Japan’s Satoyama-themed pavilion opens at Dutch Garden Expo

Jiji Press

13:57 JST, April 16, 2022

BRUSSELS (Jiji Press) — An opening ceremony for Japan’s pavilion at the Floriade Expo 2022 in the Netherlands was held Thursday, with landscapes and farmland in “satoyama” village forests in the Asian nation going on display.

The pavilion showcases Japan’s traditional and sustainable lifestyle that is harmonious with nature. Satoyama is an area surrounding cities and towns, and includes farmland, irrigation ponds, forests and grassland.

The Floriade Expo is one of the largest international horticultural exhibitions. The ongoing expo in Almere, near Amsterdam, is scheduled to run until Oct. 9.

Through the pavilion, Japan will also promote the World Horticultural Exhibition Yokohama, which will be held in Yokohama in 2027, seeking to find countries wishing to take part in the event.

Japanese Ambassador to the Netherlands Hidehisa Horinouchi said at the ceremony that Japan hopes to learn from the Netherlands in order to successfully hold the 2027 expo.

The Japanese pavilion highlights the importance of the sustainable conservation of resources through exhibits introducing Japanese farming villages’ centuries-long efforts to preserve farmland and forests, and their tradition of using wood and humus. The pavilion also features “ikebana” flower arrangements.

First held in 1960, the Floriade Expo takes place every 10 years in the Netherlands since the 1972 event.

More than 30 countries are participating in the 2022 event, whose theme is “Growing Green Cities.”