Events & Tickets 6/13 (FRI) 18:30 - 20:15 "Lighting the Path of Hope"

During his university years, Naoki Imamura discovered a deep passion for the ocean through his experience with lifesaving, which led him to Australia. There, he studied sports and recreation and worked as a marine guide and kids’ club staff while acquiring professional lifesaving skills. After returning to Japan, he became involved in marine environmental education. In 2011, he founded the nature school TIDE POOL, providing children with opportunities to learn through direct experiences in nature. In 2017, he encountered the world of mountains and launched the Hoshiyama Project. At the forest of Hoshiyama, he continues to realize his vision of delivering hands-on, intergenerational environmental education that highlights the vital connections between the sea, rivers, and mountains.

After participating in the Edible Schoolyard Summer Training in 2019, Risa Kazama was appointed Program Director of the integrated Edible Education program at a model school for Edible Schoolyard Japan. She has since been deeply involved in the development and implementation of cross-curricular food and agricultural education programs at public elementary schools. Currently, through her leadership of Edible Schoolyard Yokohama, which she founded, she is dedicated to cultivating resilient, compassionate stewards of the land in collaboration with the local community. Her work aims to pass on rich soil and beautiful satoyama (rural landscape) traditions to future generations.

Inspired by his experience visiting the Kingdom of Bhutan through JICA Tokyo’s “Teachers’ Overseas Training Program,” Ryobun Santo has been exploring ways to connect travel, society, and academic subjects by creating environments where students can develop their own inquiries and take meaningful action. Since assuming his current position in 2019, he has led efforts to build a project-based learning model within the school. In 2022, he founded Tabisuru Gakko, aiming to redefine the concept of school as a space that can encompass entire communities. His innovative educational practices were recognized with the Good Design Gold Award in 2024. He is also co-author of book “The Compass of Inquiry: 15 Hints to Redesign Learning” (Meiji Tosho Publishing, 2024).

After completing her undergraduate studies, she entered a graduate program for teacher training. Upon graduation, she began her career as a special education classroom teacher at an elementary school in Shinagawa Ward. She later worked as an art specialist at another elementary school in the same district, and is currently serving as an art teacher at Rinsen Elementary School in Shibuya Ward. She has always loved playing in nature and has been passionate about marine sports for over 10 years. In 2024, Shibuya Ward launched its new inquiry-based learning program, Shibuya Mirai-ka (“Future Studies”), which has expanded opportunities for exploratory learning. At Rinsen Elementary, she is engaged in thematic and inquiry-based art education. This year, she is taking on new challenges, including greening the school campus and promoting circular fashion.

She spent her childhood in the United States and Germany. She holds a degree in Philosophy from Gakushuin University and a Master’s degree in Child Development from Michigan State University in the U.S. She also studied Waldorf education in Sacramento, California. A mother of three, she currently lives in Tokyo with her family of five and their beloved dog, Theo, while actively engaging in peace and education initiatives.

After graduating from university, she began her career as a journalist at NHK and later worked as an editor at VOGUE JAPAN, where she led various projects and articles focused on social issues such as sustainability and DE&I. Since 2023, she has been working as a freelance writer and editor. In the same year, she joined the Jane Goodall Institute Japan to rebuild the organisation, working to expand the Roots & Shoots program across the country. Dr. Jane Goodall has been her role model since childhood.