On Sunday 6 September 2026, participants and facilitators gathered at Impact HUB Tokyo for a milestone: the first public session of the Climate Fresk Generation 2 in Japan. Three groups worked in parallel, in English and Japanese, exploring the new version of the workshop that the Climate Fresk association now recommends worldwide.
This session was organized by Climate Fresk Japan, with the facilitation and organizational support of Ichigo Bloom. It was also, quietly, a community moment: the afternoon ended with an informal meetup bringing together Climate Fresk enthusiasts based in Tokyo, many of whom were meeting each other for the first time.
A new chapter for the Climate Fresk
The Climate Fresk is a collaborative, card-based workshop built on IPCC science. In three hours, participants work together to map the causes and consequences of climate change, connecting cards into a coherent picture of the climate system. Originally created in France, it has now reached over 160 countries and more than 2.3 million participants worldwide.
Generation 2, released a few months ago, takes that foundation further. The new version is built around three goals: developing lucidity about the climate situation, optimism grounded in what the IPCC shows is achievable, and a concrete personal and collective action plan. The workshop flow has been streamlined, and a new method called “Steps to Empowerment” now anchors the discussion and action phase. For participants who experienced the original workshop, the shift is palpable: more space to reflect, more time to act.
A new set of Essential cards also makes its debut with Gen2: 27 cards instead of 42, covering the key science while freeing up more time for discussion. They were designed with accessibility in mind – for participants who are less comfortable with scientific content, those attending a workshop in a language that isn’t their first, people with reading disabilities, or anyone who benefits from a lighter cognitive load without losing the substance of the experience. Facilitators (or their clients, in the case of corporate or institutional sessions) can choose between the Original cards (more scientific depth) and the Essential cards (more space for discussion) depending on the audience.
Three groups, two languages, one room
The afternoon ran three parallel sessions:
- English, Science Focus: The full 42-card experience, tracing the causal chain of climate change in depth.
- Japanese, Science Focus: The same full version, facilitated in Japanese.
- English, Discussion Focus: The new 27-card Essential format, with a stronger focus on group reflection and action planning.
The mix of formats and languages meant the room held a genuinely diverse crowd: first-timers and seasoned facilitators, Japanese and international participants, all working through the same science from different angles.
The movement is growing, and Japan needs to catch up
The Climate Fresk has spread fast across Asia, and the numbers tell a pointed story. Japan currently reaches around 47 participants per million inhabitants. Taiwan is at 145, Thailand at 97, South Korea at 82. Singapore, in a league of its own, is approaching 2,000 per million – roughly 40 times Japan’s rate. This is a striking gap for a country with 125 million people, the largest economy in Asia-Pacific, and a well-established facilitator community.
Japan has a reputation for environmental consciousness. Yet when it comes to actively seeking out climate science education, Climate Fresk adoption figures show that appetite has been slower to develop here than in smaller neighboring countries with fewer resources and shorter facilitator histories. Whether that reflects a cultural tendency, or simply that the Climate Fresk hasn’t yet found its way to the right rooms, is an open question. What is clear is that the gap is real, and closing it is exactly what Climate Fresk Japan is here to do, along with professional facilitator communities like Ichigo Bloom.
Since March 2026, the Japanese chapter of the Climate Fresk non-profit association (headquartered in Paris) has been coordinated by Minami Shinohara and Stéfan Le Dû, both founding members of the Ichigo Bloom collective. Their focus for this year: rebuild the community infrastructure, expand the network of active facilitators across Japan, and organize visible events to raise awareness about the workshop’s existence in Japan.
Thank you
A warm thank you to everyone who made this afternoon possible: our facilitators Louise, Minami, Karina, Yifei and Sherrene (three of whom are Ichigo Bloom members) for stepping up to run the very first public Gen2 sessions in Japan, in two languages, with energy and care throughout; Impact HUB Tokyo, for hosting us so generously; and all the participants who came with their curiosity and left with action ideas to carry forward.
What’s next
Become a facilitator. Climate Fresk Japan and Ichigo Bloom are organizing a volunteer facilitator training in English in Tokyo in the coming weeks. Interested? Write to japan@climatefresk.org for details.
Multi-city event, November 2026. To mark COP31, the annual UN climate conference held this year in Turkey, Climate Fresk Japan with the support of Ichigo Bloom is planning a nationwide multi-city event in November. Volunteer facilitators wanted across Japan. Get in touch at japan@climatefresk.org.
Bring the workshop to your organization
The Climate Fresk can be organized for companies, universities, and communities across Japan, in English, Japanese, or both. Contact Ichigo Bloom to learn more.
