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10. 28 Gave talk at Munu Talk Vol.4 at Outen-in
10. 28 Gave talk at Munu Talk Vol.4 at Outen-in
On 28 October, 2025, I gave a talk at Munu-Talk Vol.4 “Impurity and death - how to face things that are unavoidable but you do not wish to see?”. Te event was jointly organised by Outen-in, a Jodo-shu Buddhist temple in Osaka that provides space for various activities related to art, philosophy and education, and Deep Care Lab, a research group interested in environment and life.
10. 27 Jinbunken workshop series "Life history during high economic growth period"
10. 27 Jinbunken workshop series "Life history during high economic growth period"
On 27 October, 2025, I gave a paper at the Jinbunken workshop series "Life history during high economic growth period”. The workshop series is part of a joint research project with the publisher Kurashi no Techo Sha, which has issued its famous magazine on everyday practical skills for pursuing daily beauty since 1948.
My paper was titled “Hand-crafting dwelling (eating) and clothing: Engagement with living space and everyday objects in the first century Kurashi no Techo”. The comments and questions I received included what characterises the magazine compared to other women’s magazines of the same period, and issues related to the garment and fiber industry of the time, which were all helpful and stimulating.
9. 13-14 JOHA 23 Themed Session "Speaking of the Yet-Unseen 'Self'"
9. 13-14 JOHA 23 Themed Session "Speaking of the Yet-Unseen 'Self'"
The 23rd Annual Conference of the Japan Oral History Association was held at Osaka University on Saturday 13 - Sunday 14 September 2025. I served as chair for a free paper session on Saturday morning. On Sunday, I took part as a commentator in the themed session “Speaking of the Yet-Unseen ‘Self’: An Experiment in Multimodal Anthropology”.
The session addressed the question of how research experience of visual ethnography can be incorporated into teaching. Examples included having students film a one-minute silent video, using digital storytelling, and creating collages, among others. Some interesting Q&A and discussion followed, including how teaching experiences feed back into one's own research.
7. 27 Mushroom hunt in Kawauchi
7. 27 Mushroom hunt in Kawauchi
Sunday, July 27 - I participated in a summer mushroom observation tour in Kawauchi, Fukushima Prefecture, with guidance from Mr. Yoshio Akimoto.
Five young people who recently moved to the village also joined the tour. We gathered at 8 a.m. and departed from “wana no Sato,” then walked along the forest road area for about two hours.
I had always thought of mushrooms as an autumn thing, but the summer mountains were full of them! We started finding mushrooms almost immediately after setting out.
There were Boletus-type mushrooms with net-like patterns on the underside of their caps, Lactarius volemus (known for exuding white liquid when damaged), and a type of yamadoritake (a relative of porcini and said to be just as delicious).
We also came across a fungus that parasitizes bees—commonly known as “Tochu Kaso” (cordyceps). It was my first time seeing one in the wild.
7. 26 Abukuma Sustainable Life Institute Meeting
7. 26 Abukuma Sustainable Life Institute Meeting
On Saturday, July 25, I participated in a meeting of the Abukuma Sustainable Life Institute, which is based in Miyakoji Town, Tamura City, Fukushima Prefecture.
This organization brings together local residents, researchers, and others connected to the region, and aims to "weave together a way of life in the mountains that, while confronting the damage caused by radioactive contamination, can pass on the rich natural resources of the mountains to generations 150 years from now."
6. 14 Presented paper at research workshop "Humanities of Memories and Bodies"
6. 14 Presented paper at research workshop "Humanities of Memories and Bodies"
On Saturday, 28 June, I gave a research paper titled “Landscape as the Embodiment of History: The Forest Ecosystem, Industrial History, and Sensory Memory of the Abukuma Mountains” at a meeting of the JINBUNKEN workshop “Humanities of Memory and the Body.”
Following a review of the historical development of the concept of landscape, I discussed, through a case study of the lives in Abukuma Mountains, the idea that a landscape embodies the history of human and nonhuman activities in the area and of unequal power relations.
(c) 2025. Tomoko Sakai.
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