One hot summer day, kids with sparkling eyes and their parents carrying large bags gathered in Takihara to join a two-days art school. The organizer is Ms. Miyuki Kaji, who is a sculptor and teaches art to children based in Komatsu.

The encounter between TAKIGAHARA and Miyuki goes back to the time when the community was established. Miyuki was the one who helped us breathe life into this place where there were no hostels or cafes, only uninhabited old houses. This project began with Miyuki’s wish for her students to play, learn, and feel freely surrounded by nature in Takigahara, a place full of feelings.

　Nutrition education is one of the themes of this school. With the full cooperation of their mothers, all meals were homemade. The students were divided into two teams: one team went to gather persimmon leaves for kakinoha sushi, which is traditional food in Ishikawa, and the other team made rice flour bread.

When it was time for the painting class, they concentrated on continuing their work. Their seriousness was in stark contrast to when they had been running around outside just a few minutes earlier, staring intently at their paintings and looking like artisans.

　By the way, did you know that TAKIGAHARA has a pizza oven? This pizza oven was created by Miyuki and was inspired by the image of a turtle. Although it takes hours to build a fire and heat the entire oven, the pizza baked on this oven is exceptionally delicious. The kids made their own dough and toppings and their fathers baked their pizza one by one. We would like to thank all the fathers who worked very hard under the sun to keep the fire going.

The participants were of different ages and from different schools. Most of the kids had never met each other before, but they naturally became friends, naturally found new ways to play, and before they knew it, they had become friends who were hard to part from.

We are grateful that not only the kids but also their parents participated cooperatively, making this a wonderful opportunity to share these wonderful memories and hope that Takigahara will be one of their memorable places.