[Held] International Conference on Culture for Everyone 2026

Moving Together Five days to create a culture that lives together.
The fifth annual "Conference where everyone can connect through culture"

The "Conference Where Everyone Connects Through Culture" has been held since 2022 as part of the "Creative Well-being Tokyo" initiative by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Arts Council Tokyo. Now in its fifth year, the theme is "Moving Together: Culture Living Together." Looking back on our journey so far, we will consider what art and culture can do to help each individual live better, and explore the future form of a symbiotic society and the shape of well-being.
In recent years, well-being has gained attention in various fields and contexts, and the ideal of personal happiness has begun to be discussed. But in a complex and ever-changing world filled with climate crises, disasters, conflicts, pandemics, and rapid technological advancements, is it enough for "well" to be connected to individuals alone? As the image of well-being wavers, we reinterpret the meaning of this word from the perspective of art and culture, which reweaves our relationship with everything around us, and share the concept of "living together" from here in Tokyo to the world.
*This conference will be held in conjunction with the 15th World Urban Culture Summit 2026, which will be held in Tokyo at the same time.

admission fee

Free (application required)

Participation Application

公式ウェブサイトの「参加申込み」よりお申込みください。

*You don't need to apply to see the exhibition in the lobby gallery.
* Program applications are on a first-come, first-served basis with some exceptions.
* The conference program (Hall B5) will be streamed live via Zoom.

Language used

Japanese, English, Japanese Sign Language, International Sign Language
* Simultaneous interpretation and subtitles available (International Sign Language available only in Hall B5)

Accessibility Information

詳細は、公式ウェブサイトの「アクセシビリティ情報」をご確認ください。

Conference

We invited a wide range of practitioners, including artists and researchers active in various fields, and established five themes to reread well-being with participants. During the three-day conference, two moderators will accompany each session, passing the baton of leading-edge dialogue between experts to the next speaker or attendee. In the closing session, we will present from Tokyo the role of art and culture in creating wellbeing in the future, integrating the discussions and ideas from the previous sessions.

moderator

Naoko Horiuchi (Curator of Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT/8], project director of "dear Me," nursery teacher)
Roger McDonald (Curator of Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT/8], art historian)

Prologue/Opening Session "The Tomorrow of Art and Culture"

Date and Time

Friday, October 30 18:30-21:00 (Open 18:00)

Venue

Hole B5

speaker

Shinji Kajitani (Professor, Graduate School of Cultural Studies, The University of Tokyo; Director, Center for International Philosophy for Coexistence (UTCP))
Tomoko Konoike (Artist)
Toru Oyamada (Artist)
Yuriko Saito (Professor Emeritus, Rhode Island School of Design)

In the prologue, after the opening speech, we will follow the progress of the discussion of the "Conference where everyone is connected by culture" over the past several years, leading to the opening session.
In a complex and changing society, wellbeing is being reimagined within others, the environment, and over time, rather than within the individual. In the opening session, the speakers will open the venue with a view that is not limited to human beings (i.e., multi-speecies), and will continue their practice and research on the relationship between nature, cities, and human life. They will question the future of art and culture.

Session 1 "Flexible Mutual Assistance"

Date and Time

Saturday, October 31 10:00-12:00 (Opening time 9:30)

Venue

Hole B5

speaker

MORISHITA Yu (Research Educator, Adjunct Associate Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo)
Natsumi SEO (Artists and writers)
Christine Wong Yap (Visual artists and social practitioners)

When a natural disaster or unforeseen accident changes a familiar place or a normal situation, and you are forced to put yourself in that environment. It is time to reconsider how communication and care between people should be. How do up-and-coming artists and researchers decipher the situation at hand and weave different relationships? We will explore the ideal way of a culture that lives together from examples of flexible mutual assistance.

Session 2 Identity and Culture

Date and Time

Saturday, October 31 15:30-17:30 (Open 15:00)

Venue

Hole B5

speaker

Jumana Emil Aboud (Visual Artist)
Mokottuna Kitahara (Professor, Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies, Hokkaido University)
Takeshi Matsuzaki (Professor, Miyagi University of Education)

In our society, "I" is shaped by a variety of factors, including culture, history, the body, the land, and relationships with people around us. But the "normal" of society can sometimes silence someone and blind them to their culture and roots. I will consider the difficulties and tensions inherent in living together with intellectuals who have been involved in creative and academic practices, and the possibilities of dialogue and expression.

Session 3: "Moving Together: Living with Dreams"

Date and Time

Sunday, November 1 10:00-12:00 (Opening time 9:30)

Venue

Hole B5

speaker

Sangeeta Jogi (writer and artist)
Erika Kobayashi
Kanako Nishi (writer and artist)
Geeta Wolf (Tarabooks representative)

Society, culture, and the circumstances of the times sometimes try to block the freedom and dignity of "me," but people can still find hope and search for a way to live. The speakers, who have accumulated creativity and practice in different places and situations, have passed on their experiences and imagination to others with dreams. It talks about human dignity through a series of cases where my dreams have led to the dreams of others.

Closing Session "Creative Wellbeing: A Culture of Living Together"

Date and Time

Sunday, November 1 15:30-18:00 (Open 15:00)

Venue

Hole B5

speaker

Masanori Aoyagi (Arts Council Tokyo Director)
Kazuko Koike (Creative Director)
Tatsuo Miyajima (Contemporary Artist)
Justine Simons (Deputy Mayor of the City of London, responsible for culture and creative industries)
Nahoko Horiuchi (Curator at Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT], Project Director at 'dear Me', Nursery Teacher)
Roger MacDonald (Curator at Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT], Art Historian)

In response to a complex and ever-changing society, Tokyo will deliver "Creative Well-Being" that is born out of the work of art and culture. Speakers with expertise in art and cultural policy will listen to the discussion, which begins with a multifaceted understanding of the world and develops into perspectives of mutual assistance, identity, and dignity, and offer suggestions for the future.

Studio (Networking)

Speakers and participants gather in the same space and spend time together speaking, moving, and talking through talks, performances, and workshops. We share the feeling of well-being spreading from "me" to "us" through mutual influence through expression.

Open Meeting: Meeting between the Deaf and the Hearing

Date and Time

Friday, October 30 Part 1: 12:00-15:00 (open time 11:30), Part 2: 16:00-17:30 (open time 15:30)

Venue

Hole D5

What has emerged from the experience of meeting deaf people and hearing people with different languages and cultures over time without rushing to understand each other? He will talk about the challenges and discoveries that arose during the collaborative process of "Don't Shut Up, Move, Breathe," which was produced and performed as a cultural program for the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics. The core members involved in the creation verbalize changes and signs that have occurred in themselves and their surroundings, and connect them to future possibilities.

Part 1: Body, Space, and Expression
We will share the perspective of senography, which extends the spatial direction of theater not only into theaters but also into urban spaces, and consider the future of theater based on the difference in physicality between Deaf people and listeners, as well as human resource development for Deaf people in the performing arts.
Speakers Shizukakai, Ayumu Kito, Yori Makihara, Tadashi Nagashima (Moderator), Itaru Sugiyama (Guest), Hideho Yamaguchi

Part 2: "Ongaku" of the Deaf
The participants will share the concept and world view of "ongaku" born from the Deaf community, which is different from music perceived by hearing, and discuss the results of their quest, which deepened through the production of "Don't Shut Up, Move, Breathe.".
Speakers Shizukakai, Makihara Yori (Moderator), Matsuzaki Takeshi, Yokoo Yumi

Workshop Creating My "I Can Be" Flag

Date and Time

Saturday, October 31 13:00-15:00 (Open 12:30)

Venue

Hole D5

Artist

Sangita Jogi, Erika Kobayashi (Facilitators)

This workshop is based on the words of Tarabooks (green seed books, 2025), a picture book by Tarabooks, which was born in India and has traveled across the sea. Each participant draws a picture of his or her own "I Can Become" and creates a flag together. How do the dreams described in this book resonate with the people present? Experience the journey from "me" to "us" with the author and translator.

• We look forward to the participation of those who sympathize with the picture book "I Will Become". We welcome everyone from children (elementary school age and older) to the elderly.
• Children under elementary school age must be accompanied by their guardians.
• Accompanying family members can stay in the venue during the workshop. There is no childcare. If you are with children, please have a guardian take care of them.
• If you would like to participate, please fill out the application form and write your reasons for participating. If there are many applications, we will select applicants. For details, please refer to the "Application" on the official website.

~ Message from Erika Kobayashi ~
I am looking forward to the day when we can draw together what each "I" wants to become, what we can become, and what we dream of becoming, while reading the "Watashi wa Naru" picture book with Sangita.

Lecture Performance "Playing the Audience: Introduction"

Date and Time

2 performances (First: Saturday, October 31 18:00-19:00 (open time 17:30), Second: Sunday, November 1 14:00-15:00 (open time 13:30))

Venue

Hole D5

staging

Yori Makihara

appearance

Yoko Katsumi, Maki Yamada

The audience sees that the “audience, ” which has been regarded as an“ individual, ” is grouped into categories. The actors are Deaf actors Yoko Katsumi and Maki Yamada. To what extent can we refer to the “listener ” performed by the body of a Deaf person? Is it possible to transcend and share the relationship between the actor and the acted? (From the official commentary)

"TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN" Video Screening & Talk

Date and Time

Sunday, November 1 10:00-12:30 (Opening time 9:30)

Venue

Hole D5

speaker

Ryori Kurisu, Kaiji Moriyama

A fixed point recording (high quality recording) of "TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN" performed at the Tokyo Art Theater in the fall of 2025 will be shown. The two directors of accessibility direction, choreography and direction talk about behind the scenes and the appeal of the work, which was created to inherit the legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Opening Ceremony.

The video has English subtitles and you can use the same audio guide as during the performance. (Limited numbers, first come, first served)

Gallery (exhibition)

The exhibition will feature works that explore the main themes of the conference using a different approach than words, with the help of the images the artists create for the viewer. At the same time, we will introduce exhibitions and theme-related initiatives related to Tokyo metropolitan art museums, museums, concert halls, and theaters that aim to create an environment where anyone can enjoy art and culture.

session

Wednesday, October 28 15:00-21:00
Thursday, October 29, 30th (Fri), 31st (Sat) 11:00-21:00
Sunday, November 1 11:00-15:00

Venue

lobby gallery

Exhibition (Free viewing)

'From Where We Areu / With People, Not For People' Akira Aoki, Yui Usui
'Ordinary Whale' by Sakura Koretsune
'I Can Be' Sangeeta Jogi, Tara Books
'Sea of Time—Tohoku Project', 'Revival of Time: Kaki no Ki Project' by Tatsuo Miyajima
'Snake and Strata' by Natsumi Seo
'If I Were an Elementary School Student with Dyslexia'
'The Journey of Creative Well-being Tokyo '
'Initiatives of Metropolitan Cultural Facilities'
TOKYO FORWARD 2025 Cultural Program
'Results of the All Welcome TOKYO Campaign'

Talk (application required)

"Well-Being and Art from the Kohokan Settlement"
Date: Wednesday, October 28 16:00-17:00
Speakers: Akira Aoki, Yui Usui

"If you are an elementary school student with dyslexia"
Date: Thursday, October 29 17:00-18:00
Speakers: Masato Kosukegawa [Executive Creative Director, Creation Department, Shiseido Art & Creation Division], Eiko Todo [President of EDGE]

Workshop (application required)

"People searching for sound"
Date: Wednesday, October 28 19:00-20:00, 20:00-21:00 (2 times)
Artist: Gaku Kurokawa

Ongaku Tsukuriya by TURN LAND
Date: Thursday, October 29 19:00-21:00
Artists: Tan Igawa, Fumihisa Tanaka, Emi Tomizuka

Credit

Sponsor

Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture Arts Council Tokyo

Contact Us

Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture Arts Council Tokyo
Business Division, Business Coordination Section, Social Coexistence Section
E-mail: info-cwt(at)artscouncil-tokyo.jp (Please replace (at) with @)