From Kyushu to the world. “Co-creation” Connecting the Future of the Ocean Blossoms at the Osaka-Kansai Expo
Karatsu Farm & Food Press Release: October 26, 2025 To Members of the Press From Kyushu to the world. “Co-creation” Connecting the Future of the Ocean Blossoms at the Osaka-Kansai Expo Circular design and educational practices fostered through community collaboration in Northwest Kyushu (Tsushima, Fukuoka, Saga, and Karatsu) offer new hope for the marine plastic waste problem.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-9a3118bb96150c1152c85617220a8b23-3900×2925.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-1fa0e5fa670884a45b84b0acd9e1c85e-3900×2925.jpg Tsushima City, Kanazawa College of Art, SARAYA, NPO Karatsu Farm & Food (Precious Plastic Karatsu) @BLUE OCEAN DOME
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-ae5ecbc09a4948ed3157af058cf883af-3900×2925.jpg Karatsu Farm & Food, in collaboration with Tsushima City, SARAYA Co., Ltd., and Kanazawa College of Art, participated in “Tsushima Week” and gave presentations and held workshops. “Designs that inspire everyone to address the issue of marine plastic waste,” developed at the “BLUE OCEAN DOME” Date: June 2025 / Organizer: ZERI JAPAN Karatsu Farm & Food will participate in “Tsushima Week” in collaboration with Tsushima City, SARAYA Co., Ltd., and Kanazawa College of Art, and will be giving presentations and holding workshops. • Plastic bottle caps collected on the coast of Tsushima are crushed and remolded • Creating a wave-motif upcycled piece, “Wave Ema” • Approximately 300 “Wishes for the Ocean” written by visitors and children were on display at the venue. The exhibition, which combined Karatsu’s traditional culture, marine environment, and design, provided visitors with an opportunity to take the future of the ocean into their own hands. In the talk session “The Thoughts of Dad and the Waves,” the power of “design that creates an opportunity for everyone to face up to the problem of marine plastic” was introduced, and it resonated with many people. https://karatsu-f-f.com/expo2025.html
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-244c2f009865df0a8394d3b73cda051a-3900×2925.jpg Wave ema exhibited at BLUE OCEAN DOME Wave Ema (Exhibition at the venue) Plastic bottle caps collected in Tsushima were recycled into wave-shaped votive plaques. Visitors and children wrote their “wishes for the ocean” on them, and approximately 300 of them were on display. This is an experiential upcycling experience where you come into contact with waste → learn → pledge to take action.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-db20fe52f654b336989bfe113af82537-2111×1392.png Digital Wave Ema that can be filled out online Digital Wave Ema (Online) When you post using the venue’s QR code or URL, your digital ema will appear in the gallery. https://wish4otosha.jp/ The project will continue even after the Expo closes, with children of Karatsu continuing to send out their messages. It is an online co-creation system that connects “feelings for the ocean” across distances.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-219b894a3c304ee616ad32eb03cb26d9-3900×2925.jpg Osaka-Kansai Expo 2005 TEAM EXPO Pavilion Karatsu Minami High School students and graduates on stage To the world with high school students. “Karatsu Minami Style Circulatory Symbiosis Cycle” will be exhibited at the TEAM EXPO Pavilion. Appearance Date: September 20, 2025 / Venue: TEAM EXPO Pavilion (Future Life Village) On September 20th, the Karatsu Minami High School “Niji no Matsubara Project Team” and Karatsu Farm & Food took to the stage at the TEAM EXPO Pavilion (Future Life Village). The high school students presented the “Karatsu Minami Circular Symbiosis Cycle,” which utilizes pine needle compost, marine plastic waste, and local ingredients, and shared their sustainable regional circulation model with the world. The exhibition booth also displayed recycled products by Precious Plastic Karatsu, showcasing the results of regional education co-created by alumni and current students. This project has been highly praised as an example of ESD (Education for Sustainable Development).
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-db47882401c62b535349e6e6da1cc327-3900×2925.jpg Kyushu Expedition Team receives SDGs Award The moment when
comprehensive collaboration on the SDGs reached the world Award Date: October 13, 2025 / “Team Expo” Award Award Winner: “Kyushu Exploration Team,” a volunteer team from Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin Store, and Tsushima City’s “Marine Garbage Art Project” (Karatsu Farm & Food and Precious Plastic Karatsu collaborated through technical cooperation, lectures, and workshops.) Evaluated Points • Continuous efforts to address the problem of marine plastic waste in Tsushima • A
co-creation system linking schools, businesses, local governments, and citizens • Continuing the “on-site, learning, and regenerating” cyclical action
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-37a4d43ff5fb53c351054c75bad825a3-3900×2925.jpg Marine plastic waste was molded into tiles to create a large-scale artwork of a kingfisher. Kyushu Expedition, Tsushima City, Precious Plastic Karatsu @ Tsushima City Clean Center Central Relay Station Crushed and sorted marine plastic waste was molded into tiles to create a large-scale artwork together with children and local residents. The motif is the black-capped kingfisher, a migratory bird symbolic of Tsushima. This award, which recognized our grassroots collaboration on the international stage, marked a turning point in expanding the possibilities for a new social model aimed at solving the problem of marine plastic waste.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-459f5255372b82096b3e2c32de9786bf-3900×2925.jpg Precious Plastic Karatsu Wave Ema Workshop @BLUE OCEAN DOME “Precious Plastic Karatsu” – A plastic waste upcycling hub from Karatsu that will shape the future Operated by: Karatsu Farm & Food NPO Utilizing the Dutch open-source recycling system “Precious Plastic,” plastic waste collected in Karatsu City is crushed and remolded. It is upcycled into artistic and practical items such as coasters and miscellaneous goods. Through workshops and educational collaborations, the organization creates a space where citizens, children, and businesses can enjoyably experience a recycling-oriented society. At the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the organization held a lecture and workshop at the BLUE OCEAN DOME, garnering attention as a pioneering example of upcycling in Japan. Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/preciousplastic.karatsu/
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/142434/112/142434-112-3d90a4df0a1a4055e042df9f85a8bf94-3900×2925.jpg April 2023, first visit to Tsushima, Karatsu Farm & Food, Kyushu Exploration Team, Tsushima City From the region to the future. Changes brought about by “connections” The wave ema, the high school student presentation, and the expedition team’s award. All of these are the results of Kyushu citizens and children working together and creatively responding to the global issue of marine plastic pollution. Karatsu Farm & Food will continue to promote the OECM (Ocean Environment Center), ESD education, and the plastic resource recycling activities of Precious Plastic Karatsu, spreading the message of local resource recycling and a nature-positive future from Kyushu to the world. [Organization Overview] Non-profit organization Karatsu Farm & Food Location: Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture Representative Director: Nozomi Hamaguchi Established: 2020 Activities: Environmental Education (ESD), resource recycling, upcycled product production, and promotion of the Organic Ecosystem Management (OECM) Official Website: https://karatsu-f-f.com/ Copyright ©
Corporation All Rights Reserved.