Sloth Club

Note: Pandas' warmly greeted by 'Sloth' of Japan" —an article on PCD's visit published on the webpage of the Sloth Club.

In an advanced modern society such as Japan's, the attitude favouring slow and sustainable living, assymbolised by a tree sloth, is undoubtedly a novelty that many people have had doubts about, especially 13 years ago when the Sloth Club was set up. But since then the Sloth Club, which is based in Tokyo, has gradually won support among Japanese people and has become an organisation that aims at fostering a "slow-living movement". "Sloths live on trees. As they eat leaves, they fertilise the trees with their excrement. This is beneficial to the ecology. One need not be strong and powerful to survive. This idea may provide us with insights in addressing the many problems of our society," said Naoko Baba, the organisation's director.

For the Sloth Club, "slow" can represent alternative, sustainable, concerned for ecology, local and happy. Slow also means "connecting"—connecting human beings, nature and human beings, North and South, left and right, urban and rural, etc. Over the last ten years, the Sloth Club has witnessed how people change from not knowing how to appreciate rural life to revering local traditional food and farming skills. New industries they describe as "slow business" have gradually appeared. Making use of sustainable and nature-conserving activities, they attempt to develop new ways of running business, to provide jobs and contribute to local communities. The slow-life movement covers a wide range from anti-nuclear and anti-pollution issues to socio-political issues such as the peace relationship between Japan and Korea. In short, the slow-life movement has developed into a new culture of sustainable living and ecology.

Note:

1. Slow Japan—webpage of the Sloth Club: http://slowjapan.wordpress.com/about/

Other related stories:

1. Mr Andrew McAulay, Chairperson of Management Committee, PCD: "Reflections on PCD's Trip to Japan in September 2011"
    
2. Partners' Sharing:

   i.	A trip that shook and swayed my heart ~ Ding Ying (Assistant Researcher, Institute of Biotechnology, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Science)
   ii.	Love without border: happiness is a kind of giving ~ Lei Jing (Lecturer,, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University)
   iii.	Tokkoh—A beautiful kind of brainwashing ~ Lu Wendong (Assistant to Director, Guangxi Museum of Nationalities)
   iv.	Cultivating one's mind before cultivating the land—Knowing "Natural Farming" anew ~ Sun Qiu (Director, Guizhou Institute of Integrated Rural Development, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Science)
   v.	How to love our home town from the bottom of our heart? ~ Wang Xiao Bo (Programme Advisor, Yunnan Office of PCD)

3. Introduction to Main Visits:

   i.	Natural Farming
   ii.	Sloth Club
   iii.	Yamagishi Association

4. PCD Japan Study Trip Itinerary