On Monday, July 28, 2025, fifteen junior and senior high school students from our school visited Shimadzu Corporation, headquartered in Kyoto, as part of the "WOW & EX Project." The theme of this visit was “Learning About Cutting-Edge Environmental Circulation Part 2.” By engaging with the company’s advanced efforts to balance environmental and business objectives, students had a valuable learning experience.

Shimadzu Corporation operates under the corporate motto "Contributing to Society Through Science and Technology" and holds "People and the Earth’s Health" as its core philosophy. During this visit, students spent half a day comprehensively learning about the company’s promotion of environmental management.

The tour began at the showroom, where students viewed a range of products, including analytical and medical devices that play crucial roles in various industries and aspects of society. They listened to explanations about the technical features of each device and their social impacts, showing great interest in how technology shapes the future.

Next, a presentation by a company representative deepened their understanding of environmentally conscious business activities. Students attentively listened to real-life examples such as plastic waste recycling, biodiversity conservation through the “Shimadzu Forest” initiative, and CO₂ emissions reduction efforts.

The highlight of the visit was observing the dry office paper recycling machine, "Paper Lab." Introduced during the previous “Learning About Cutting-Edge Environmental Circulation Part 1” session, this time students witnessed the machine in operation.

They were amazed to see clean recycled paper being produced in less than five minutes after inserting used paper, exclaiming, “Wow!” and “It’s cleaner than I imagined!” Questions such as “How long does it take to recover the investment cost?” and “Can the recycled paper be recycled again?” revealed their strong curiosity about environmental technologies.

The final stop was a tour of the "Shimadzu Forest," an area within the company’s grounds dedicated to restoring native ecosystems. Surrounded by native plantings and birdsong, students felt firsthand how corporations can contribute to environmental restoration in collaboration with local communities.

This visit allowed students to deeply understand how environmental issues are connected to corporate activities through real-world experiences. It was evident that they began to develop a sense of responsibility as future changemakers beyond classroom-based learning.

We sincerely thank Shimadzu Corporation and Epson Sales Japan for providing such a valuable learning opportunity.