トランジション東アジアギャザリング Transition East Asia Gathering 2026

From Shunro Yoshida:

2026年8月8−9日と2日間　京都京北で東アジアの交流と友情の架け橋と平和を目的としたトランジションの東アジアギャザリングを開催しました。韓国、中国、香港、台湾から34名、日本から34名と68名の方が集まり、お互いの活動をシェアし、活動での悩みや心に負った傷の内面の話から、アジアの平和から世界平和へ向けて私たちが何ができるかなどアイデアを出し合って話し踊り、共に食べた充実した2日間でした！僕が住む熊本の地震のことも各国の皆さんが心を寄せていただき、なんと！￥82、000の暖かい支援金をいただきました！本当に皆さんから心配の言葉をいただき、この支援金は僕が住む阿蘇で被災地に毎日、被災地に通い、必要な物資を聞き、運び、被災した家の片付けから、食べるものの炊き出し、重機による残骸の撤去から、軽トラの救出まで様々な活動をしている「デキルシコ支援ネットワーク」に寄付させていただきます！皆さんありがとうございました！

On August 8–9, 2026, we held the Transition East Asia Gathering in Kyohoku, Kyoto, over two days, with the aim of fostering exchange and friendship in East Asia and promoting peace.

A total of 68 people gathered—34 from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and 34 from Japan. We shared our activities, discussed our inner struggles and emotional wounds, and exchanged ideas on what we can do to move from peace in Asia toward world peace. We talked, danced, and ate together—it was a truly fulfilling two days!

Everyone from each country also showed their concern for the earthquake in Kumamoto, where I live, and—to my surprise—we received a generous donation of 82,000 yen! I’m truly grateful for everyone’s words of concern. I will be donating this money to the “Dekirushiko Support Network,” which is active every day in the disaster-stricken areas of Aso, where I live. They carry out a wide range of activities, from listening to the needs of the affected communities and delivering essential supplies, to cleaning up damaged homes, providing hot meals, removing debris with heavy machinery, and even rescuing people trapped in small trucks! Thank you all so much!

この2日間を終えて、感動とやり切った感と、これからの希望と、感謝の気持ちが交差して余韻と考察に耽っている。台湾、韓国、香港＆中国と日本の方ですごした2日間。近い隣人でもあり、複雑に交差してきた歴史、共通する文化、異なる文化、異なって特徴のある国民性？民族性。それらを感じ、感謝できる時間。共に歌い、共に踊り、共に語り、共に抱えて解決しようとしている課題を共有し、笑い、涙し、汗をかき、食卓を囲み、共同で作って来たイベントでした。本当は触れにくい、朝鮮半島の南北問題からこの困難な時代同若者をサポートしていけるか、自分たちの在り方をどのように互いに確認し深めらるか？様々なことを国境を超えて話し合った。この場には国境はなかったね。終わった後のみんなの笑顔と充実した想いと互いに感謝を伝えたい想いが表れていて、何か大きな壁を突き破ってブレイクスルーした感覚がある。これが開催できて本当に良かったと思えるし、今後にもとても大きな希望が持ち続けられるきっかけになりました。これを支えた仲間の努力と参加し、支えてくれた海を渡って来てくれた仲間に深い深い感謝の気持ちです。

As these two days come to a close, I find myself lost in reflection and contemplation, with a mix of emotion, a sense of accomplishment, hope for the future, and gratitude. Two days spent with people from Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong & China, and Japan. We are close neighbors, yet our histories have intersected in complex ways; we share common cultural elements as well as differences, and each nation—or perhaps each ethnic group—has its own distinct characteristics. It was a time to feel all of that and express gratitude. We sang together, danced together, talked together, shared the challenges we’re facing and trying to solve together, laughed, cried, sweated, gathered around the dinner table—it was an event we created together. We discussed a wide range of topics across national borders, from the sensitive issue of North and South Korea to how we can support young people in these difficult times, and how we can reaffirm and deepen our shared sense of purpose. There were no borders here.

Everyone’s smiles after it ended, their sense of fulfillment, and their desire to express gratitude to one another were all evident—it felt like we’d broken through a major barrier and achieved a breakthrough. I’m truly glad we were able to hold this event, and it has given me great hope for the future. I am deeply, deeply grateful to the friends who worked hard to make this happen, as well as to those who participated and came from across the sea to support us.

From Hūi-gî Kang:

很多的正能量。信任自己、信任他人，信任我們是大自然與宇宙運作的一部分，不需要擔憂焦慮未知，我們只要作好自己參與其中的的工作，種下種子，讓種子與土壤結合發揮潛力。挫折的時候想想這世界上不同的角落有一些跟我們走在同一條路上的人願意跟我們一起牽手跳舞、擁抱，爲彼此打氣。我們並不孤單。下一站藤野。

A lot of positive energy. Trust yourself, trust others, trust that we are part of the operation of nature and the universe, do not need to worry about anxiety and the unknown, we just have to do the work we are involved in, plant seeds, and let the seeds and soil combine to achieve potential. When you think about setbacks, there are some people in different corners of the world who are on the same road as us who are willing to dance with us, hug, and cheer each other up. We are not alone. The next stop is Fujino.

From Lee Yonghee:

2026年8月8日(土)・9日(日)、日本の京都「あうる京北」にて、トランジションタウン東アジアギャザリングが行われた。参加されたのは、台湾、韓国、香港、中国、そして日本の各地から、持続可能な生き方を考え、実践しているみなさん。プログラムは東アジア各地からの様々な活動の紹介や、歌や踊りの交流、インナーワーク、課題解決についてみんなで話し合うオープンスペーステクノロジーなど、多種多様な内容。様々な言語が飛び交う中で、一生懸命に伝えようと話す人、それを丁寧に通訳してくれる人、そして、その思いを受けとめ、共感してくれる人たち。この2日間、東アジアのみなさんと過ごして、いろんな思いが湧いてきた。僕たち人類は、国や民族、宗教、思想、文化、考え方や立場など、いろんな「ちがい」を理由に争ってきた。この東アジアでも、過去にはたくさん不幸な歴史があった。そして今も、その影響が残っているところもある。外国人による犯罪のニュースを聞いたとき、「これだから〇〇人は」と、よく分かってないくせに、ひとくくりにその国を悪者にする風潮がある。でも、〇〇人と実際に会って、共に時間を過ごし、生身の人間として血の通った交流をする機会があれば、そんな偏見も無くなるかもしれない。今回、僕たちはこうして実際に出会うことができた。一緒にごはんを食べて、笑って、歌って、語り合うことができた。鳥は自由に空を飛び、魚は海を自由に泳ぎ、人類以外の生き物たちは自由に大地を駆け巡っている。なのに人類だけが、自分たちでつくった国境やルールによって、自分たち自身を縛りつけている。なんて不便なことだろう。過去から学び、未来をつくっていけるのは、今を生きている僕たちだ。今回、熊本で起こった地震で真っ先に思ったのは、友人の安否。外国で自然災害や戦争が起こったとき、そこに友人がいたら？きっと同じように、「大丈夫だろうか」と心配になるだろう。そして戦争は、一番の環境破壊であり、人災だ。自然災害とは違い、戦争は人間が起こすものだ。街を壊し、森や海を汚し、そこに暮らす人たちや、生き物、植物たちの生命、生態系そのものを壊してしまう。頼むよ、人類。今、世界中で気候変動による自然災害や海洋汚染など、いろんな問題が起こっているのに、戦争なんかしている場合じゃないです、ほんまに。歴史を振り返ると、この東アジアだけでも、「ちがい」を理由に争ってしまった出来事がたくさんあった。そして、その影響は今も一部に残っている。でも僕たちは、「ちがい」を理由に争うのではなく、「同じ」ところを見つけて、分かり合うことも、共感することも、助け合うことも、できる。今回のギャザリングで、僕はそれを実際に体験することができた。東アジアに明るい未来はある。希望や可能性は無限にある。そんなことを感じた。そして僕は「在日韓国人」として、国と国、民族と民族の狭間に生まれた者として、もしかしたら、こうした人と人との橋渡しができる立場にあるんじゃないか。そんなことも、今回あらためて感じた。そして同時に、語学、もっと勉強せなあかんなぁ……ということも、あらためて痛感(;´д｀)今回のトランジションタウン東アジアギャザリングを企画、運営していただいたスタッフのみなさん、ご参加いただいたトランジションタウン東アジアのみなさん、今回のギャザリングによって、東アジアに小さな平和の種が蒔かれました。この種を芽吹かせ、育て、世界まで広がる大輪の花を咲かせるのは、わたしたちです

本当に2日間ありがとうございました！またお会いしましょう～( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

On Saturday, August 8th and Sunday, August 9th, 2026,
the Transition Town East Asia Gathering was held at Owl Keihoku in Kyoto, Japan.
People came from Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, and different parts of Japan — people who are thinking about and practicing sustainable ways of living.
The program was diverse and full of different experiences, including introductions to various activities from across East Asia, exchanges through singing and dancing, inner work, and Open Space Technology, where everyone could come together to talk about challenges and how to solve them.
Among all the different languages being spoken,
there were people doing their best to express what they wanted to say,
people carefully interpreting their words,
and people listening, receiving those feelings, and responding with empathy.
Spending these two days together with people from across East Asia brought up so many thoughts and feelings in me.
We, humanity,
have fought each other over all kinds of “differences” —
our countries, ethnicities, religions, beliefs, cultures, ways of thinking, positions, and so on.
East Asia, too, has a long history filled with painful and tragic events.
And even today, some of their effects still remain.
When we hear news about a crime committed by a foreigner,
there is often a tendency to say,
“This is why those ○○ people are like that.”
People sometimes blame an entire country or nationality,
even though they don't really know the person or the situation.
But what if we actually met those ○○ people?
What if we spent time together,
and had the chance to connect with each other as real, living human beings?
Maybe some of those prejudices would disappear.
This time, we actually had the chance to meet each other.
We ate together.
We laughed together.
We sang together.
We talked together.
Birds fly freely through the sky.
Fish swim freely through the ocean.
And all kinds of living creatures other than humans freely roam the earth.
And yet, somehow, humanity is the only one that has created its own borders and rules,
and then used them to tie ourselves down.
What an inconvenient way to live.
The ones who can learn from the past
and create the future
are us — the people living right now.
When the earthquake happened in Kumamoto, Japan,
the very first thing I thought about was whether my friends there were safe.
If a natural disaster or a war happened in another country,
and you had a friend there,
wouldn't you feel the same?
You would probably wonder,
“Are they okay?”
And war is one of the greatest forms of environmental destruction.
It is a man-made disaster.
Unlike natural disasters,
war is something human beings create.
It destroys cities,
pollutes forests and oceans,
and destroys the lives of the people, animals, and plants that live there —
even entire ecosystems.
Please, humanity.
There are already so many problems happening around the world,
from natural disasters caused by climate change to ocean pollution and so much more.
We really don't have time to be fighting wars.
Seriously. We don't.
But we can choose something different.
Instead of fighting because of our “differences,”we can look for the things we have in common.
We can understand each other.
We can empathize with each other.
We can help each other.
We can.
At this gathering,
I was able to experience that for myself.
I felt that East Asia has a bright future.
The possibilities are endless.
There is so much hope.
That's what I felt during these two days.
And as a Zainichi Korean,
as someone born in the space between countries and between peoples,
I wondered if perhaps I am in a position
where I can help build bridges between people.
I felt that again during this gathering.
And at the same time,
I also realized once again…
I really need to study languages more.
A lot more…(;´д｀)
To all the staff who planned and organized the Transition Town East Asia Gathering,
and to everyone from Transition Town East Asia who took part,
through this gathering,
a small seed of peace has been planted in East Asia.
It is now up to us
to let this seed sprout,
to nurture it,
and to help it grow into a magnificent flower
that can spread all the way across the world.

Thank you so, so much for these two days!
I hope we meet again soon～( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ