The sound of a chainsaw could be heard in the mountains in Furudono in southeastern Fukushima Prefecture, a town with a thriving forestry industry and with some 80% of its total area covered by forests.

The man operating the chainsaw was Hiromichi Sato, 39, a native of the coastal town of Namie in Fukushima Prefecture, who joined Mizuno Ringyo, a forestry firm in Furudono, in March.

Sato hopes to acquire tree-felling techniques and has a dream of going independent in the future and starting his own business, producing and selling crafts and household items made of wooden materials from Namie.