11:00 Allies for Diversity
• 13:20 BentonHomestead on CNBC
• 14:40 CapGemini IT event
• 16:00 Tomoko Koyama Meterologist
• 17:41 Yuko Nakahata SustainaSeed
• 19:24 Same-Sex Marriage Legal
• 20:00 Sustainable Miyajima Tour Project
• 21:55 Wild Deer & Tourism
• 23:09 Musubi-Kiln Sustainable Biz
• 24:15 Good English Copy Value
• 24:45 Vegan Osaka
• 25:50 Toothpaste Packaging
• 28:28 Organic Fertilizer Experiment
• 30:00 Enjoy Autumn colors, fruit, veggies

== Upcoming Events & Talk Links ==

= Nov 9 to 30 REI Refugee Empowerment International Walkathon Event: https://rei-npo.org/en/event/stride-of-hope-walking-challenge/

= Dec 5 BCCJ Event on Gender Focused Investments: https://bccjapan.com/events/unlocking-japans-potential-with-gender-focused-investment/

= CapGemini IT company event: https://www.capgemini.com/about-us/

= Sustainaseed: https://en.sustainaseed.net/

= Musubi Kiln: https://musubikiln.com/

= Benton Homestead get a mention on CNBC  @bentonhomestead   @CNBC  https://bentonhomestead.com/press

Watch the CNBC episode here: https://youtu.be/1F637H2yUlo?si=xvKT48MHI2DNZdtU

= Order your vegan cheeses and meat alternatives at VEGAN OSAKA

https://www.veganosaka.com/en/collections/vegan-cheeses

Felicity Tillack is a filmmaker based in Kyoto Japan now working on a documentary series about inclusion and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community in Japan. Tiffany Rossdale produces and stars in this documentary-series titled WE EXIST a focus on LGBTQ+ lifestyles and issues in Japan.

Please Support the film "We Exist" via kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wexistjapan/we-exist-japan-episode-2-lgbtq-documentary?ref=project_link

Watch the live talk with Felicity and Tiffany on YouTube

Support Casey Bean original singer-songwriter who provides the BGM for this podcast - find all of Casey Bean's wonderful tunes on BandCamp