English 
日本語 Beyond cultural experiences, trace the presence of living creatures.
Focus on the "background" of cultural experiences.
Kyoto offers a wide variety of cultural experiences.
Crafts, food, decor, seasonal events—all of these have been cherished as part of this town's charm.
When we encounter them, we feel they are "beautiful" and "profound."
However, we often don't consider what kinds of living things or natural environments are involved in the background of those experiences.
For example, where did the materials come from?
In what kind of land and climate did that skill develop?
What kinds of living things are involved in that?
Culture is not made up solely of human activities.
It is something that has been shaped over time in relation to nature and living things.
This article goes a step further than the "culture of seeing and experiencing,"
As a perspective for understanding the underlying relationships,
We will open the door to "becoming aware of the living things behind cultural experiences."
This is also related to "regenerative tourism," which has been attracting attention in recent years.
It is also a perspective aimed at restoring the relationship between culture and nature and fostering a deeper connection between them.
What is the "Connecting Living Things - Museum Project for Everyone"?
It starts from this perspective:Connecting Living Things - Everyone's Museum Project"is.
Kyoto is a city where culture and lifestyle have flourished amidst a rich natural environment, including mountains, water, soil, and seasons.
Diverse aspects of Japanese culture, such as Japanese cuisine, crafts, gardens, and festivals, have all been born and passed down through generations in relation to nature.
However, in modern urban life, these kinds of relationships are becoming increasingly difficult to see.
©︎Kyoto City & RELEASE;
Therefore, in this project, we will focus on culture and lifestyle
We are attempting to reframe it as an "entry point" for understanding the natural environment and biodiversity.
What's unique about it is that it treats the entire city of Kyoto as a single museum.
I believe that exhibitions exist not only within specific buildings, but also in all kinds of places and activities throughout the city.
And it's not just experts who create those exhibitions.
Each citizen becomes a "curator",
・Lifestyle culture
- ・Natural environment
- Living things
We will find, articulate, and share these connections.
The goal of this initiative is,
Through rediscovering the relationship between our lives and living things,
It is about fostering people's love for nature.
Three elements for discovering "relationships in daily life"
So, how can we become aware of that relationship?
This project has three key elements that have been identified.
① Relationship discoverer (curator)
Those who discover relationships are not limited to specialized professionals.
Ordinary citizens, researchers, businesses, and everyone involved with this city can take on that role.
Questions and feelings of unease that you might occasionally encounter in your daily life.
"Why this material?" "Why this shape?"
Such small realizations
This can be a starting point for understanding our relationship with living things.
A curator is not someone who teaches knowledge,
A person who recognizes relationships and shares them with others.It is also true.
② An entrance to experiencing relationships (a living entrance)
The gateway to recognizing relationships is right beside us.
Clothing, food, shelter.
Place, thing, event.
Everyday activities themselves serve as gateways to relationships.
Cultural experiences, in particular, play a significant role as an entry point.
Through experience, we come to understand our relationship with nature and living things not as knowledge, but as a sense.
In this project as well, by using culture and lifestyle as an entry point,
It is considered important to broaden our perspective to include the underlying factors such as water, soil, seasons, and the workings of living things.
③ Methods of empathy in relationships (the empathy journey)
How will the discovered relationships be shared?
Tours, meals and experiences, exhibitions, articles and content.
There are various methods, but what is emphasized here is not simply the transmission of information.
What's important is the person who receives it.
It feels like it's connected to my own life.is.
The process for achieving this is called the "empathy journey."
As we journey through our relationships, we gradually come to understand those connections as something personal to us.
The connection with living things revealed through cultural experiences
When we actually re-examine our cultural experiences, we can see the relationships we have with various living things.
For example, even just considering food culture,
Water, grains, and microorganisms are deeply involved.
©︎Kyoto City & RELEASE;
In one model tour, we visited places that support Kyoto's food culture.
An opportunity was provided to experience firsthand the relationship with nature that underlies the materials and manufacturing methods.
For example, in the production of namafu (raw gluten),
Using gluten extracted from wheat, glutinous rice, and water, a delicate process is carried out by hand.
Each of those steps is not just a technique,
It is created while dealing with the properties of the materials and how they change over time.
©︎Kyoto City & RELEASE;
By understanding this background,
Even in the food we put into our mouths,
It makes you realize that many living things and the workings of nature are involved.
Similarly, in the world of crafts, behind materials such as wood, lacquer, and plants,
There is a relationship with nature that has been nurtured over a long period of time.
Related tours:https://link-kpjt.com/contents/urushi_tsutsumi/
©︎Kyoto City & RELEASE;
Cultural experiences reveal those relationships.
It might be a place that allows you to experience it, even if only for a brief moment.
Coverage article of the "First Model Tour" of the "Connecting Living Things - Everyone's Museum" project.LINKYOTO was created based on this.
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