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Event Report

Five panelists active in the forefront of diverse creative endeavors discussed the theme of "Cultural Arts Nurtured in Yamagata"

The 4th regional session and the finale of the "YAMAGATA Youth Summit 2024" was held in Yamagata City, the prefectural capital, on November 17th. The theme was "The "Culturally Creative City" Producing Diverse Talent"

In recognition of its membership in UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, Yamagata City has embraced the vision of becoming a "Culturally Creative City". The city is taking on the challenge of not only preserving its diverse cultural resources, including the International Documentary Film Festival, but also creating new ones related to industry, tourism, and education. One of the plans is underway to build a new civic center that will serve as a center for cultural and artistic activities. This session brought together as panelists a film director, a pianist, a colored pencil artist, a calligrapher, and a student rakugo storyteller, all of whom have ties to Yamagata and are actively pursuing creative endeavors.

The panelists generously shared their experiences, such as why they decided to become creators, how they became able to make a living as professionals, and what they are committed to in their creative work. At the end of the session, the panelists filled out a board with ideas of how to increase the number of people engaged in cultural activities in Yamagata City. When creating something new, it is important to build on the fundamentals but not let yourself be bound by fixed ideas. It is also essential not only creating something new but also seeing that devising ideas can change your life. These common threads emerged from the five speakers, and the discussion included many ideas that will live on to promote creativity in Yamagata from here on.

Mr. Iizuka is passionate about creating the groundwork to share his films, shot in his hometown in Gunma Prefecture, with the rest of the world. He spoke of the potential for regional revitalization through filming locations, saying, "Filming locations not only have a direct economic impact but also have the potential for secondary effects such as pilgrimages to 'sacred places'."

Mr. Koller talked about his journey with street piano and the turning point in his life that was triggered by his YouTube success. He told us about his vision for Yamagata: "I want to hold a street piano festival in Yamagata next fall when the leaves are changing beautifully."

Talking about the characteristics and particularities of his own technique, Mr. Otomi said, "It is important to try things that no one else is doing."　He expressed his desire to expand his creativity in the future by trying abstract paintings, as well as other painting materials besides colored pencils.

After working as an athlete and in the Self-Defense Forces, Miku became a calligrapher. "I was never sure what I would do in the future, but I never turned down a request and took on every challenge, and that's how I got to where I am today. It is important to look for reasons why you can do something, not why you can't," she said, sharing the idea that forms the basis of her activities.

Ms.Yusui Hoshotei performed a creative short story in English and in Yamagata dialect to introduce herself. She expressed her desire to turn the town into a place filled with smiles in order to increase cultural activities, and vowed to put more effort into promoting her own activities, such as rakugo and hanagasa folk dancing.

Regional Forum

Speakers

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  Panelist

  Film Director

  Kasho Iizuka

  Born in 1990 in Gunma Prefecture, Iizuka graduated from the Department of Film at Tohoku University of Art and Design. Mentored by film director Kichitaro Negishi and screenwriter Masato Kato, Iizuka's unique style is deeply influenced by his identity as a transgender man. His semi-autobiographical film "Our Future (Bokura no Mirai)" received acclaim starting with an award at the Pia Film Festival and went on to be officially selected for the Vancouver International Film Festival, earning high praise both domestically and internationally, including at the BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival.
  In 2019, he received the FILMeX New Directors Award, which recognizes promising new filmmakers. His 2022 film "The World for Two of Us (Futari no Sekai)" achieved a notable five-week run at Shinjuku Cinemakarite. His latest film, "Angry Son (Sekai wa Bokura ni Kizukanai)", won the Most Promisng Talent Award at the Osaka Asian Film Festival, an accolade given to emerging talents shaping the future of Asian cinema. Since then, he has been invited to nine film festivals across seven countries. Iizuka is one of the most promising young filmmakers to watch.

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  Panelist

  Pianist

  Jacob Koller

  Born in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona, Koller won the "Piano King Showdown" on TV Asahi's popular program "Kanjani no Shiwake" in 2015. In June 2016, he released his self-titled album "Jacob Koller" under Universal Music. He has gained significant popularity on YouTube, with over 21 million views and more than 500,000 subscribers. He has also filmed many performances in Yamagata, producing some videos with over 7 million views. He is currently one of the most highly acclaimed pianists.

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  Panelist

  Colored Pencil Artist

  Haru Otomi

  Haru Otomi, a colored pencil artist born in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, in 2001, was inspired to start drawing with colored pencils after being awestruck by a friend's realistic illustrations during high school. Now based in his hometown of Yamagata, Otomi is actively involved in various activities, including publishing books and hosting exhibitions. He specializes in creating detailed drawings of animals, such as dogs and cats, as well as insects.

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  Panelist

  Calligrapher / Design office: Art & Graphic Chaka Chaka / Art school: Representative of Yamagata Kids Art School

  miku

  Originally from Akita Prefecture, miku is a calligrapher based in Yamagata who has transformed calligraphy into an art form, regularly holding solo exhibitions and live performances across Japan. In addition to developing products and designing graphics with calligraphy, she creates title lettering for movies and TV programs. miku is also actively involved in various calligraphy and art-related activities, including brush pen and handwriting courses, calligraphy classes, art schools, and lectures.

  • Yamagata Tourism and Tsuyahime Special Ambassador
  • Title lettering for the movie "Shamenbana" (Director: Shin'ichi Karube, Music Supervisor: Ryuichi Kawamura)
  • Featured as a leading expert in color calligraphy art on NTV's "NEWS ZERO"
  • Guest lecturer on TOKYO MXTV's "Tokyo Gokyu Kyoshitsu"
  • Directed the "Penlight Light Letter Art" project for Montedio Yamagata
  • PR lettering for ZEN-NOH YAMAGATA
  • PR lettering for the Hanagasa Electric Arch
  • Additional activities: TV and radio appearances, title lettering, live art, private exhibitions, corporate and product logo design, and many more.
• 
  Panelist

  Yamagata University Graduate School Student Rakugo Performer

  Yusui Hoshotei

  Born in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, Yusui Hoshotei is in her second year of her master's degree at Yamagata University's Graduate School of Organic Materials and Systems, where she mainly researches 100% rice flour bread. Hoshotei began performing rakugo in her first year of junior high school and made her stage debut in 2014. She is active as a student rakugo performer, primarily in Yamagata Prefecture. At the Adachi Mineichiro Memorial World Peace Speech Contest, she won the top prize in the junior high and high school divisions for her rakugo performance. She has participated in the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival since elementary school, was a member of the Hanagasa Circle Shimensoka at university, and was chosen as the 60th Miss Hanagasa in 2022, promoting tourism in Yamagata through Hanagasa. In recent years, she has performed as "Yamagata Maiko" and "Nanahaku! Yose," conveying the charms of Yamagata's history and culture through her original storytelling. She is now striving to bring the laughter of rakugo to the English-speaking world as well.

Facilitator Ken Miura Branding Producer at Brand new day Inc.

Born in Yamagata in 1993, Ken Miura graduated from Nihon University Yamagata Senior High School before studying abroad at the University of Washington in the United States. After initially consulting for sole proprietors, he shifted to working in brand strategy development for corporations. Currently, he focuses on helping small and medium-sized enterprises craft their missions and visions to uncover and articulate their unique values. His services encompass a broad range of areas, including websites, advertisements, new business development, and recruitment, all aimed at delivering a comprehensive brand strategy that fosters a strong internal company philosophy and reflects the core values of the companies he works with.

Host Naoko Inoue

Born in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, and raised in Kawanishi Town, Naoko Inoue is currently a proud resident of Nagai City. During her time as a student at Kunori Gakuen Girl's High School in Yonezawa, she transferred to Glendora High School in California, USA, in 1991 before going on to study at California's very own Citrus College. In 1998, she returned to Japan after working at a travel agency in LA and trying her hand at the media talent industry.
Naoko has worn many hats over the years: Radio DJ, commercial narrator, lounge DJ, bilingual English and Japanese event MC, a TV reporter for YBC Yamagata Broadcasting, TUY, and SAY Sakurambo TV, magazine model (Bi Story), interpreter, and to top it all off, she is currently active as a preschool English teacher as well as performing as one of the Yamagata Maiko. In addition, she is one of the instructors of the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education's "Learn from Professionals" program.