CANONの工場見学は私達の取手市での活動のハイライトの一つでした。CANON Inc. はカメラ、複写機、そしてパソコン用プリンター等の撮像装置と光学機器を専門とする日本の多国籍企業です。です。世界２００カ国以上に製品を送り出し、世界中に１１．５万程の従業員がいます。取手市のCANON工場は「共生」という概念に基づき、今世界中で問題になっている環境問題に取り組んだりしています。また、一秒たりとも無駄にしないで生産に取り組む職場を築く為にあらゆるモットーを考え出したり、従業員の行動一つ一つを計算し抜いたりと工夫しています。

着いて始めに、取手工場の総支配人が工場について簡単な説明をして下さいました。CANONが開発や生産計画、また生産の過程で廃材の分離や処理、そしてリサイクリング等、様々な面で環境配慮をしているとおっしゃっていました。

ツアーでは僕達のグループは「マイスターシステム」の話を聞きました。「マイスター」というのは高度な訓練を受け、特定の機械においてのベテランさんことを言います。その更に一段階上には約十時間で６００以上の部品から複写機を組み立てることのできる「スーパー・マイスター」という人達がいます。この自主的なシステムは従業員が仕事に励む為の動機を与えています。このように仕事にやりがいを添える事で従業員の皆さんも革新的な気分になり、能率良く働くことを希望するようになるのです。

六千人以上の従業員の働く取手市のCANON工場では健康的な環境で責任感と持続可能性を示しています。僕達は従業員のほとんどが定年まで働き続けると聞いてきます。お客様を満足させるだけではなく、従業員が快適に働けることにも関心を持っている企業です。市と地域の発展の為持続的に協力しているようでした。

（ブラジル出身、ライプニッツ・ディビッド）

Toride was a quiet rural village until it was developed in the 1960’s as a bedroom suburb of Tokyo. People who worked in the capital started to move to Toride for its rich nature and good access to the center of Tokyo.

Starting in 1995, the city began to lose inhabitants due to an aging population as well as the trend for young people to move back to the Tokyo city center.

A group of local people got together to revitalize Toride. Places for people to come together were built; such as the old-fashioned candy store “Yoiko (good kid)” and the community art gallery “Emaru”. Since a campus of Tokyo University of Arts is located in the city, there have been many events arranged to connect young students and local people. Those people who stood up for the city include Ms. Kudo from Yoiko and Mr. Sobajima, who stayed in the city after studying art to keep doing more projects.

We were fortunate to collaborate with them during our visit. Mr. Sobajima, together with other members of the local organizing committee, set up an event called “World Street”. A day prior to the event, each participant drew 3 small flags; the national flag of their native country, one with how to say ‘thank you’ in their mother tongue, and one with something famous from the place where they’re from, to be used in a game with local elementary school children.

For the international event, 60 kids came to get involved and learn about different cultures. Children in Toride don’t have the opportunity to communicate with foreign visitors so often and so they were a bit hesitant to talk to us in the beginning, but after spending some time, connected really well. Passer-bys stopped for a while to take a look at what they were doing, and the otherwise lonely street was livened up once again.

Some of the participants also leaned “Tamasudare (traditional bamboo stick performance)” at “Hohoemi San”. We teamed up with special needs “Tamasudare” performers who incidentally have became so popular in the region, that they visit elderly homes and schools on a regular basis. We enjoyed the opportunity to perform together, fully dressed in Japanese street-performer costume!