Kinji Fukuyama - Retiring in AY2023

At Hiyoshi Campus, the three natural science subjects offered as general education courses—physics, chemistry, and biology—include not only lectures but also experiments. I was hired in 1987 as a research assistant in charge of biology experiments, and after being promoted to associate professor in 1995, I have been responsible for lectures in addition to experiments. The importance of liberal arts students learning natural sciences has long been emphasized, but very few universities incorporate experiments. At Keio University, natural science courses with experiments began shortly after the war and have continued for over 70 years. These classes are highly regarded even outside the university, and in fiscal year 2005, they were selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Support Program for Distinctive University Education (Good Practice)." The initiatives of us faculty members in charge of natural sciences with experiments are summarized on the website of the Research and Education Center for Natural Sciences, so please take a look if you are interested.

Now, in fact, most of my memories at Keio University are not about biology, but about something else. They are related to initiatives involving the large forest that spreads across the Hiyoshi Campus (the Hiyoshi Forest).

As you walk up the gentle slope lined with ginkgo trees from Hiyoshi Station, the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall stands before you. First-time visitors to the Hiyoshi Campus might think this building is the final destination. However, the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall is merely partway through the campus, and beyond it lies a large forest of nearly 10 hectares surrounding a valley called Mamushidani (Viper Valley). This is the Hiyoshi Forest. Until the early Showa era, the Hiyoshi Forest was a coppice managed by farmers, and it has been preserved without major destruction even after becoming a Keio University campus. Our biological surveys have confirmed 1,276 species of flora and fauna in the Hiyoshi Forest, including endangered species. Many of these are organisms that have long inhabited *satoyama* (traditional rural landscapes). The Hiyoshi Forest is a precious woodland that preserves the nature of *satoyama*, which is sometimes called the quintessential landscape of Japan.

With the desire to utilize this wonderful forest for education at Keio University, I have promoted various initiatives. Fortunately, the Faculty of Economics has a course called the "Independent Research Seminar" aimed at small-group education, and by teaching this course, I was able to conduct classes where students could experience nature observation and coppice management. Incidentally, the content of the Independent Research Seminar is left entirely to the instructor, making it truly "independent." All the Independent Research Seminars are unique and interesting, so I highly recommend that students in the Faculty of Economics take one.

Just as I was wondering if the Hiyoshi Forest could be used not only by the university but also by the affiliated schools, a timely request came from the Keio Futsubu School to hold classes using the nature on the Hiyoshi Campus. This led to the start of classes where Keio Futsubu School students learn about nature in the Hiyoshi Forest. These are classes where students can fully enjoy the Hiyoshi Forest by observing flora and fauna, creating a small rice paddy, and planting saplings of sawtooth oak and konara oak. This has been going on for over 20 years now. The saplings planted in the early days have now grown to over 10 meters tall. Since 2014, I have also been given the opportunity to conduct special classes at Keio Senior High School as part of their biology curriculum, introducing the Hiyoshi Forest and providing a tree-planting experience. Ten years have passed since the first planting, and the site is now known as the "Jukuko Forest."

I have conducted the Hiyoshi Forest classes together with three of my colleagues who teach biology in the Faculty of Economics. Furthermore, this would not have been possible without the understanding and cooperation of the teachers at the affiliated schools. I would like to once again express my gratitude to everyone involved in the Hiyoshi Forest classes. The Hiyoshi Forest is an important educational infrastructure for Keio University. I hope it will continue to be utilized as a place of learning for all Keio students.