Musuhi Tsunan is a non-profit general incorporated association based in Tsunan Town, Niigata Prefecture, Japan — a river-terrace town in the Naeba Sanroku Geopark, inhabited for over ten thousand years and known for some of the heaviest snowfall in the world (cumulative snowfall averages roughly 12 meters a year in the upland areas, and the snowpack can exceed three meters in heavy winters).
"Musuhi" is an old Japanese word meaning "to bind together and bring forth." Founded on July 3, 2026, we work as a local coordinator that connects residents, the municipal government, and outside partners. Our approach starts small and concrete: monthly resident dialogues, a community information app, and studies on local mobility — building trust before scale.
Tsunan's natural endowment is unusual: snow that can be stored for natural cooling (a 2016 in-town demonstration reported around 41% cooling-energy reduction, per a Niigata Prefecture report), geothermal potential in the Naeba volcanic region, small hydropower from river-terrace elevation, and forest biomass covering roughly 81% of the town's area (14,067 hectares).
Our long-term concept, FOREST LINK VILLAGE (FLV), imagines linking these assets — renewable energy, battery storage, digital infrastructure such as data centers, tourism, health, and education — across the Naeba Sanroku foothills.
FLV is a concept under discussion with residents and the municipality. No facility exists yet, and locations, scale, and timelines are all undecided. Any images of the concept on our Japanese site are illustrative only.
An occasional letter about nature, community, and technology in the age of AI, written from under the snow.
We welcome conversations with renewable energy developers, data center operators, ESG/impact investors, researchers, and municipalities interested in rural Japan. We can act as a local gateway for site visits and introductions in Tsunan Town.
We currently accept donations by domestic Japanese bank transfer only (details on the Japanese donation page). Donations to us are not tax-deductible in Japan, as we are not a certified public-interest corporation. International bank transfers are not recommended for small amounts because intermediary fees are high; card-based donations are under consideration. For partnership-based support, please contact us directly.