Introduction 

I am a designer and educator. 

Both of them have same value like "creating the future”.  

 

Three months ago, when I arrived in Joensuu, I was exhausted. I had worked very hard as a designer for capitalist society and had just finished a large exhibition in Tokyo. Although the project in Japan was based on my beliefs, it was accompanied by a sense of emptiness throughout. I felt like I didn't want to do anything anymore. 

However, after a week of arriving, I regained my sanity and realized what it meant to "live happily.” 

 

 

Finnish Values 

 

The values ​​I felt in Finland were simple, but it seems that they are rooted in respecting individuals and living a comfortable life together. These values ​​can be considered essential for building a future where people can live happily and prosperously. 

 

Next, I will introduce three pleasant values ​​I felt in Finland. 

 

Firstly, the emphasis on comfort. 

There are not many people who consider Japanese schools to be comfortable. There is a Japanese proverb that says "buy suffering when you are young," which implies that the beauty of hardship is valued. I agree with this idea since there are things that you can learn by going through hardships.  

However, Finnish schools were comfortable and beautiful, like an art museum. They spared no expense on furniture (compared to Japan's public furniture) and the building was spacious and bright, always kept clean by the cleaning staff.  

When asked what was important for educators, many teachers answered that creating a comfortable environment for children was most important. It was interesting because I didn't think this idea would come up from Japanese teachers. Perhaps this ideology stems from respecting each child as an individual. Everyone should live comfortably, regardless of age. Teachers were not there to lead or command but rather to support their students in living a comfortable life together. (※comfort) 

 

Secondly, there was a sense of spaciousness. I felt the abundance of life created by a relaxed sense of time. School teachers generally end their classes by 2 pm. Of course, they have preparations and other work to do, but they can do it at home, and there is a completely flexible system after school hours. They were not arrested by the school.  

As a result, they can gather in the forest at 3 pm and sit around the campfire and spend some chill time with colleagues and their families, or they can have language class or other hobbies. I thought that time outside of work enriches people and creates a sense of spaciousness. When people have room to spare, they can be kinder to others. When there is time and space outside of work, people can expand their interests and activities. As a result, teachers can become more diverse and talented, taking additional lessons as a hobby, for example. A diverse and talented teacher can offer diverse learning experiences, which is beneficial to the students.(※speciousness) 

 

Last one is trust.  

I believed that the biggest difference in philosophy between Japan and Finland lies here. Compared to Japan, Finland is often regarded as a land of freedom. The reason behind this is that people are not seen as mere pawns. In other words, I thought it was because they value people as important resources, and thus give them responsibility to maximize their potential. This is possible because of trust. When people are trusted and given responsibility, they act with a sense of responsibility and respond to it. In terms of education, the government trusts teachers, teachers trust students, and students trust teachers. As a result, individual freedom expands, and diversity emerges. Of course, this doesn't mean that it's a free-for-all. There are appropriate structures in place that allow for flexibility.(※trust) 

 

Encountering these completely different values from Japan provided me with an opportunity to rethink what happiness means. 

 

 

 

Purpose and Results of Studying Abroad 

 

The purpose of my visit was to research "inclusive education that fosters diversity and the design that supports it."  

However, now that I have finished my study abroad, I feel that inclusive education may not be the optimal solution for fostering diversity, and at the same time, I feel that I have grasped the essence of diversity. After hearing various teachers' opinions and seeing various elementary, junior high, and high schools, I even began to wonder if the term “inclusive" itself (the word) was incorrect. 

 

In reality, schools were not as inclusive as I had imagined. Additionally, there were teachers who opposed the government's recommended inclusive education. However, for some reason, wherever I went, I felt a comfortable atmosphere where everyone was accepted. When I thought about the relationship between the atmosphere, classroom, and school design, I realized that it was because there was diversity in the classroom itself and in the items within it, and each individual was respected. 

 

There were chairs where one could be alone, Surrounded safe and comfortable meeting spaces for group discussions, large cushions everyone can use, large sofas to lie down on, wobbling chairs, desks with adjustable heights, and comforting nests, all present in the schools. Additionally, personal items were not overly regulated, and from elementary school, students brought in items such as cell phones, toys, Rubik's cubes, and accessories, which allowed us to see their individuality. 

 

Instead of trying to encompass everyone in one place, it seemed that schools were providing opportunities to find each person's optimal solution, allowing them to live freely and recognize the existence of various people. As a result, diversity was fostered, and I felt that I had gained the ability to not be swayed by others and to be comfortable being myself. 

 

At the same time, I felt a sense of crisis about the fact that in Japan, many children are becoming increasingly regulated and can only move within those regulations, as a result of trying to prevent problems. There are a certain number of young people who cannot judge good or bad for themselves and cannot take responsible actions, no matter how much time passes. Rather than excluding things that may become small seeds of problems, it is very important to entrust children with the responsibility of action from an early age, including how to solve them. (※school design) 

 

 

Activity record and memories 

 

Trust wasn't just for the students. The teachers in Mutala gave me the opportunity to create the school logo, even though I was a foreigner. I planned an art project and made a big piece of art with all the students. Then I extracted elements from it and combined them to make the logo. This activity was very fulfilling for me. It was the best project for me because we were connected by value, not money, and we were able to give each other positive influences.（※logo） 

 

Also, while teaching art classes, I connected with a visiting teacher from Croatia, and they evaluated my class. As a result, I was invited to teach in Croatia. This connection with educators from around the world has become a great asset to me.（※art class） 

 

I’m very interested in circular economy. Because I have experience to design and manufactured some products. Now I guess many of them become garbage. I reflected on the fact that I had created things in ignorance, so I wanted to convey the concept of the circular economy and the furoshiki of Japanese culture.The fourth graders made their own furoshiki from old cloth and learnt how to wrap it. I was very happy the next day when I saw students carrying their lunch boxes and books wrapped in them.（※furosiki） 

 

I also had the opportunity to visit many elementary, middle, and high schools and teach art classes, which was a great experience. Each student is unique, and each school has a different vibe, so I was able to feel a large diversity on a large scale. 

 

I myself am not good at English, and there were children who did not understand English. Of course, Google Translate helped me to communicate with these children, but I think I was able to communicate with them through non-verbal communication tools. For me, that was art. As soon as I arrived in Mutala, I asked the children what they liked and had a simple conversation with them. Then I drew a picture and gave it to them as a gift. This brought us closer together, and I was able to talk to each child positively. 

 

Nature in Finland is amazing. I liked nature from the beginning, but I felt the richness of living close to nature again after coming here. Campfires in the forest, skiing, saunas, sunrises, sunsets, beautiful silhouettes of trees, beautiful birch bark, rabbit footprints, and frozen rivers are just a few examples.(※nature) 

 

Especially, the house where Mika invited me was ideal. He renovated an old school, made a fire in the fireplace, and made stew in the oven to heat the house. It was the best place in the forest. And, of course, there was a sauna. We made a fire with firewood and warmed up the sauna. We drew water from the well in the garden. I really enjoyed Finland. 

 

 

Finally 

 

It’s already three months left, I was able to experience your warmth, various things, and witness the beautiful changing of the seasons. I believe this experience will be an important reference point in my life. 

 

When I return to Japan, I will not forget the values of happiness that I experienced here and will think about how I can utilize them as a designer in Japan. 

It may be an educational approach or a different approach based on that philosophy, but I believe that whatever I do will be influenced by the philosophy that I developed during my time in Finland. 

 

Thank you very much for these three months. To everyone at Mutala School, especially Tarja, Mika, and Hanna-Kaisa,  

See you again! 

 

 

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This is the my portfolio site. 

You can see my works and my philosophy.  

https://sakura-kotokawa.studio.site