Since the period of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it seems that people who value and engage in activities such as “connecting people” and “creating places” have increasingly come into the spotlight.
In Okayama Prefecture, the “Traveling Human and Community Development Forum” is held several times a year at venues that help energize local communities, with “human development” and “community development” as its key themes.
The venue on Sunday, July 20, 2025, is an area centered around Seishincho Shopping Street in Tamashima.
We introduce why Seishincho Shopping Street was chosen as the forum venue and the highlights of the day’s program.
The information provided was current when this article was published in July 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the “Traveling Human and Community Development Forum”?
The Traveling Human and Community Development Forum aims to help participants take a step toward better communities through introductions to initiatives tailored to the characteristics and challenges of each region, and exchanges among participants.
The forum began in 2021, hosted by the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education. Since 2023, it has continued without interruption under different host organizations, including the Human and Community Development Forum Organizing Committee, whose members are primarily people involved in education.
As its title suggests, the forum’s defining feature is that the venue itself travels around Okayama Prefecture, with each event held in a different community.
Kurashiki City’s Tamashima, the venue on Sunday, July 20, 2025, is the seventh location to host the forum.
Focusing on the area around Tamashima Seishincho Shopping Street, the event will be held at Seishincho Shopping Street and Meeting Room 2 at Tamashima Civic Exchange Center, with the following program planned.
- Town walk (Seishincho Shopping Street)
- Presentations on local initiatives (Tamashima Civic Exchange Center)
- Networking time (Tamashima Civic Exchange Center)
Please see the images below for details.
Admission is free, but advance registration is required.
Interview with the Organizing Committee
We asked Kawasaki Yoshimi, a member of the Human and Community Development Forum Organizing Committee, why they chose Seishincho Shopping Street in Tamashima as the forum venue and what attendees can look forward to on the day.
Why did you choose Tamashima as the location for this forum?
Kawasaki (surname only)
Since 2021, Tamashima has been home to an initiative called “Tamashima Innovation Meeting: A Forum for Considering the Future of Tamashima and Its Businesses,” where young local business owners gather. Currently, they are working with local students on a project to make effective use of the site of Minato-yu, a public bathhouse that closed 12 years ago. The project is called the Tamashima Revival Project.
I became interested in Tamashima after attending a presentation on the project’s achievements in January 2025. I found it very interesting.
Tamashima has educational resources ranging from kindergartens to universities, and an environment where people of all ages can get involved in the community.
Local residents also lead lives that connect people and provide places for them to gather, using Seishincho Shopping Street as their setting. I wanted more people to learn about these efforts, so I chose Tamashima as the venue.
What kinds of people have attended the forum at the previous six locations?
Kawasaki
Attendees range from junior high and high school students to people in their 60s who are interested in social education, community development, and creating places for people to gather.
The age range is broad, and my impression is that there are people of various ages, with roughly equal numbers of men and women.
There are also many repeat attendees. They come not only from Okayama Prefecture, but also from the Chubu, Kansai, and Sanin regions.
The schedule—taking a town walk in the morning, followed by presentations on local initiatives and a networking event in the afternoon—is the same at every venue. But because the forum lets you walk around and experience firsthand the community where the initiatives are taking place, you’re sure to make new discoveries at each location.
Are there any activities unique to the Tamashima venue?
Kawasaki
Perhaps the town walk in the morning.
All the places featured in the afternoon presentations are within walking distance, so I think joining the morning town walk will make the presentations feel more real. I hope you’ll join the walk, too.
The town walks have been very popular in the communities where we’ve held the forum in the past, too.
Also, at the afternoon forum venue, high school students from Tamashima will sell wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets, that are local specialties.
Tamashima is a port town that flourished as a port of call for Kitamaebune trading ships. The culture of the tea ceremony was brought here from Kyoto, and the tradition of enjoying tea and wagashi continues to this day.
We hope you’ll enjoy Tamashima’s wagashi, too.
What kinds of topics will be covered in the presentations on local initiatives?
Kawasaki
The Tamashima Revival Project is scheduled to be the first topic presented.
There will also be presentations by the chair of Seishincho Shopping Street’s merchants’ association and someone who is exploring performance art in the shopping street.
Saito (surname only)
I’ll be speaking as the second presenter.
I moved to Tamashima from Aichi Prefecture after getting married, and now run a rental space in Seishincho Shopping Street and serve as the chair of the merchants’ association.
Seishincho Shopping Street is striking for its retro appearance, but it’s also a fascinating shopping street where one new business after another is making use of the existing buildings to try new things.
I hope to talk about the appeal of Seishincho Shopping Street in a way that conveys it to everyone attending.
What would you like participants to take away from this forum?
Kawasaki
I think it’s unusual for a forum to “travel” from one venue to another.
I hope participants enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime encounters that come about when they visit and connect with people in the community.
Another key strength of community development in Tamashima is that many activities focus on “how to make use of what’s already here.”
At first glance, Seishincho Shopping Street looks old-fashioned, but you can see many new initiatives making use of its older buildings.
All the initiatives featured in this year’s presentations make effective use of things that have long been part of Tamashima, with people of different ages from the community working together.
I hope you’ll take home lessons from Tamashima’s human and community development efforts and apply them to your own communities.
Do you have a message for our readers?
Kawasaki
This is the forum’s seventh location.
This time, too, we have a packed program that offers a chance to experience the history and culture of Tamashima, as well as the passion of the people working in the community.
Come visit Tamashima and experience the Traveling Human and Community Development Forum.
From the Writer
Some time ago, an acquaintance invited me to a local event held in Seishincho Shopping Street, and I went along.
When I think of shopping streets, I tend to imagine close-knit, long-established communities, and I had the impression that they could be hard to enter if you lived elsewhere—even elsewhere in Kurashiki City.
But when I actually spoke with people in the community, I was surprised to learn that people in all kinds of situations—including those who live outside the shopping street, newcomers to the area, and people involved in education and art—come together because they want to energize Tamashima.
This time, too, the forum promises to be fascinating: an architect will lead the town walk, while university professors, newcomers to the area, people involved in art, and others with diverse perspectives will share what makes Tamashima special in their presentations.
If you’re feeling unsure because it’s your first time attending, try talking to one of the organizing committee members wearing a light blue T-shirt.
They’re all professionals in human development who work in fields such as education, so you can feel at ease.
Why not visit Tamashima and take a step toward a better community?
Traveling Human and Community Development Forum in Tamashima: Information
| Name | Traveling Human and Community Development Forum in Tamashima |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, July 20, 2025 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. |
| Location | 1-10-1 Agasaki, Tamashima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture (Meeting Room 2, Tamashima Civic Exchange Center) |
| Admission (tax included) | Free admission |
| Website | Traveling Human and Community Development Forum |
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