Students from Aoyama Gakuin University will stay in Shikano and organize various events during the preparation period for the theatre festival.

Aoyama Gakuin University, or Aogaku for short, is recently well known for the fourth straight win in the Hakone Ekiden (marathon). Tottori Prefecture and Aogaku have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding in March, 2018. One of the drivers for this partnership was the exchange program between BIRD Theatre and Kariyado Lab of Social Informatics, Aoyama Gakuin University. Our mission to design a learning environment started off with an activity such as a school support program together with BIRD Theatre, and further developed into a setting up a branch of Kariyado Lab in Shikano City with the help of NPO Inshu-Shikano Machizukuri Kyogikai (The Council for Area Development and Management of Insyu Shikano) and everyone involved. Based in this branch office, we aim at designing a platform where “everyone is motivated to talk”. And, we hope to utilize the platform to think, discuss, perform, sing and dance with local residents or visitors from other communities. We hope that everyone will visit Tottori Branch of Kariyado Lab as a platform to communicate with others.