Tsukuba University’s news release introduced efforts for disaster recovery support. https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/pressrelease/pdf/20260318150000-6.pdf
Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, physicians and nurses from Tsukuba University Hospital entered the disaster-affected areas immediately after the disaster, marking the beginning of the university’s diverse efforts to support recovery by leveraging its varied areas of expertise. The “Embodied Experience Lab” led by Associate Professor Fumiaki Murakami of the Art and Design Group is one such initiative. This project, which began in 2013 as an activity for children who could no longer play outdoors after the disaster, has now evolved in Yanizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture—which faces challenges such as reputational damage and underutilized tourism resources—into a project that transcends the framework of disaster recovery support. Using printmaker Kiyoshi Saito, who has connections to the region, as a hook, the project now communicates the area’s charm through art.