Thank you to everyone who came to “The World in Our Minds: Neurodiversity”! And to everyone involved, thank you so, so much for all your hard work!!!

This marks the second time “Min-Nō” has been held, and the number of exhibitors has increased from 33 last time to 55.

Just as we were about to take a group photo with everyone who helped create this year’s Minno, the stage was already overflowing with people.

The greatest value of Minno is that it has fostered a community bringing together such a large number of Japan’s leading researchers, all working toward the realization of a neurodiverse society.

I was very pleased to read that one of the participating teachers wrote, “There were so many exhibits that let visitors experience a near-future dream where the prejudices, sensory sensitivities, and communication barriers faced by people with disabilities are eliminated. It was like a treasure trove of ideas.” I hope to continue nurturing this into an even more wonderful treasure trove.

Since "Min-Nō" is an exhibition designed to serve as one of the means toward realizing a neurodiverse society, we are not solely focused on scale; however, gaining the support of as many people as possible is very important.

As I reflect on the time 20 years ago when we launched the Workshop Collection (an exhibition of workshops for children) as a means of promoting “active, collaborative, and creative learning,” I am building “Minno” while drawing on the insights gained back then. Therefore, starting this year, we have introduced an open call for exhibitors and an awards program.

The Workshop Collection began in 2004 with 13 exhibitors and 500 visitors at its inaugural event. The third edition marked the start of the open call for exhibitors, and the sixth edition saw the launch of the awards program.The number of exhibitors reached 55 sometime between the fourth and fifth editions. The event reached the milestones of 100 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors during its ninth edition.

I feel like we're expanding at a faster pace than we did during the Workshop Collection.

We are still looking for people to join us in our efforts to build a neurodiverse society!

To everyone at Minno, thank you so much once again!!!

We look forward to your continued support next year, the year after that, and for many years to come!!!