On May 28 and 29, the “Malnuma Enjoy! Project” kicked off at Chalet Malunuma in Katashina Village, Tone-gun, Gunma Prefecture. This project was held to discuss a program for learning about nature and making the most of it by utilizing the company-owned forests. The initiative is one of the Corporate Citizenship activities. Nippon Paper Group's employees and their families together with children from Katashina Village participated in the project as monitors and enjoyed many interesting events, thanks to the full cooperation of MARUNUMA KOGEN RESORT CO., LTD. On the 28th, the participants took on making miso and tofu using the regional specialty, soybeans grown in Katashina Village. Following the villagers' instructions, they used a meat grinder to mash soybeans that had been cooked in a large caldron. They added koji (malted rice) and salt, and mixed them in a tub. It was such a rare opportunity that adults and children alike were very enthusiastic. Dinner was made together, with everybody enjoying pounding rice cake and making small round pieces to be grilled over a charcoal fire. They made simmering suiton (flour dumplings cooked in soup) in the clear air. Transferring soybeans from the large caldron Mixing mashed soybeans, koji and salt To add an element of surprise to the program, volunteers from the Nippon Paper Group and their friends set up telescopes in the field to observe a sunspot. It was impressive to see the enthusiastic children take turns looking into the instrument. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast that night, so the participants enjoyed a slide show and made a star chart instead of observing constellations. Later that night, MARUNUMA KOGEN RESORT CO., LTD offered to take the participants for a ride to see wild deer. Everybody cheered excitedly when they found a herd of deer in the darkness. When they returned, the stars were visible in the sky. The telescopes were brought out again and this time they were able to observe the stripes on Jupiter quite clearly. The following day, the participants went hiking and picked wild, edible plants. Everybody enjoyed their lunch of tempura made with the plants. From now, based on the results of the questionnaire completed by the monitors, the Group's Social Contribution Committee will consider implementing unique activities held in the company-owned forests of Sugenuma Observing a sunspot Participants enjoy a handmade slide show of the constellations →Go back to Use of the Forests Owned by Nippon Paper Industries