In March 2026, Ichigo Bloom had the privilege of organizing a full-day Climate Fresk program at Nagoya University, setting a new record as the largest Climate Fresk facilitator training ever held in Japan, with 29 participants in a single session.
A Full Day of Climate Education
The program brought together an exceptionally diverse group: Nagoya University students and faculty, high school students and teachers, spanning a wide range of backgrounds and English levels. All 29 participants completed the Climate Fresk workshop in the morning, and all of them continued into the afternoon facilitator training – a rare outcome that speaks to the energy and motivation in the room.
The full day was facilitated by Ichigo Bloom members Minami Shinohara and Mahi Patki, two of Japan’s most experienced Climate Fresk facilitators and trainers.
How It Started
The project was initiated by Professor Shin Sugiyama of Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Science, who leads the NU-EMI Project and the 名大みらい育成プロジェクト (Nagoya University Future Development Project). The connection was established through Ichigo Bloom member Mei Mitsui, a Nagoya University alumna, a reminder that impactful collaborations often start close to home.
Why Climate Fresk? Professor Sugiyama’s Perspective
We asked Professor Sugiyama to share his impressions of the experience: “I was attracted to the potential of the method of deepening the learning of students by having them switch to the position of teaching it themselves.”
He was also struck by how the workshop worked across such different participant profiles: “The content was interesting for participants with a wide range of backgrounds, so that students with limited knowledge of environmental issues and graduate students who do research in the field both showed considerable enthusiasm.”
On the multilingual dimension: “Participants with a broad range of English skills, from Japanese high school students to graduate students and native speakers, were able to have a rewarding experience.”
And his overall verdict: “I am very happy about the results and had a very good time myself. Highly recommended!”
Professor Sugiyama also shared that he is now considering whether the Climate Fresk method, linking cause, effect and consequence, could be adapted to teach topics in his own research field, including evolutionary biology. We love seeing this kind of creative cross-pollination.
What Comes Next
The 29 newly trained facilitators are now certified to run Climate Fresk workshops themselves, a multiplier effect that is exactly what the movement is designed to create. The next step being discussed with Nagoya University: a large-scale Climate Fresk event on campus, mobilizing these facilitators to bring climate education to even more students and staff.
A Model for Universities in Japan
This project is a good example of what a university partnership with Ichigo Bloom can look like: a single full day, combining participant education and facilitator training, designed to create lasting in-house capacity rather than a one-off event.
Ichigo Bloom has run workshops with Tokyo University, Nagoya University, British School Tokyo, Deutsche Schule Tokyo Yokohama, UWC ISAK Karuizawa and more. We offer Climate Fresk, Digital Collage, Planetary Boundaries Fresco and other workshops, all available in English and Japanese.
If you are based at a university or high school in Japan and would like to explore a similar program, or if your company would like to sponsor sustainability education for students, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us!
Ichigo Bloom offers climate and biodiversity collaborative workshops such as the Climate Fresk and the Biodiversity Collage, to raise awareness and ignite change within organizations in Japan.
