Miyawaki Method: This Japanese System From The 1970s Claims It Can Grow A Lush Forest 10 Times Faster Than Normal

Photo: A teeny forest around a Shinto shrine in Sasayama, Hyōgo. Image credit:おぉたむすねィく探検隊 / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5 (sky was replaced). Article by Tom Hale. IFLScience – May 29, 2026.

If you want to turn a patch of barren land into a lush forest, but space and time are of the essence, then the “Miyawaki method” is worth pondering. The method was developed in the 1970s by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, who drew inspiration from the ancient forests surrounding Shinto shrines in his homeland. His ideas landed perfectly with the growing environmentalism of post-war Japan, and soon attracted the interest of big business and industry, who were eager to make amends for the pollution and environmental degradation they had caused. Before long, the Miyawaki method had shot to global prominence. […]

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Curated by Theresa Wysocki

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