In contemporary Japan there is a great deal of interest concerning issues such as the birth of fewer children and the aging population, growing disparities, the question of who will support the next generation and burgeoning multiculturalism. This research proposes to look at concerns arising from the lower birthrate/aging population and growing multiculturalism, opportunities arising from the needs experienced at the local level from various conflicts and discord to search the design of spaces where voices of multi-cultural or multi-generational alienation can be heard, as well as sustainable utilization of such spaces. This is frameworks for new experiments in taking information from the field and distilling its power, or disseminating information which can be applied in different situations.

Regarding the creation of these spaces for flexible, sustainable utilization, this research will pursue basic and applied research in tandem, in an attempt to developmentally reconstruct the concept of well-being (fukushi). In addition, we will consider interdisciplinary research in cultural anthropology and related disciplines concerning spaciotemporal design and implementation of joint research with individuals who have had experience in the actual field including those of the joint researchers. We thus hope to strengthen our understanding of how this amassed knowledge will be utilized in contemporary society.