I’m reposting the message I shared on Facebook for our 10th anniversary.

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　　　　　　 November 27, 2012: CANVAS’s 10th Anniversary.
　　　　　　
　　　　　　　Thank you, everyone!!
　 　
　　　　　★☆★　The CANVAS 10th Anniversary Page is Now Live!!　★☆★

　　　　　　　http://www.canvas.ws/canvas10th.html

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The other day, we held a workshop where children imagined cars of the future.
A car with a theater on the ceiling.
A car that creates its own side roads as it goes, avoiding traffic jams.
A car that can go anywhere freely—to the sea, the sky, or even outer space.
A car that’s soft and fluffy, so it’s safe even if it crashes.
A car that runs on solar power alone. A car that helps people without homes.
Throughout history, “dreams” have shaped the future.
Cars, airplanes, rockets, and cell phones—all of them.
We want to fly through the sky. We want to stand on the moon. We want to talk to people far away.
Those who have continued to pursue the dreams of their childhood have shaped the future and given hope to people.

It’s been 10 years since we founded CANVAS.
We’ve held about 2,000 workshops, with approximately 200,000 children participating.
With eyes sparkling and beaming smiles, they’ve absorbed so much, and
we’ve met countless children who share what they’ve learned and talk about their dreams.

Children possess a mysterious power.
The power to bring joy and smiles to everyone, to engage those around them, and to energize society.
We want to create a space for children to be creative and express themselves!
We launched CANVAS with that vision in mind, and
just as if we were children ourselves,
we’ve spent our days filled with excitement and anticipation, as if every day were a workshop.
Before we knew it, the CANVAS community had expanded,
with approximately 1,000 volunteers—
artists, schoolteachers, museum staff, university faculty, corporate representatives, and government officials—
supporting us, and we’ve been able to move our activities forward through collaboration with so many people.
Once again, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude.

In the 15th century, Gutenberg invented the printing press,
and many people began reading books and engaging in deep thought.
Then, three or four centuries later, concepts such as modern society and capitalism emerged.
People at that time may not have considered the impact that technology would have.
Technology continues to advance rapidly, and we are now facing the digital revolution—a transformation that could be called a once-in-a-millennium revolution.
But are we using our imagination to envision what the future beyond that might look like?
In the midst of this period of technological transformation known as the digital revolution,
I hope we can imagine what the world will be like three or four centuries from now, together with our children.

It is the children’s generation that will shape the future.
I want to create a society where children’s eyes sparkle, where they showcase their creativity and expressiveness to the world, and where people around the globe look up to Japan!

I intend to spend the next decade pouring my heart and soul into this endeavor!
I look forward to your continued guidance and support.