I'm posting my past Facebook posts here as notes.

March 30
, 2013: The South Korean TV show “Smart Show” featured the Workshop Collection. It starts around the 30-minute mark. I’m not sure exactly how it was presented, but it seems to be a special on children and IT, so I’m generally curious about it.

March 11
, 2013: The Workshop Collection event wrapped up successfully! And I’m back home now.
At the very end,
I was given the opportunity to say a few words to all the exhibitors. This sort of thing rarely—if ever—happens to me, but I got
so emotional that I could
only express my gratitude to everyone with a tearful voice. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude here to everyone I (hopefully) spoke with at that time.

To all the exhibitors, visitors, and the many people who supported us—thank you so much for these past two days!
“Can we convey new ways of learning in the digital age in a fun, pop-culture style, like a fashion show?
” That was the beginning of Workshop Collection.
January 2004. The first event drew 500 participants.
Before we knew it,
the number of adults alone—including the organizing committee and exhibitors—had reached 1,000. When we first started, we hoped to make the Workshop Collection a project created by everyone together.
Today, our exhibitors include school teachers, university staff, museum professionals, artists, engineers, researchers, and corporate representatives—a diverse gathering of people from various fields.
Visitors include fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, and—the stars of the show—the children.
Our volunteers also gather every year, much like an alumni reunion.
Over the past decade, I feel the event has grown into one where exhibitors, visitors, volunteers,
and the organizing committee all come together to create a shared space.
Furthermore, the Workshop Collection is not only a place for children’s creative and expressive activities but also a place where everyone involved in the workshops can come together.
We want to create an environment where every child in Japan can participate in creative and expressive activities!
I would be truly happy if we’ve managed to make this event a place where people with such passionate aspirations can gather once a year.

For two days, from morning till night,
I was completely absorbed in the event and saw so many smiling faces of children who were having a great time and learning a lot.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

*By the way, we had 100,000 visitors this time.

It was a “dream number” we used to say, “There’s no way that’ll ever happen…” But it’s strange, isn’t it? Once we actually achieved it, I was happy, of course, but
the number itself ended up not really mattering that much. Maybe that’s just how goals are.

*Although
this event was really made possible by the support of so many more people, here’s a commemorative photo with the core core organizing members—the ones destined to stick around until the very end.
We asked a security guard who happened to be passing by to take it for us.

March 9
, 2013: Workshop Collection. We were blessed with good weather, and even though the doors haven’t opened yet, there are already thousands of people waiting
in line. Every year when I see this scene, I’m overcome with emotion. We’re still waiting for more of you to arrive♡
Fuji TV came to cover the event.

March 7, 2013

Workshop Collection 9 at Keio Hiyoshi Campus
—It’s finally happening this weekend!
　　http://www.wsc.or.jp/index.html
【Dates and Times】 Saturday, March 9, 2013, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. / Sunday, March 10, 10:00 a.m.–5:00
p.m. [Venue] Keio University Hiyoshi Campus
The world’s largest children’s
creative event, “Workshop Collection 9”—which drew 74,000 visitors and featured a record 100 workshops last time
—is finally taking place this weekend!
There will be plenty of special activities you can join on the day of the event! Please come and join the fun!

●About 100 workshops!
List
of exhibitors http://www.wsc.or.jp/9th/index.html

● Special
Workshops: Featuring Yoshimoto comedians; Fumio Yamamoto, art director for films such as *Castle in the Sky* and *Princess Mononoke*; Yuichi Kimura, the picture book author behind the original story for the currently screening *On a Stormy Night*; visual producer Kiri; and a workshop featuring mascot characters!
　http://www.wsc.or.jp/9th/special.html

■International Digital Ehon Fair
: A Grand Gathering of Digital Ehon from 14 Countries!
http://d-childrensbookfair.net/

■ Digital Ehon Award Ceremony.
Judges: Koji Ishikawa, Yuichi Kimura, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, Rika Kayama, Noboru Kobayashi, Tomoyuki Sugiyama, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, and Kenichiro Mogi
. http://www.digitalehonaward.net/

■Kids Workshop Award
— Judges: Kiri, Toshio Tsuchiya, Hide Nakatani, Daisuke Yanagisawa, and Ichiya
Nakamura — http://www.wsc.or.jp/9th/award.html

■Kids
Creative Summit: Professor Sherry Goldman of Stanford University, Professor Masahiko Inakage, and Professor
Ichiya Nakamura http://www.wsc.or.jp/9th/special_summit.html

■Children's Photo Team Produces
Documentary Video http://www.wsc.or.jp/9th/special.html

■ A Museum
Just for Kids http://www.wsc.or.jp/9th/c_muse.html

There are plenty of opportunities for play and learning, and so much more! Please come visit us!

March 4
, 2013: I wanted to bring the Digital Ehon Fair—an
event that brings together Digital Ehon from around the world—to Japan, so I organized a pre-event.
It will take place as part of the Workshop Collection being held this weekend.
We’ve gathered works
from 14 countries, including Russia, France, Germany, Italy, and Australia. Please come check it out!

March 4
, 2013: Over the weekend, I went to the Digital Ehon Museum with a friend from college. Since I took this photo before 10:00 a.m., there’s no one in it (lol), but there were already lots of people there first thing in the morning—I was so happy! ♪

March 2
, 2013: Registration is now open for the University of Tokyo Summer Camp programming course, “Build Your Own Ultra-Compact Computer!”

March 1
, 2013: The Kids Creative Institute is expanding to Nishi-Azabu!
In addition, the Kids Creative Institute—which has previously operated at the University of Tokyo, Keio University, Waseda University, Futako-Tamagawa, and other locations—is now coming to Meiji University!

March 1
, 2013: A sign at London Heathrow Airport that says, “Please dispose of hazardous items here!” It made quite an impression.

https://www.facebook.com/nanako.ishido/videos/10151352541947998/