Rev. Yukiyasu Yamamoto and I attended a Spring symposium on "Shinto and Ecology" at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. This was the one of the biggest academic symposiums on Shinto ever held. Of the 100 participants, 40 were Shinto priests and panelists from Japan.

The Department of World Religions at Harvard sponsored the event, one in a series of 10 on "Religion and Ecology." Jinja Honcho, headquarters of Shrine Shinto in Tokyo, helped finance the symposium.

The point of the symposium was how Shinto can help the Japanese strive to preserve the natural environment.

Dr. Katsunoshin Sakurai, an honorary chief priest of Taga Shrine in Japan, gave a lecture about the holy Nature of the mountain and the forest. Dr. Sakurai defined about Shinto. Sixteen panelists gave presentations over three days.

I brought many questions to this symposium as a Shinto priest living in USA. I talked to many scholars and other Shinto priests. I felt mentally refreshed from the meeting. It was a great opportunity to attend this.