{"id":3903,"date":"2026-06-05T12:01:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T03:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/?p=3903"},"modified":"2026-06-05T19:00:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T10:00:49","slug":"culturalprescribing_teens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/en\/culturalprescribing_teens\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing “A Cultural Prescribing Guide for Teens”\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“A Cultural Prescribing Guide for Teens” distributed at the EXPO 2025 Osaka\/Kansai.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A New Perspective: Cultural Prescribing<\/strong> <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The theme of this guidebook is the concept of “cultural prescribing.”\u00a0Cultural prescribing is a way of supporting people\u2019s wellbeing through art, culture and creative experiences.\u00a0Everyone has had the experience of feeling better after listening to music, sketching a picture to calm down, or watching a movie with someone and engaging in lively conversation.\u00a0Experiences that help people reconnect with a sense of being truly alive are at the heart of cultural prescribing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The guidebook was distributed at the EXPO 2025 Osaka\/Kansai, and a link to a downloadable PDF file is included at the end of the book. It is our hope that as many people as possible can enjoy the content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It Begins with a Story<\/strong>  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The guidebook begins with “On the Other Side of the Field,” a story about a\u00a0high school student who has stopped going to school.\u00a0The reason for her inability to attend school is unclear.\u00a0She isn’t being bullied; she just feels like she doesn\u2019t belong in the classroom.\u00a0The protagonist’s state of mind expresses the vague anxiety and loneliness experienced by many young people. We chose this common issue because we wanted to convey that even those without a specific problem can feel lonely. The story depicts how a small encounter at an art museum breathes new life into the protagonist’s heart. Alongside the story, readers can also enjoy the illustrations by the well-loved SANDER STUDIO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What We Hoped to Share<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The guidebook wasn’t created merely to introduce the concept of cultural prescribing.\u00a0\u00a0We wanted to send a message to young people \u2014 and, of course, to people of all generations \u2014\u00a0who feel lonely and anxious in today’s society<\/strong>: that “You are not alone” and “It’s okay to take small steps.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people may find art intimidating or feel that museums have no relevance to them. We used the term \u201ccultural prescribing\u201d to express the power that art and culture have, and our aim was to convey that these activities are not something reserved for special people, but something that anyone can easily embrace. We wanted to encourage people to cherish the sense of being alive within their hearts through their own unique expressions and experiences. It was with this desire in mind that we created the guidebook.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making Specialized Terms More Relatable<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The guidebook also features specialized terms\u00a0such as “unwanted loneliness,” “cultural link worker” and “creative health.” While these terms may seem difficult at first glance, they’re actually deeply connected to our daily lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a “cultural link worker” is someone like\u00a0\u00a0Ms. Sato from the story\u2014a “connector” who carefully listens and suggests cultural activities that are suited to the other person. No special qualifications are required;\u00a0they are simply someone approachable\u00a0who listens to someone’s interests and offers recommendations of relevant places to visit, or suggests going together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Hope-Filled Endeavor in the Real World<\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The guidebook introduces actual examples from around the world, such as the case of Nabari City in Mie Prefecture and the story of Murray, a therapy dog \u200b\u200bin Manchester, UK,\u00a0because we wanted to show that cultural prescribing is not just theoretical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Nabari City’s Creative Community Art Studio,\u00a0people ranging from two-year-old children to people in their nineties\u00a0enjoy making things together. The guidebook features the story of 59-year-old N, who overcame their sense of failure in drawing in elementary school and rediscovered a passion for creativity, teaching us that we can discover a new version of ourselves at any age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words from the Experts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Interviews with\u00a0Kiriyama Takashi\u00a0(professor at Tokyo University of the Arts) and Nishi Tomohiro (doctor at Kawasaki Municipal Ida Hospital) offer insights into cultural prescribing\u00a0from the perspectives of technology and the humanities, as well as medicine and art.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kiriyama states, “The most important thing is to keep technology in the background and\u00a0<\/span>have visitors take home the experience itself,<\/span>” while Nishi says, “Everyone is on equal footing in front of art.” Both emphasize that\u00a0people come first<\/b>\u2014 before technology or knowledge.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything Starts from an Initial Small Step<\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The \u201cGuide for Cultural Prescribing” section recommends taking a first step by trying something a little bit creative, even on a small scale. This could be drawing a picture, listening to one\u2019s favorite music and writing in a journal, or visiting an art museum. None of these require special skills. The important thing is to “try,” not to strive for perfection. Just as Mio, the character in the opening story, was moved by a painting of a horse in Hokkaido, experiences with art and culture are\u00a0\u00a0sure to touch something in each of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Encounters at EXPO 2025 to the Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The guidebook was distributed at the “Discover Cultural Prescribing! Hello Future! 100-Year Museum\u201d exhibit held during EXPO 2025. The three works featured in the guidebook were also featured in the exhibit, and many visitors saw them for the first time, expressing surprise and interest in the works and leaving comments. It was striking that everyone had the experience of “encountering” the works, rather than simply “seeing” them. Encounters with works of art may lead to new connections for you as well.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the EXPO 2025 has come to an end, we have made the guidebook available for download as a PDF, with the hope that it will continue to reach as many people as possible. We hope that you will enjoy this guidebook as\u00a0a small signpost toward a future where people can feel safe even when they are alone,\u00a0a society where each person can live as themselves.
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A Cultural Prescribing Guide for Teens(available in Japanese only)\u200b<\/strong>\n \n
Download<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n
1 downloads<\/span>0.25 KB<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Related Links <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/expo2025_watashitomirai\/<\/a>
https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/en\/nabaricity\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Cultural Prescribing Guide for Teens\u201d (digital version)<\/strong>
Planning: aa-tomo TODAY Editorial Team
Supervision\/Writing: Inaniwa Sawako (Senior Curator, National Center for Art Research)
Editing\/Writing: Inoue Hideki (MONKEYWORKS)
Cover Illustration: SANDER STUDIO
Design: TAKAIYAMA inc.
Printing: Shinano Publishing Press Co., Ltd.
ISBN: 978-4-911341-11-7
Published by: National Center for Art Research, National Museum of Art
Kitanomaru Square 2F, 1-13-12 Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073, Japan
Arts-Based Communication Platform for Co-Creation to Build a Convivial Society, Tokyo University of the Arts
Publication Date: August 11, 2025
Copyright \u00a92025 National Center for Art Research \/ ART-based Platform for Co-creation
Any duplication, reproduction, or reprinting of anything in the booklet, including but not limited to text and illustrations, is prohibited without permission.\u00a0
*This booklet was produced with support from the JST Support Program for the Formation of Places for Co-Creation (JPMJPF2105).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At one time or another, everyone has experienced feelings such as a sense of loneliness, or anxieties that are hard to share with others. With this in mind, we created “A Cultural Prescribing Guide for Teens” with the desire to provide a guidebook that is especially relevant to the younger generations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/?p=3411","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[21,25,28,33,44],"post_label":[],"class_list":["post-3903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","tag-wellbeing","tag-book-reviews","tag-link-worker","tag-social-isolation","tag-art-museum","en-US"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3903"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3987,"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3903\/revisions\/3987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3903"},{"taxonomy":"post_label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aatomo.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_label?post=3903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}