Tokachi Millennium Forest Pioneering a New Way of Gardening With Nature

Dan Pearson and Midori Shintani’s inspiring work at the Tokachi Millennium Forest is a game-changer for gardeners and for all who wish to reconnect with the land and wildlife that surround them. It embodies a new strand of naturalistic gardening that relates closely to the immediate context while bringing together the culture, aesthetics and horticultural practices of East and West. This exemplary project puts nature at the heart of the human experience and is a torch bearer for the environmental movement in Japan and beyond. There is an awareness of past, present and future here that speaks to gardeners and nature lovers the world over.

Dan Pearson trained at the RHS Gardens, Wisley and at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Working at the botanic gardens of Jerusalem and Edinburgh expanded his understanding of plant ecology, which informs his garden design today. His international work is widely celebrated and he has received numerous accolades including Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Royal Designer for Industry in 2012, and Society of Garden Designers awards. He has designed five award-winning Chelsea Flower Show gardens including Best in Show in 2015, writes weekly at DIGDELVE, and lectures widely. Midori Shintani trained in horticulture and landscape architecture at Minami Kyushu University, Japan. In 2002 she moved to Sweden and trained to become a gardener at Millesgården and Rosendals Trädgård. In 2004 she moved back to Japan and worked at a garden design company and perennial nursery gaining experience in both traditional and modern styles. Since 2008 she has been the head gardener of Tokachi Millennium Forest. She writes and receives many invitations to lecture.