Local group Iilabo

Liven up Iida with young energy!

Local group Iilabo

Representative: Akari Miyashita

Third year student at Iida High School, Nagano Prefecture　

https://www.instagram.com/iida_mizuhiki_labo?igsh=MTVtN3AybDAxNjE2Ng==

"Iilabo" is a student community group based in Iida City, Nagano Prefecture, consisting of around 40 high school students.

Representative Miyashita attended the U-18 Summit when he was a first-year high school student and was inspired by the people there who were working to address the issues he felt he was facing, so he launched the organization in April 2023.

Originally interested in urban development, he came across mizuhiki, a traditional craft of Iida City, while searching for something that would add appeal to the local area. He says he is drawn to the culture of mizuhiki, where each color, shape, and number of strands has a specific meaning, and people express those feelings in a tangible form and send it to someone. With the mizuhiki industry in Iida City currently in decline, there is a need to develop new fields beyond gift envelopes. Furthermore, with the decline in mizuhiki artisans and the closure of the Mizuhiki Furusato Crafts Museum, there are fewer places to experience mizuhiki, and he felt a sense of crisis that if things continued as they were, the traditional craft of mizuhiki might disappear. In light of this, he began focusing on mizuhiki, hoping to use the young sensibilities of students to spread the word.

Their main activities include holding workshops and interacting with local communities and businesses. They hold workshops in and outside Nagano Prefecture about once a month, create collaborative products with businesses, and hold workshops at schools upon request from elementary and junior high schools. In the workshops, participants make a basic decorative knot using mizuhiki called Awaji Musubi, which they then turn into accessories, bookmarks, straps, and tie to everyday items. The most rewarding aspect is seeing participants' impressions of mizuhiki change before and after the workshop experience.

In addition, they have created a photo spot called Mizuhiki Square and are holding events to help local elementary and junior high school students become familiar with Mizuhiki and take pride in the local traditional craft. They are also the first students to take part in Iida City's monthly Town Needing event, and place great importance on listening to the local community.

He has two plans for the future. The first is to actively interact with elementary and junior high school students of a similar age, convey the appeal of mizuhiki, and change the rigid image of mizuhiki. The second is to revitalize Iida City by having young people and local residents mix together to create a new Iida City and liven up the city.

I would like to continue to support her as she pursues what excites her and what she loves.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on February 30, 2024 by Sayori Yamamoto, second-year student at Keio University