Aichi - Manufacturing Heartland

Aichi Prefecture has long been a center of Japanese manufacturing. The regional capital, Nagoya, developed from its castle town roots thanks to the timber trade. With a 1,000 year history of textiles and ceramics, 360 years ago the region was producing clockwork dolls. The invention of a power loom in 1924 led to Japan's first auto industry, and today Aichi is a center of aerospace development.

Lifting their Spirits

For over 1,200 years, festivals have featured beautifully ornamented o-mikoshi portable shrines paraded on the shoulders of chanting, swaying crowds. Now, the o-mikoshi has gone international, as foreigners living in Japan discover the excitement and fun of working as a group to carry the friendship and builds community spirit.

Fresh Water from the Sea

Shortages of fresh water are a growing problem worldwide. One solution is to use desalination plants to extract drinking water from the oceans, and Japan is a world leader in the most energy efficient desalination method, reverse osmosis. Advanced new member technology can now convert as much as 60% of seawater intake into water pure enough to drink.

Ukiyoe - From Woodblock to Computer

Ukiyoe, inexpensive 17^th century woodblock prints used for popular illustrations, were later recognized as works of art and influenced many 19th century European painters. A modern artist, Mari Mihashi, adopts ukiyoe themes and techniques for her contemporary works, which she then prints using computers and specialized prints to achieve levels of detail impossible with traditional woodblocks.