Abstract
A movement for basing educational facilities on nature, i.e. the "nature school", has been established in Japan since the 1980s, and has extended to various regions. Three factors are central to the background of this movement. These are the presentation of an proposed alternative to the conventional educational system, a sense of crisis regarding the sustainability of human society, and depopulation in rural areas. Outdoor education has become established as a profession over the last 20 years, and its social cognition has advanced. The "nature school" concept is expected to play a role as a "creative basis for a sustainable society".
