2026 Ehime Prefecture NPO Activity Grant Program [Population Decline Countermeasure Activity Grant]
Uwajima's History and Culture from a Global Perspective
Professor Takahisa Omoto | Report on the 1st Special Lecture
SPECIAL LECTURE 01 · REPORT
Re-examining Uwajima from a global perspective.
On Monday, September 7, 2026, the Uwajima Media Lab held its first special lecture, "Uwajima's History and Culture from a Global Perspective," at the Uwajima City Youth Exchange Center Horibata.
The lecturer was Professor Takahisa Omoto, Associate Professor at the Ehime University Regional Collaboration Promotion Organization and Deputy Director of the Regional Collaboration Center Nanyo. He discussed how familiar Uwajima appears when the direction of maps or the timeline of history is slightly altered, covering regional culture, industry, disaster prevention, and connections with the world, all supported by abundant materials.
If there's one phrase to describe the theme of the day, it's "shifting your usual perspective slightly." Instead of looking at a map with Uwajima on the edge, we looked at one with Uwajima at the center. Instead of just focusing on the current city area, we looked at it over a long period of 400 or 1000 years. This shift in perspective permeated the entire lecture.
01 / LECTURE HIGHLIGHTS
Uwajima looks different when you change your perspective
A region connected by the sea
Professor Omoto redefined Uwajima's position using maps that changed orientation and maps centered on Nanyo. Before roads were developed, maritime transport was central to daily life and logistics. Tracing the movement of people, goods, and information across the Bungo Channel to Kyushu and further out from the Seto Inland Sea reveals that Uwajima is by no means a "distant edge."
Memories of human movement remaining in festivals and townscapes
The Yoshida Festival, Iyo Kagura, and the Deer Dance around Uwajima were also discussed. Particularly impressive was the comparison of Uwajima's Yatsushika Odori and Sendai's Shika Odori, not only through their costumes but also their lyrics. This culture has been passed down from person to person for about 400 years, not just relying on written records. Within it, the memories of people who moved from Sendai to Uwajima still live on.
The historical townscapes of Iwamatsu, Unomachi, and Uchiko were also introduced, as well as the history of Nanyo's hase (Japanese wax tree) and mokuro (wood wax) traveling overseas via Kobe and Shanghai. When you deeply research regional culture, stories that extend beyond Japan emerge.
Considering the sea and mountains as a single way of life
The sardine fishing in Uwa Sea, dried sardines transported nationwide as fertilizer, terraced fields that supported livelihoods, and the shift to citrus cultivation and pearl/fish farming. These were not discussed as separate industries but as a history of livelihoods connected by moving between the sea and mountains.
Aquaculture has the potential to support future food supplies. However, simply expanding its scale can also put a burden on the environment. Professor Omoto's talk provided an opportunity to consider not only "how to develop" local industries but also "how to sustain" them.
02 / MILLENNIUM SETTLEMENTS
"Millennium settlements" indicate another timeline
A significant clue for the Media Lab's future learning that emerged from this session was the concept of "millennium settlements."
Professor Omoto presented place names recorded in the Heian period text "Wamyō Ruijushō," explaining that settlements in ancient Nanyo were primarily formed inland rather than along the coast. Present-day Mima and Tatema in Yoshida Town can be seen as areas that have existed for over 1000 years.
In contrast, the current city area of Uwajima was shaped as a castle town roughly 400 years ago. A longer regional history, difficult to notice when only looking at the present central city, remains in old place names.
Professor Omoto also touched upon the perspective of considering the location of these old settlements when thinking about tsunami evacuation. Understanding history becomes an entry point for personally verifying current terrain and evacuation routes.
Note in the article: The "millennium settlements" mentioned here refer to a historical perspective presented in the lecture and are not an official administrative designation. Furthermore, the safety of current evacuation sites cannot be determined solely by the location of old settlements. For actual evacuation, it is necessary to confirm the latest hazard maps and local government guidance.
03 / TOWARDS THE NEXT LEARNING
Using this lecture as a "map" for the next interviews
This lecture is not an end in itself. The Media Lab plans to organize the video, subtitles, and materials from the day and reassemble them into foundational teaching materials for junior and senior high school students. The contents of these materials are planned to be reviewed and supervised by Professor Omoto.
We will research old place names, interview those who carry on festivals, and report on work in the sea and mountains. We will then connect the perspectives received from Professor Omoto to the young people's own interviews and dissemination, ensuring they verify the information obtained, formulate questions, and communicate in their own words.
What the Media Lab values
Ask your own questions, verify facts,
and communicate in your own words.
AI will be utilized as a tool to assist with organizing interview notes, structuring text, summarizing, and disseminating information in English. Rather than letting AI do the thinking, participants themselves will be responsible for verifying facts and choosing how to communicate.
04 / PREPARING THE ACTIVITY BASE
The activity base in Ebisumachi Shopping Street is also taking shape, step by step.
Progress is also being made in creating a space for continuous learning. With the cooperation of Community School Ehime, preparations and construction are underway at the planned activity base within the Ebisumachi Shopping Street, moving towards its operational launch.
On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, the installation of the internet environment provided by Uwajima Cable Television Co., Ltd. was completed. The essential environment for online research, AI utilization, and the production and dissemination of text, audio, and video is beginning to take shape.
As you can see from the photos, the interior is still under renovation. Therefore, we want to record the entire process of bringing in desks and equipment, gathering people, and starting learning from this point onwards.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Uwajima Cable Television Co., Ltd. for providing the communication environment, and to everyone who has cooperated in preparing the activity base.
05 / ANNOUNCEMENT OF JOINT OPEN HOUSE
Would you like to visit our new learning space?
We are planning a joint open house where you can see our activity base and learn about the regional club for junior high students and the courses for high school students. We will clearly explain the common activities for both courses, as well as their different participation methods and approaches.
Joint Open House for Junior and Senior High School Courses
2026/09/12 (Sat)
13:00–15:00 (tentative)
- Venue: Activity base in Ebisumachi Shopping Street (in front of Dance Studio Stella)
- Content: Tour of the activity base, explanation of the regional club for junior high students and courses for high school students, consultation regarding participation
We aim for this to be an opportunity for junior and senior high school students and their parents interested in "interviewing about the region," "disseminating information through text, photos, and videos," or "learning with English and AI" to experience the atmosphere of our activities firsthand.
06 / 2ND SPECIAL LECTURE
Next, we will actually walk through the town of Uwajima.
The three-part series with Professor Omoto will move from "Understanding Uwajima" to "Walking and Thinking about Uwajima." The second session will be a "Uwajima Tsunami Evacuation Town Walk" through the center of Uwajima City.
While learning about past disasters, participants will verify the current situation and challenges of earthquake and tsunami disaster prevention with their own eyes and feet. This is a fieldwork activity that brings the perspective of topography and history gained in the first session to the actual town.
Uwajima Tsunami Evacuation Town Walk
2026/10/03 (Sat)
14:00-17:00
- Instructor: Professor Takahisa Omoto
- Meeting Place: Activity base in Ebisumachi Shopping Street (in front of Dance Studio Stella)
- Location: Central Uwajima City
- Capacity/Fee: 20 people / Free / Pre-registration required
To everyone who participated in the first special lecture, Professor Omoto, and those who cooperated with the venue and operation, thank you very much. We will connect what we learned here to interviews by young people, the creation of educational materials, and dissemination both within and outside the region.
FOR OUR INTERNATIONAL READERS
English Summary
On 2026/09/07, Uwajima Media Lab held its first special lecture, “Uwajima’s History and Culture from a Global Perspective,” at the Uwajima Youth Exchange Center Horibata.
Associate Professor Takahisa Oomoto of Ehime University invited participants to reconsider Uwajima through maps, maritime connections, festivals, local industries, and links with the wider world.
The lecture also explored Mima and Tachima through place names recorded more than 1000 years ago. This “millennium settlement” perspective connected local history with questions about landform and tsunami evacuation.
Historical settlement patterns do not by themselves prove that a present-day location is safe; current hazard maps and official evacuation guidance must be used.
The lecture will be developed into foundational learning materials for junior and senior high school students, with Professor Oomoto’s review planned. Internet installation at the Ebisumachi shopping street activity space was completed on 2026/09/09.
A joint open house is planned for 2026/09/12, followed by the second lecture, “Uwajima Tsunami Evacuation Town Walk,” on 2026/10/03.
Related Links & Verified Information
- The lecture content is based on the lecture, materials used, subtitles, and distribution record from September 7, 2026. 1st Special Lecture & Distribution Information
- Uwajima Media Lab Project Content: Official Project Introduction (Confirmed: 2026/09/10)
- 2nd Session Information: Uwajima Tsunami Evacuation Town Walk (Material Confirmed: 2026/09/10)
The schedule for the open house, the construction status of the activity base, and the educational material development plan are based on the Uwajima NPO Center's operational information as of September 10, 2026. Future plans are subject to change.