May 14-16 | Kyoto: Circular Burial® RETURN TO NATURE to Speak at "Circular Cities 2026" - Exploring the Possibilities of a "City Embracing Death" Through Exhibition and Dialogue

at FOREST Corporation (Headquarters: Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture; Representative Director/CEO: Yuki Koike; hereinafter: at FOREST) operates the circular burial® "RETURN TO NATURE." They will exhibit and speak at "Circular Cities 2026," held in Kyoto for three days from May 14-16, 2026. This event is a conference and festival that addresses the question, "Can cities ferment?"

Within this context, at FOREST will exhibit and present its efforts to reconnect the relationship between cities and nature, and individuals and communities, through the practice of circular burial, which returns cremated remains to the forest, starting from the universal human experience of 'death.'

Event Details

Background

"Circular Cities" is a festival where professionals from diverse fields gather around the keyword "circulation" to explore the future of urban areas. Held annually since 2023, discussions have deepened from various perspectives such as architecture, food, environment, and education.

In 2026, with the subtitle "Can cities ferment?", the event explores what activities and choices are necessary for cities to evolve into beneficial forms over time.

In this exhibition, at FOREST, in collaboration with Deep Care Lab, which conducts research and practices related to care and death, will present the possibilities of a "city embracing death" through two approaches: an exhibition and a talk. The exhibition will raise intuitive questions, and the talk session will deepen the discussion on the feasibility of implementing these questions within cities and businesses.

< Exhibition > Dates: May 14 (Thu) - 16 (Sat) A space will be created that brings the "Circular Burial Forest" of Nose Myokenyama, the birthplace of circular burial, directly into the venue. A 'question space' will also be provided as a place for participants to intuitively encounter "death" and the "cycle of life" and to reflect. *Please check the official event website for detailed location and times.

< Talk Session >

Date: May 15 (Fri) 10:30〜 Theme: Death and Circulation: "What is a City Embracing Death?" Towards a "compassionate city" that encompasses everything from human death to the end of nature and objects. How can "circulation" be implemented from the urban culture (OS) without confining death to facilities (hardware)? Starting from the perspective of practitioners, we will explore its possibilities together.

Speakers: Yuki Koike (Representative Director/CEO, at FOREST Corporation), Masashi Kawachi (Representative Director, Deep Care Lab; Co-representative, Public and Design)

🌱 Recommended for:

・Those interested in the connection between nature and cities

・Those wanting to know the latest examples in the circular economy and wellness fields

・Those interested in circular burial®

Event Overview

Name: Circular Cities Conference & Festival 2026

Content: Conference + Exhibition + Networking event, etc.

Dates: May 14 (Thu), 15 (Fri), 16 (Sat), 2026 (3 days)

Venue: Former Kyoto City Child Welfare Center (Kyoto, Nijo)

Organizer: "Circular Cities" Executive Committee (Contact: R Fudosan Corporation) Co-organizer: Kyoto City

Event Details

Speaker Profiles

Yuki Koike (Representative Director/CEO, at FOREST Corporation)

Inspired by her parents' grave relocation, she conceived "circular burial®," a forest burial combining death and forest creation, and established at FOREST Corporation (Kobe City) in 2022. She opened the first forest base in Nose, Osaka, and received the Forbes JAPAN "RISING STAR AWARD 2024" in 2024. In 2025, she opened the second forest base in Minamiboso, Chiba, and received the "GOOD DESIGN Award" and "WOOD DESIGN Award."

Masashi Kawachi (Representative Director, Deep Care Lab; Co-representative, Public and Design)

Graduated from Aalto University with a Master's in CoDesign. Conducts social innovation research in Finland. In 2021, established two legal entities: Public and Design, and Deep Care Lab. Active in implementing "mutual care" in society, extended to historical and future time axes, living beings, and natural ecosystems. Works include "Co-design and Care with Multispecies" (Thought October 2022 issue), co-authored "Creative Democracy" (BNN Publishing). Program Director at Ohten-in. Apprentice ascetic.

About at FOREST Corporation

Circular burial® RETURN TO NATURE operates under the motto "Live with forests, return to forests, create forests." It is a service that buries cremated remains in forests under the supervision of soil science experts, leaving no gravestones or markers. Based in forests that have been regenerated from neglected areas, it connects the inevitable human experience of death to forest creation, proposing a new burial option that leaves a rich natural environment for future generations. Furthermore, it organizes events that encourage people to re-examine their present and future, using the end of life as a starting point. Additionally,