On Friday, May 17, we had the pleasure of welcoming Yoshihide Otomo (guitarist, turntable artist, composer, and producer) to present a lecture entitled “Activities for Project FUKUSHIMA!” He spoke about how he set up this project to act as a middle ground to connect the people of Fukushima with those outside, and also told us about the festivals he has held, which included activities such as creating a huge patchwork cloth, a flag raising ceremony, and a bon odori dance festival. Participants in the festivals took part in whatever way they liked, through music, art, or dance, and it was wonderful to see how people with different viewpoints and ideas could come together. The lecture made it clear how much Mr. Otomo himself has enjoyed running this project. (Hashimoto)