Learning and Playing Week
Inclusive JAM “We are ALL MINORITIES!!!”
EXPO 2025 Thematic Project “Invigorating Lives” (Producer NAKAJIMA Sachiko)
People from diverse backgrounds—encompassing gender, disabilities, illnesses, nationality, and race—will come together to connect and engage with one another. Through enjoyable and meaningful interactions, we seek to foster dialogue in areas that are often challenging to explore deeply. Together, we will envision how to build a future society where diverse lives can truly shine. Embracing the key phrase "We Are All Minorities!", we will reflect on and celebrate our unique traits, strengths and weaknesses, and differences, striving to create a society where everyone can freely express and cherish what they love.
Recorded video available
Discussion
- Games around the world
- STEAM
- Youth independence
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
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Signature Programme
- Time and
Date of
the event -
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2025.07.27[Sun]
10:00 ～ 12:30
(Venue Open 09:45)
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- Venue
- Theme Weeks Studio
Programme details
*Subtitles: Choose “Subtitles/CC” in the “Settings” (gear icon) at the bottom right of the YouTube video.
*Subtitles may not show with multiple languages or overlapping audio.
In the Jellyfish Pavilion, led by Sachiko Nakajima, Thematic Project Producer, we have launched the Jellyfish "Muddler" Meeting, a unique initiative where people from all backgrounds come together to create a society where everyone can shine and elevate life. Through discussions aimed at building a pavilion that everyone can enjoy, these "muddlers" have actively shaped ideas for a new society. During the "Learning and Playing Week," we will share their voices and contributions with the world.
*Some changes have been made to the speakers.
Reports
【Reflection】
It was a highly engaging event that resonated deeply with both the audience and the speakers, resulting in an overwhelmingly positive response.
At the beginning, Mr. Hisayoshi Muto from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Ms. Sachiko Nakajima gave remarks on the future direction of Japanese education, the philosophy behind the Jellyfish Pavilion, and the current state of STEAM education.
In the first session, moderated by Mr. Nakanishi from No Side—an organization that operates welfare facilities for children with severe physical and mental disabilities—a candid and dynamic discussion unfolded among long-time “Kurage Muddlers” collaborators: Mr. Koichi Wada from Next Vision, who is visually impaired; Ms. Rinka Saito, a young participant who was born deaf and now hears with cochlear implants; Mr. Yoshihiro Nitta and Mr. Hiroki Kishizawa from Hitachi Solutions AURORA, who are wheelchair users and active in the Paralympics and other sports; and Mr. Mitsunobu Nobuta from Hitachi Medical & Healthcare Solutions, who is active in the Deaflympics.
The discussion highlighted that everyone faces difficulties at times and not at others. There is often an assumption that people with disabilities are always in need of help, but in reality, the true barriers often lie within society. While everyone is fundamentally the same, encountering individuals with different characteristics can expand one's perceptions and bring joy. Thus, participants expressed a desire to mix society even more. The dialogue explored current issues—especially in Japan's education and play—and envisioned how future learning and play environments could be shaped.
In the second session, Dr. Erkki T. Lassila, a researcher in learning design and teacher training at Kobe University from Finland; Mr. Ernest Kofi Davis, a key figure in advancing STEM education in Ghana; and Prof. Zach Lieberman, a globally renowned media artist and professor at MIT Media Lab, joined the panel. Moderated by Ms. Nakajima, the session offered a rich and multifaceted discussion on the current state of learning and play worldwide. Prof. Lieberman creatively and enthusiastically demonstrated the potential of inclusive learning tools using technology. Dr. Lassila emphasized the importance of considering “diversity among learners, diversity among teachers, and diversity in learning content,” and Mr. Davis spoke about the direction of STEM education in Ghana.
The conversation revealed that while many countries are still experimenting, much like Japan, there were many valuable insights and hints to take away. Overall, it was a highly stimulating and thought-provoking session.
The event concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Muto and Ms. Nakajima, who reflected on the many insights gained and expressed their commitment to applying them to the future design of learning and play.
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
This Theme Week event proved to be a deeply moving experience for both speakers and audience members alike, sparking meaningful dialogue and widespread empathy. The diverse perspectives and questions exchanged during the sessions were not merely momentary presentations or debates—they marked the starting point for imagining how these ideas can take shape in education, society, and community initiatives moving forward. Building on the insights gained through this experience, we aim to continue collaborating with practitioners from a variety of fields to reimagine the future of “learning” and “play.”
The first session, where themes such as “the joy of blending differences” and “disability lies not within individuals, but within society” emerged, had great impacts on us. The diverse bodily experiences and sensory perspectives brought by the speakers revealed the potential for creating overlaps—rather than divisions—across the fields of education, welfare, and culture. After the Expo period, we will work to develop new spaces of encounter—such as workshops and learning materials co-created with local communities—rooted in the Jellyfish Pavilion’s practices and the lived experiences of its collaborators, known as the KURAGE(Jellyfish) Muddlers.
The second session offered a global lens on the present and future of education and play, touching on shared challenges faced by learning communities around the world, as well as innovative approaches arising in response. From Finland, Ghana, the United States, and Japan, each speaker brought forth practices nurtured in their own context. We hope to further expand opportunities for transnational and cross-sector collaboration—such as the development of inclusive learning tools utilizing generative AI and digital technologies, and platforms for online dialogue and co-creation. Technology, we believe, is not merely a tool of assistance, but a shared “language” that enables us to play, learn, and create together.
Looking ahead, we also intend to align our efforts with national education policy discussions—particularly in dialogue with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)—in areas such as the next national curriculum guidelines. Building environments where children with diverse senses, backgrounds, and identities can safely play, learn, and express themselves should not be limited to isolated pioneering cases, but expanded as a societal priority. Leveraging the insights from the Kurage Pavilion and its collaborators, we will explore model projects that connect schools, local communities, and public institutions in meaningful partnership.
In this way, this event was not just a gathering—it was a platform for encounters that plant the seeds of future implementation. The insights and questions exchanged here will be nurtured into concrete actions, forging new paths toward a society where people of all kinds can blend, learn, and play together—co-creating a richer, more inclusive future.
Cast
Moderator
NAKAJIMA Sachiko
Thematic Project ”Invigorating Lives" (Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition)
Musician, a mathematics researcher, and a STEAM Educator. She is also CEO of steAm, Inc.,the representative director of steAm BAND Association and a thematic project producer of Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. She also serves as a STEM Girls Ambassador, Cabinet Office, and project researcher of Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences The University of Tokyo. She won the gold medal as the first Japanese woman in the International Mathematical Olympiad. She passionately conducts research on art and technology as well as music, mathematics, and education.
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Hisayoshi MUTO
Director, Curriculum Division, Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Joined the Ministry of Education in 2000. After working in the Curriculum Planning Office and as a long-term overseas researcher (Harvard Graduate School of Education), he was seconded to the Hokkaido Board of Education for four years. He has served as assistant director of the Education System Reform Office, first secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, deputy director of the General Affairs Division of the Minister's Secretariat, and team leader of the School Digitalization Project, before assuming his current position in April 2024.
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Speakers
Ryosuke Nakanishi
No-Side, Inc. CEO, Inclusive Executive Director, Jellyfish Pavillion
President of No-Side, Inc. We support children and adults with severe disabilities who need medical care in Osaka. No matter how severe the disability, we provide a place where children can feel safe, a chance to connect with society, and an environment where they can work no matter how severe their disability is! This is the theme of No Side.
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Nitta Yoshihiro
Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.
He started cross-country skiing in the third grade of elementary school, and was scouted to represent Japan before the 1998 Nagano Paralympics. Since then, he has competed in seven consecutive Paralympics, winning three gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal. He has a strong presence as a leading legend in Japanese paralympic cross-country skiing.
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Kishizawa Hiroki
Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.
He started wheelchair athletics in 2018 and won the Newcomer Award at the Oita International Wheelchair Half-Marathon the following year. He was selected as a training athlete by the Japan Para-Athletics Federation in 2022. He set a new Japanese record at an international competition in Sharjah, UAE in February of this year. He will continue to grow with the aim of competing in the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028.
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Koichi WADA
NEXT VISION
Born in Ehime Prefecture in 1958. Diagnosed with an incurable retinal disease when he was in the second year of junior high school, he became blind at the age of 30.
He worked as a teacher at a school for the blind for 35 years, promoting information education for the visually impaired
and was also involved in software development.
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Rinka Saito
Works in marketing at a foreign-affiliated firm
Born in 2002 in Aichi, Japan, Rinka Saito was born with a profound congenital hearing impairment. She has continued to raise her voice through public speaking, winning the Prime Minister’s Cup and the Minister of Education’s Cup. After engaging in volunteer work at the Ukrainian border and joining a women’s political leadership program, she graduated top of her class from Waseda University in 2025 and now works at a global company.
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Mitsunobu NOBUTA
Hitachi Medical Information Solutions Co., Ltd. General Affairs Department
I am hearing impaired and have been working at Hitachi for over 30 years.
I have been a member of the Japanese national team for about 20 years, and have participated in the Deaflympics six times. I am now using my experience to coach Deaf Kids Volleyball and volleyball in other areas.
After the Expo, the next event will be the Tokyo Deaflympics, so let's have a great time together! Thank you very much.
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Erkki T. Lassila
Kobe University Graduate School of Human Development and Environment Assistant professor
Lassila’s research focuses on teacher’s work as relational and emotional practice in different socio-cultural contexts, comparative perspectives in education, gifted education as a challenge to mainstream education and teacher thinking, and narrative methodologies in educational research. His research is influenced by the cross-cultural position of one with experiences of teaching in Finnish schools, working as teacher education and investigating teacher stories in both countries. He is a country delegate of Japan for the Asia-Pacific Federation on Giftedness (APFG) and World Council for Gifted and Talented Education, Visiting Associate Professor at Ehime University Centre for Gifted Education and Talent Development.
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Zach Lieberman
Artist and Professor, MIT Media Lab
Zach Lieberman is an artist and researcher working with generative and interactive systems. Based in New York, he's best known for co-creating openFrameworks, an open-source C++ toolkit for creative coding, and co-founding the School for Poetic Computation. Lieberman creates installations that transform human gestures into playful digital experiences, earning recognition including the Golden Nica from Ars Electronica and features in Time Magazine's Best Inventions. He currently leads the Future Sketches research group at MIT Media Lab, continuing his exploration of code as a medium for poetic expression.
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Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis
ガーナ教育サービス／ケープコースト大学教授
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Learning and Playing Week
Inclusive JAM “We are ALL MINORITIES!!!”
People from diverse backgrounds—encompassing gender, disabilities, illnesses, nationality, and race—will come together to connect and engage with one another. Through enjoyable and meaningful interactions, we seek to foster dialogue in areas that are often challenging to explore deeply. Together, we will envision how to build a future society where diverse lives can truly shine. Embracing the key phrase "We Are All Minorities!", we will reflect on and celebrate our unique traits, strengths and weaknesses, and differences, striving to create a society where everyone can freely express and cherish what they love.
-
2025.07.27[Sun]
10:00～12:30
(Venue Open 09:45)
- Theme Weeks Studio
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
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Learning and Playing Week
