Funabashi studied biology and complexity science at the University of Tokyo, then obtained his PhD in physics from CREA, Ecole Polytechnique, France. He is a licensed veterinarian. His goal is to establish a new approach to food production he calls "Synecoculture," symbiotic agricultural methods based on biodiversity, since agriculture is an area where sustainability, environmental and human health issues overlap. He hopes to develop this into a new paradigm capable of restoring both human societies and ecosystems. Funabashi also applies the principles of Synecoculture to living areas and urban spaces as he endeavors to deploy “augmented ecosystems” to promote biodiversity and to maximize the potential of multiple ecosystem services.