June 2025 City Council Individual Questions 2-2. Regarding measures for all generations to engage with history and culture

I am Goro Hamanaka. I will continue to post the content of my individual questions one by one! This is from the "Regarding measures for all generations to engage with history and culture" section of my individual questions at the 2nd Regular Session of 2025 (held on June 27, 2025).

(The following is the content of the remarks)
Now, in our city, the Ichihara History Museum Project Basic Plan was formulated in September 2017, and the Ichihara History Museum opened on November 20, 2022. In the approximately two and a half years since it opened, various special exhibitions and hands-on workshops have been held. I recognize that all of these have been full of creativity and enthusiasm, allowing people to deepen their knowledge of our city's history and culture while enjoying themselves.
As all generations engage with our city's history and culture, I have particularly high expectations for the future development of the field museum. Efforts are underway to create field maps for each district, treating the historical heritage scattered throughout the city as a field museum (an outdoor museum without a roof), but I would like to see it reach its full potential once all 20 district field maps are completed at the end of this fiscal year.
Of course, there is much knowledge and experience to be gained by visiting the History Museum, but history and culture are close to us in the places where we live, and I believe this is especially true for our city. Furthermore, I believe it is important for all generations and each district to collaborate and have opportunities to engage with such history and culture. Even now, thanks to the efforts of groups like the Furusato Ichihara Connecting Association (Fururen), town walks are being held energetically, but I believe that implementing measures that lead to more multi-generational interaction could potentially lead to new discoveries and further revitalization.What measures is the administration currently taking to ensure that all generations in our city can engage with history and culture, and what are your thoughts for the future? I would like to hear your views.

(The following is the response from the Director of Lifelong Learning)
I will answer. The Board of Education is developing various initiatives with the major pillar of "developing a field museum," where the entire city is treated as a museum without a roof and local historical heritage is viewed as outdoor exhibits, in addition to exhibitions at the History Museum and hands-on activities at the adjacent History Experience Center, so that diverse generations can engage with history and culture.
Specifically, at the History Museum, last fiscal year we held the "Traveling Haniwa Exhibition," which displayed valuable "haniwa" (terracotta clay figures) excavated from the "Yamakura No. 1 Burial Mound" that are rare even within Japan. Through this and various thematic special exhibitions, we have been sharing the charm of our city's history and culture, attracting people of a wide range of generations from both inside and outside the city.
In addition, the History Experience Center conducts various hands-on programs in coordination with special exhibitions at the History Museum, and through these experiences, many people, including parents and children, are deepening their understanding of our city's history and culture.
Furthermore, in the development of the field museum, to help people understand the value of the historical heritage existing in the region, we have installed on-site information signs in 16 districts by the end of last fiscal year through fieldwork in collaboration with citizens, and we are working on developing the viewing environment related to local historical heritage by creating "field maps" that indicate viewing courses. At the same time, we are utilizing the created "field maps" to hold viewing tours tailored to the themes of special exhibitions, and viewing tours hosted by local history groups such as the "Anegasaki Knowledge Association" and the "Kazusa no Kuni Kokufu Exploration Association" are also being held, which leads to the expansion of opportunities to learn about local historical heritage.
Moving forward, we will work on creating maps in the four districts where field maps have not yet been created—the Yushi, Ushiku, Hirasan, and Asoubara districts—in collaboration with citizens. Additionally, by further promoting cooperation with the History Museum and the History Experience Center, we will strive to further enhance initiatives that allow many generations to actually visit, experience firsthand, and learn about the historical heritage of their local areas.

(Hamanaka's opinion following the response)
Thank you. I recognize that you have covered everything comprehensively. I hear that other cities are conducting digital stamp rallies for historical heritage and projects like parent-child rallies. I would like you to develop projects that allow a wide range of generations to take an interest in and engage with the history and culture of various districts in our city, while collaborating not only with the Cultural Properties Division but also with the Children's Future Department, the Lifelong Learning Department, and not just the City Board of Education but also, for example, the Prefectural Board of Education. Thank you very much.