This paper examined whether the 13 types of nature experiences in childhood affected the acquisition of sociability of young people regardless their parents’ support and which types of nature experiences contributed more. The subjects’ data was collected from 1,210 high school and university students from 2008 to 2015. We trisected the number of people by the scores of parents’ attitudes towards sociability. In addition, we combined the three groups with the frequency of the nature experiences (four levels). After factor analysis, the factor scores of these 12 groups were compared. Even if their parents’ support was not enough, the sociability of young people who frequently experienced “breeding of insects”, “plant cultivation”, “playing with flowers”, “camping”, “exploration play / building a base”, “pretend play / hide and seek”, “hiking / mountain climbing” and “hills and fields play” was cultivated.

  In many coastal areas of Japan, local fishermen and residents have managed marine resources sustainably, and such areas are referred to as “Satoumi.” To conserve and manage Satoumi, education is necessary to increase people’s understanding and active participation in the conservation of oceans. H Junior High School (HJHS), in the city of Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, is implementing a proactive marine education program in collaboration with local fishermen. In this study, in order to identify the effectiveness of the marine education program, semi-structured interviews were conducted with junior high school students (n=36) and high school students (n=5) who graduated from HJHS. Based on an analysis of the results, it was revealed that students in higher grades (i.e., second- and third-year students) were able to explain about Hinase Sea, and most of the third-year students like the sea. The results revealed that the program appears to have changed students’ awareness and attitude (e.g., recognition about the importance of the sea), and also their behavior (e.g., they no longer throw garbage into the sea). The marine education program at HJHS is contributing to the development of human resources knowledgeable about Satoumi and who will continuously support the community.