Archive - Youth Culture Symposiums

The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation held its 10th Youth Culture Symposium on March 11th, with both in-person and online participation. This year's event was held under the theme of "Transnational Urban Spaces and Digital Creation in Japan and Germany," and a total of 56 people from Japan and abroad participated.

This symposium is held annually as a forum for young researchers who have received grants from the Yamaoka Memorial Foundation, after passing a review by the "Research Grant Review Committee" based on criteria such as the validity and originality of their research themes. The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation's research grants align with Yanmar's "HANASAKA" culture, which values believing in human potential and encouraging challenges.
This symposium featured presentations of research findings by four young researchers who received research grants for "Research on Youth Culture and Lifestyles in Japan and Germany" in fiscal year 2025. A question-and-answer session was also held, and opinions and questions from both in-person and online participants were addressed, resulting in a lively exchange of ideas throughout the event.

In the participant survey responses, comments such as "It was a very meaningful symposium" and "I hope you will hold symposiums like this more frequently" were seen, indicating a desire for the event to continue in the coming years.

After the symposium, a standing reception was held at a nearby restaurant. Throughout the venue, attendees were seen enthusiastically asking questions to researchers and professors, and researchers were seen exchanging opinions and contact information with each other, making it a lively and engaging event from start to finish.
In the latter half of the exchange meeting, a ceremony was held to present the 2026 research grant awards. Ms. Yukino, Executive Director of the Yamaoka Memorial Foundation, handed each award recipient a letter along with words of encouragement.

Next year, the recipients of the 2026 research grants, who were awarded this year, will conduct their research and present their findings on youth culture in Japan and Germany. The Yamaoka Memorial Foundation will continue to foster researchers who will be at the heart of cultural exchange between the two countries and aim to pioneer new academic fields.

- Shuto Suzuki
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Environment, School of Humanities and Culture, Tokai University
Research theme："A study on the touristification of suburban areas of metropolitan in Japan and Germany - Focus on flea markets as tourist destinations in Tokyo and Berlin"

- Takao Terui
Associate research fellow, Doshisha University
Research theme："Generative AI and copyright - A comparative study on the awareness of originality among young artists in Japan and Germany"

- Takaya Negishi
Part-time Lecturer, Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University
Visiting Collaborative Researcher, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University
Research theme： "Comparison of E-Sports and video game live streaming between Japan and Germany"

- Yinong Li
PhD Candidate and Research Fellow, Graduate School of Humanities, Nagoya University
Research theme："Transnational Spaces and Artistic Communities: Diasporic Cultural Participation in Japan and German-Speaking Areas"

- Tsugumi Kondo
Assistant Professor, Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University
Research theme："Cross-dressing and Queer Representation in Interwar Japan and Germany: Focusing on Anita Berber, MAVO, and Esu"

- Una Shimokawa
Doctoral Program (First Year), Graduate School of Sociology, Kwansei Gakuin University
Research theme："A Comparative Study of Nightlife in Japan and Germany: A Case Study of Youth Club Culture"

- Sho Niikawa
Associate Professor, Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University
Research theme ： "Youth Media Consumption and the Process of Forming
Electoral Choices: A Comparison of Japan and Germany on the Unique Combinations of Conditions in Voting Decisions"

- Konstantin Frederic Plett
Kanazawa University, Institute of Liberal Arts and Science Lecturer
Research theme："Marketing Japanese Enclaves Abroad as Tourist Destinations: A Case Study of Düsseldorf’s “Little Tokyo"”

- Meike Raupach
Köln International School of Design (KISD) Faculty of Cultural Studies at TH Köln Master Integrated Design Research
Research theme："Zines as a cultural practice of young women in Japan and Germany"