5Dan 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.