Parks and Recreation Foundation
About Us
About Us
The acute and rapid concentration of population and industry into the urban areas of society has had a profound effect on the design and development of the environments in which we live and work. The investment of social overhead capital has been unable to keep up with this increase, the most notable result of which is the lack of public parks, open recreational areas and other areas that support greenery such as national parks and arboretums.
A critical task that we face in the modern age is our response to key issues such as the deterioration of the environment due to high population density, the rapid increase in automobile traffic, the increasing severity of pollution levels, and the increasing vulnerability of urban areas to natural disasters. At the same time, we must also meet the ever-expanding and diverse demands of society generated by the improved standard of living and increased amount of personal free time. This can be achieved by providing sports and recreational facilities and by managing public parks that support greenery space, which help to promote the overall health of mind and body.
Along with managing these parks comes the key question of how to best manage them so that its visitors can use the park most effectively. There is great demand for management and administration systems that are able to carefully factor in the diverse demands of park visitors as well as the parameters and conditions specific to each park.
Toward this end, thanks to the cooperation of the national government, regional public institutions and private citizens from all walks of life, we were able to establish the Parks and Recreation Foundation on May 1, 1974. The foundation is primarily engaged in conducting general research and surveys related to park management and administration and in developing related technologies. We then use the products of our research and development to proliferate these new technologies along with a wide variety of instruction, guidance and education.
Our Rules
- Comprehensive research and surveys of parks and green space administration and management.
- Technological development concerning parks and green space management.
- Human resource development of parks and green space administration and management.
- Diffusion of information and knowledge to promote parks and green space use.
- Management of National Government Parks.
- Organization of lectures and study seminar concerning parks and green space.
- Other activities necessary for achieving the aims and objectives of the Foundation.
Survey Research and Technological Development
On management and administration of parks and open space, the foundation collects and organizes information, conducts survey research and develops techniques.
Survey research is conducted independently or at the request of national and local government. Those researches include management and operation of parks, actual use of parks, citizen involvement in park activities, cost-effectiveness of park management, promoting park use, management and operation of auto camp sites, and park systems.
The Foundation develops techniques for maintaining/managing parks and green space as well as techniques for vegetation management. Major techniques developed by the Foundation include conservation of ecosystem, further utilization of natural resources, organizational operation of citizen involvement, maintenance of restored wildlife habitats, utilization of flowers/ornamental plants, increasing efficiency of park management, management of forests and grass fields, and recycling.
Park Management
The Foundation is entrusted to perform daily management and operation of 9 National Government Parks across the nation. The national and local governments have asked the Foundation to do various works on their behalf. These tasks include: (1) taking care of plants and animals; (2) maintaining and cleaning facility buildings and structures; (3) providing people with information on park use; (4) public relations; and (5) collecting admission fee (6) organizing various events.
National Government Parks are defined as and classified into the following categories under Article II, Clause 1-2 of the City Parks Law: (a) Parks or green spaces, which are facilities affiliated with city planning and which are established from a broad perspective transcending municipal jurisdiction districts. Parks or green spaces, which can also be categorized into (b), are excluded from this category. (b) Parks or green spaces, which are facilities affiliated with city planning and which are established as national commemorative events for the purpose of conservation and utilization of valuable historical and cultural assets of Japan in accordance with the Cabinet's decision.
Providing Information through Courses, Seminars and Publications
The foundation spreads knowledge and raises public awareness on greening through publications, courses and seminars, tests and so on. It also develops human resources. Major examples include test for plants and plant-related culture, workshop to train instructors of environmental education, professional training in park management, and seminars for various visitors, and information exchange through the Internet, encouraging citizen involvement and encouraging Volunteer.
Contact
Parks and Recreation Foundation Headquarters
203, Edogawabashi BLDG, 47-12, Sekiguchi 1-Chome, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo, 112-0014, Japan
Tel: +81-3-6674-1188
Fax +81-3-6674-1190
E-mail: webmaster＠prfj.or.jp