An article by Rob Visintiainer
I recently had the opportunity to join Professor Barry Golding in an online forum during his visit to Sapporo, Hokkaido, where he’s been collaborating with Ayahito Ito and Risa Takashima on Japan’s first pilot Men’s Shed project. Barry has summarized their inspiring work in his latest blog post, which you can read here.
outside the Shed in Japanese with Dr Risa Takashima (left) and Dr Ayahito Ito (right). Translated from Japanese, the main part of the sign says Pokke Kotan Men’s Shed. Courtesy of Prof B Golding.
Additionally, there’s a brief documentary about the Sapporo Men’s Shed. While it’s in Japanese, the atmosphere and spirit are unmistakably that of a Men’s Shed! Ayahito has generously provided an English transcript for the film, which you can find here
You can read more about the pilot project started in October 2022 (FY2022-2026) with the support of JST-RISTEX here
https://www.ristex2022csjapan.com/
A work in progress and not it’s final form, the shed movement in Japan is envisioned to be supported by a Japan Community Sheds Association (JCSA). In the future, researchers will step back and shedders will lead the association. Read more here