Ritsumeikan University is participating as a Co-Creation Partner in the Team Expo 2025 Program, an SDGs-themed co-creation project for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. To pursue the co-creation initiatives under this program, we launched the Student Engagement Program in February 2023 for our students, and they are scheduled to meet a total of six times. A total of 102 students applied to participate, and they are working on their proposal for the Co-Creation Challenge application.

In the past four sessions, the students learned about leadership and communication, and they met and interacted with a student group from Osaka University that is also working on an Expo-related initiative. In the fifth session, held on March 23, we welcomed Sachiko Nakajima, a producer of one of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan thematic projects, to deliver a workshop that simulates the experience of planning and reviewing an Expo event. The following is a report on this session.

Project Producers Sachiko Nakajima visits Osaka Ibaraki Campus

Ms. Nakajima appeared in the venue where the students were waiting for her. After an introduction by the moderator, Professor Kazutomo Araki of the Graduate School of Professional Teacher Education, Ms. Nakajima delivered her opening remarks.

In order to realize the World Expo’s main theme of Designing Future Society for Our Lives, eight producers are spearheading eight different thematic projects related to the keyword "life." Among these, Ms. Nakajima is in charge of an education-related project called Invigorating Lives.

She explained the significance of this project as follows: “As I understand the topic of this project, the aim is to share experiences related to play, learning, sports, and the arts, to feel the joy and pleasure of life by sharing these experiences with others, and to work together to enhance our lives. In other words, to make life more energetic.”

She added that the World Expo is not only about the pavilions and the events held there, but also the activities that have already begun. Ms. Nakashima told the students that she and her "Jellyfish Team," who are working together to make the signature pavilion, the Jellyfish Pavilion, a success, are already involved in various pre-events, including this workshop. Then she concluded her remarks with a passionate message for the students.

“I would like to use the Expo as a place to bring out the latent brilliance of those who are not fully begun to shine due to the immaturity of our society. I want to change the world by meeting and involving people from all walks of life at the Expo, and by opening up possibilities for the socially vulnerable and minority groups. So, I hope that all of you who joined today will join the Jellyfish Team and take up the challenge of changing society together with the rest of us.”

Students introduce "life-invigorating" items in their own words

The first half of the workshop began with the participants introducing the "life-invigorating" items they brought with them to deepen their understanding of the thematic project being led by Ms. Nakajima.

One student, holding a framed message given to him by his parents, told the group that "This cheers me up every time I see it.” Another student, holding a bottle of whiskey in her hand, drew laughter by stating her personal philosophy: "Alcohol may shorten your life, but it also shortens the distance between you and others." Ms. Nakajima enjoyed how the students demonstrated flexible thinking by saying, “There are many ways to interpret the phrase ‘life-invigorating, aren’t there?’”

The next task was for the students to write down on an A3-size sheet of paper their "life-invigorating moments" and the kind of society they would like to realize with the Expo.

The students wrote down various "life-invigorating moments," such as watching their favorite TV personalities, having dance battles, and watching a sports game with friends. Regarding the kind of society they would like to realize, many students said they would like to see a society in which everybody is accepted and diverse values are respected.

After the work was completed, the students posted their papers on the wall. They looked at each other’s papers and exchanged opinions, showing empathy for each other's arguments as they prepared for the next workshop.

Student presentations on the workshop

In the latter half of the workshop, the participants contemplated specific actions and event plans based on six of the seven of the thematic projects that Ms. Nakajima is actually working on. The students were divided into 10 teams and worked with members of the Jellyfish Team, experts on their respective topics, who facilitated the discussions. “If you have a great idea, we'd love to link it to the Expo" said Ms. Nakajima with high expectations for the students. The teams were free to come up with their own plans, and at the end of the session, each team had one minute to present their results.

Two teams chose the theme of Learning and Playing. Team A presented an idea for a projection mapping project for children that would stimulate all of their senses. “For example, we could project images from overseas along with the associated smells. At the same time, we could further promote international understanding by creating an online experience where local people teach us about their local cuisine," explained the representative from Team A.

Next, Team B described how the experience of making slime as a child led to scientific awareness and learning. They presented a plan to create a system to link these kinds of experiences on a global scale, transcending the boundaries of schools and countries. "This is similar to my Future Earth School project, so why don't you join us?” said Ms. Nakajima, inviting the students to work with her.

The team that worked on the topic of Folk Arts and Festivals defined the appeal of festivals as "the excitement that bubbles up from the music, dancing, and food stalls.” They said that rather than searching for answers in your own head, a hands-on experience-based approach is important for generating this sense of excitement.

The students who chose Inclusivity as their topic gave a presentation on how to create a society where able-bodied people and people with disabilities are not divided by increasing opportunities for both groups to interact and share experiences and emotions. "There are people on the Jellyfish Team who also work on casual sports that everyone can enjoy. Maybe you should consider doing something with them,” advised Ms. Nakajima.

Next, two teams gave presentations on the topic of Japanese and World Culture. Team A began by introducing themselves as Chado (Tea Ceremony) Vengers, borrowing the name from the Avengers superhero team. They presented ideas for incorporating the tea ceremony, which is seen as having a high bar of entry by many people in Japan and around the world, into modern life.

In their presentation, Team B defined culture as "food, art, and other things that can be enjoyed by people around the world, deepen mutual understanding, and lead to peace," and they raised the idea of developing activities that allow people to experience cultures from certain regions or continents in various locations around the venue. Ms. Nakajima seemed to like the presentation and told the students, “First, you could try doing that in Ibaraki City or as part of an event leading up to the Expo.”

The next two teams presented on the topic of Circular Economy and Garbage. Team A presented the idea "giving value to garbage by turning its collection into a game," and they expressed their desire to create a circular economy that everyone could enjoy.

Team B proposed the idea of introducing the recycling process into club activities. They suggested having older students who are leaving the clubs give their gear to new club members, thereby creating a system that would allow for the reuse of gear while also getting students interested in club activities. They said they looked forward to first trying this idea at Ritsumeikan because of cooperative ties between the university and the primary, junior high, and senior high schools.

The topic of Connecting with the World was chosen by two teams, one consisting of on-site participants and one consisting of online participants. The on-site team presented the idea of “connecting with the world by eliminating the concept of countries.” By creating booths with a jumble of cultures, including food and fashion, the team said it hoped to create an exciting venue where people could naturally connect with the world through their own interests.

In their presentation, the online team proposed using the Metaverse to create zones where visitors could experience the cultures of various countries. “We also want to create connections with the world, so I found these ideas fascinating,” remarked Ms. Nakajima, who then introduced an initiative she worked on that used the Metaverse to link people in Cambodia with people in Tokushima.

Harnessing the enthusiasm of Ritsumeikan’s students for the Expo and for the world

In her closing remarks, Ms. Nakajima said, “Today’s workshop was intense. It was great to hear the students speak their minds and share their opinions honestly, rather than serving up platitudes. Some of the ideas could be implemented immediately, while others will take more time, but it would be great if this enthusiasm could spread beyond Ritsumeikan and Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan to the rest of the world." She also expressed her hope that Ritsumeikan students would become highly involved members of the Jellyfish Team, not only in the pre-events leading up to the Expo, but also in the events that will be held at the Expo site.

Based on what they discussed in today’s workshop, the students will plan an Expo pre-event at the sixth installment of the Student Engagement Program that they aim to implement at Ibaraki x Ritsumeikan Day on May 21. Ms. Nakajima also plans to participate in Ibaraki x Ritsumeikan Day. We look forward to seeing how the ideas the students presented today take shape.