National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan: Heritage for the Future

The Future Heritage Project aims to convey to children 100 years in the future the rich local cultural and natural heritages that have been nurtured by long years of history and tradition.
Based on the spirit of the UNESCO Constitution, the Citizen’s UNESCO Project strives to achieve a stable and prosperous society by opposing wars and contributing to the creation of rich and appealing communities. Through such activities, the ultimate goal of the project is to achieve global peace.
However, even as global acceleration continues to accelerate on a worldwide scale and creates a more closely-knit global society, we are losing the prospects for a bright future due to terrorism, economic recession, and other issues which divide people. Regional society in Japan has also lost its vigor due to the wave of depopulation, a declining birthrate, and an aging population. More than anything, cultural and natural heritages which have been built throughout Japan’s long history are being lost rapidly, and there are many cases in which such heritages are in danger of dying out with the current generation.
The Future Heritage Project places the spotlight on rich gifts of Japanese society; specifically, cultural heritages that have been woven by people throughout a long history, and natural heritages which show the wisdom and ingenuity of people living together with nature. By stimulating people’s desire to convey these heritages to future generations, the project seeks to shape a new era in Japanese history.
National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan　http://unesco.or.jp/

Zoushigaya Heritage for the Future

The Zoushigaya “Gaya-Gaya” Project was started based on an agreement with the Heritage for the Future Project of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan. The Gaya-Gaya Project has the following goal: “To enable children 100 years in the future to feel a sense of pride for living in the Zoushigaya neighborhood, all residents of Zoushigaya shall join together to pass down the cultural and natural heritages of the region while preserving venerable traditions and seeking harmony with nature and changes of the times.”
This project has been conducted by residents of Zoushigaya*1 and has been led by the Toshima UNESCO Association. As a result of these efforts, the project passed rigid screening and the “Zoushigaya “Gaya-Gaya” Project: Town-Building through History and Culture” was selected as part of the “Project Heritage for the Future”*2 on December 18, 2014.
In addition to recognition for Zoushigaya as a region with rich history and culture, the project was also highly recognized for how residents themselves play a leading role for regional and town-building activities in Zoushigaya. Through Zoushigaya Heritage for the Future, we will continue to convey to children 100 years in the future the rich local cultural and natural heritages that have been nurtured by long years of history and tradition.

Toshima UNESCO Association (NPO)　https://ja-jp.facebook.com/Toshimaunesco/

*1 The area of the project conducted by the Zoushigaya Heritage for the Future Association is not limited to the Zoushigaya district as defined by the Japanese addressing system. Rather, it includes sections of Minami-Ikebukuro and Nishi-Ikebukuro which were once known as Zoushigaya.

*2 In order to preserve rich local nature and culture for children 100 years in the future, the activities of local citizens’ groups were subject to rigid screening and registered as the “Project Heritage for the Future.”