Live Speakers:

Yukiko Niimura
Title：Continuing tradition; breaking the mould. A new approach to three generations of Japanese cuisine.
After studying in the UK and working in for a marketing company in Tokyo, Yukiko Niimura found herself back in her hometown of Kagoshima. She began working at her family's traditional Japanese restaurant "Sanei".

Niimura found herself challenging tradition and introducing new ideas into a very traditional business founded by her grandfather. Combining aspects of design, tradition, and branding she has begun to shape the family business to match her style as the third generation owner.

Hitomi Yamakuchi
Title：Supporting parents: Connecting people, connecting businesses.
After giving birth to her first child, Hitomi Yamaguchi felt that she lacked the support she needed to reintegrate into society as a working mother.

She decided to create a support network of her own, starting with her family oriented café "cafemomo" in 2007. She moved on to create a full support network for mothers in partnership with AsMama in 2010, and founded "Mama Support Project Kagoshima" in 2013.

Yamaguchi hopes to continue to connect local communities, mothers and companies to create a society where women can contribute fully regardless of their parental status.

Miwa Higashikawa
Title：A humorous look at the world around us.
Miwa Higashikawa is a folklorist who has a passion for preserving our shared cultural heritage. She is presently secretariat of the Kagoshima Explorers Club, an organization dedicated to finding the things, buildings, and places that make our towns special.

In this fascinating talk, she shows us how even something mundane, albeit a little unusual, can have its own history and add in its own little way to making our habitats the places they are.