Ikadai is a parasitologist and Associate Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University. After graduating from the United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, with a Ph.D. in Veterinary Medicine, Ikadai now specializes in the interrelationships between protozoan parasites and their vectors. His research has focused on malaria and babesiosis. He has published numerous articles in national and international parasitology and veterinary journals and given oral presentations at academic conferences. His recent articles include One Health no gainen to jinju kyotsu kansensho: kansensho to tsukiau tame ni rikai shite oku koto (The Concept of One Health and Zoonosis: What to Understand to Deal with Infectious Diseases) (ICNR, 2020).

Ise is an ecologist and Associate Professor at the Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University. After graduating from Harvard University with a Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Ise now specializes in forest ecology and computer simulation. From global warming to human evolution, his lifework is to study the relationship between humans and nature. His major monographs include Manande miruto seitaigaku wa omoshiroi (Learning Ecology is Unexpectedly Fun) (Beret Publishing, 2013) and Seitai gakusha no me no tsukedokoro (Ecologist’s Perspectives) (Beret Publishing, 2021).

Itazu is a printer and the president of Itazu Litho-Ggrafik. He studied lithography at the Tamarind Institute (University of New Mexico). Itazu explores the possibilities of artistic printmaking expression in lithography that was used for general printing, and collaborates with artists to create fascinating artworks. His major exhibitions include “Footprints” (Museum Haus Kasuya, 2016).

O JUN is an artist who graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts with a Master of Fine Arts in Oil Painting. He has experimented with various painting tools, materials and methods with a focus on painting. O JUN has had many solo and group exhibitions, both in Japan and abroad. The Aomori Contemporary Art Center held his solo exhibition, “MANMANCHAN, AN”, in 2016. His collection of works includes O JUN 1996-2007 (AKAAKA Art Publishing, 2007), 1982-2013 O JUN kakuco (Drawing Child) (Seigensha Art Publishing, 2013), and Tochu no zobutsu (Unfinished Creation) (Mizuma Art Gallery, 2019).

Oba is an ecologist and a researcher in the Division of Forest Ecosystem at the Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University. She earned her Ph.D. from the Hiroshima University Organization of the World-leading Innovative Graduate Education Programs, Program for Phoenix Leader Education Program for Renaissance from Radiation Disaster. Oba specializes in forest ecology and environmental science. Her research focuses on the interactions between different ecosystems and the relationships between organisms and the environment.

Shintsubo is a photographer who graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in oil painting, and has a Ph.D. in Fine Arts. He works in photography, drawing, filming, and field recording. Shintsubo’s major collections include Rugged TimeScape (FOIL, 2010), a collaboration with IKEGAMI Takashi, Spring Ephemeral (FOIL, 2011), and ＼Fukei (＼Landscape) (Kadokawa Shoten, 2012). His recent works include Okan no fukei _Besshonuma Koen (Scenery of Going Back and Forth_Besshonuma Park ) (Saitama Triennale 2020, 2020), which is based on the villa designed by the late poet TACHIHARA Michizo (1914-39).

Yamamoto is an artist who graduated from Tama Art University, majoring in oil painting. With a background as a gardener, he has continued his fieldwork throughout Japan, exploring the theme, “relationship between nature and humans.” Yamamoto’s activities range from farming to sake brewing, maple syrup production, and the study of the forestry industry. His activities in Aomori Prefecture include the permanent installation of a sculpture at the Towada Art Center (2008) and participation in the “Aomori Spring Sprout” exhibition (Aomori Museum of Art, Community Gallery, 2022).

Established in 1981, the Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology is based on the Laboratory of Animal Pathology and Parasitology, which was opened in 1966 when Kitasato University’s Towada Campus was founded. Taking advantage of the location of nature-rich Towada City, the laboratory studies parasites and vectors of parasitic infections in wild animals, their ecology, and their effects on their hosts. Faculty members include Associate Professor Ikadai Hiromi and Assistant Professor KUSAKISAKO Kodai.

Kumagai organizes the woodworking studio, “Jugemu”. Since retiring from a corporate job, he has run a wood workshop in Sawayama, Aomori City, where he makes and sells everyday wooden products, such as stools and kitchenware, while growing trees and plants in the mountain village. He actively participates in craft fairs and other events held throughout the Tohoku region.

Kurata is a Ph.D. student at the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University. Specializing in human geography, she conducts surveys and research about the relationship between human emotions and places, such as the attachment to and loss of place. Kurata was born in a Touya (head) family, which preserves the tradition of Sagi no Mai (heron dance), an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Yamagata Prefecture. Currently, she is involved in the “Do a Front” project that utilizes the houses and warehouses of lumber merchants, successors of Touya since the Edo period, reusing traditional cultural and local resources in the art domain.

Nakamura is a first year Ph.D. student in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, at the Kitasato University Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine. She conducts research on the parasite fauna and ecology of wild animals, focusing mainly on trematodes. Nakamura has participated in projects, such as “Where is ‘Chiiki art’?” , as a supporter of the Towada Art Center. She also exhibits, lectures, and writes articles based on her own production activities using discarded wool.

Yamashita is a third year Ph.D. student in the Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, at the Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. He belongs to the Networked Biophotonics and Microfluidics Laboratory (Ota Laboratory) . Yamashita develops new technologies that can extract more information from individual human cells to help in medicine and drug development. He has also been involved in a wide range of other biological research, including ecology, paleontology, and neuroscience. At the same time, Yamashita has a strong interest in art and continues to create and exhibit his work.

Juichi Yamagiwa is the Director-General of Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. He is a world-renowned researcher and expert in the study of primatology and human evolution. He was awarded Doctor of Science from Kyoto University in 1987. After
holding positions at the Karisoke Research Center, Japan Monkey Center, and Primate Research Institute Kyoto University, he has been Professor of Graduate School of Science at Kyoto University since 2002. He was Dean of Graduate School and Faculty of Science from 2011 to 2013 and has been the 26th President of Kyoto University from 2014 to 2020. Dr. Yamagiwa has also served as President of International Primatological Society from 2008 to 2012, and as the Editor in Chief of Primates, a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal of primatology published by Springer Science+Business Media from 2010 to 2014. In Japan, he served as the president of the Japan Association of National Universities, the president of Science Council of Japan, and is now the member of Environmental Policy Committee of Ministry of Environment. Dr. Yamagiwa’s passion for fieldwork research frequently made him travel to Africa, such as Rwanda, Republic of the Congo, and Gabonese Republic, where he discovered an abundance of new findings related to gorillas, through his unique viewpoint of evolution.