Conclusions were drawn by analyzing the potential of residential citizen education based on the design and implementation of Fukui Prefectural education for climate change titled, ‘Problem-solving workshop using the Jigsaw method.’ The following results were obtained:

1) Discussions were carried out for the purpose of acquiring ‘knowledge,’ ‘raising consciousness’ and ‘instilling the skills’ that are important for educating citizens. To a certain degree, this enabled students to consider existing issues and possibilities, future visions, and measures to realize them.

2) All 10 elements of competencies improved. The lower the scores were before the class, the greater the demonstrable change evident after the class. The elements such as ‘strategic,’ ‘anticipatory’ and ‘critical thinking’ of the four competencies that were explained in the class showed measurable improvement.

3) The changes in the 10 competencies were categorized as ‘collaboration’ and ‘independence.’ It was shown that, as a result of collaborative activities, competencies closely related to ‘collaboration’ improved significantly. On the other hand, it was evidenced that a characteristic of the Jigsaw method is to enhance each person’s independence by contributing to the team through his/her role playing.

4) After a certain period, the research demonstrated that there are changes in consciousness and behavior for not only everyday issues such as conservation of electricity and water, but also for more diversified areas. It also indicated that efforts are needed to broaden visions and there is a need for cooperation using various means, such as gathering information and discussions between family members.

　Promoting the values of nature among the public is of great importance in order to gain the support for policies to protect the nature. However, a person’s support for some policy and other social behaviors may not be derived by referring only to his or her own values, but also to the values of the majority of society as assumed by that person. The questionnaire survey utilized in this study revealed the existence of bias in the personal estimation of others as related to nature conservation, which resembled the above- or below-average effect that is commonly found in estimations of personality and abilities of oneself and others. The preferences that others hold for nature was estimated to be lower than one’s own preference, whereas the preference of others in terms of wealth was estimated to be higher. The policies related to the values with positive bias in estimating the preferences of others were judged to be more important when the benefits of others were considered than when only one’s own benefits were considered, and the policies related to the values with negative bias were judged to be opposite. It is suggested that such bias in estimating the preferences of others can be affecting how the public supports the policies concerning nature conservation and economic development.

　This paper explores how the original landscape map can be useful in a Japanese high-school class for teaching environmental and social diversity as an opportunity for cross-cultural communication. We conducted a collaborative class at Tajimi High School in Gifu Prefecture, which was attended by several foreign visitors (i.e., from South Africa, Namibia, and France) as an interdisciplinary activity of biology, geography, and English. Using original landscape maps, participants could compare differences in their biological, cultural, and geographical environments and communicate their thoughts in English. In particular, most of the Japanese high-school students, who had rarely talked to foreigners, found the original landscape maps useful for communication. On the other hand, the students’ original landscape maps suggested a correspondence with the typical images of “traditional Japanese landscape,” and also with the topographical environment and landscape structure of the basin in which they lived. Nevertheless, this classroom practice illustrates that comparing original landscape maps encourages the participants to learn the differences in their natural environments and the life experiences of the people in them. Moreover, the original landscape maps help participants to understand environmental changes over time, and thus changes in their lifestyles, as the original landscape maps are suitable for describing one’s memories, thoughts, and personal experiences. They also help the participants’ English communication by providing a visual description of one’s memory, which motivates them to learn more and become efficient in English. Therefore, the authors conclude that original landscape maps can be recommended to promote an interdisciplinary understanding of environmental, geographical, and cultural diversity.

　The Japanese government aims to register the traditional culture of “Sake and Shochu” brewing as an intangible cultural heritage. As such, it is important to teach environmental conservation, such as the use of groundwater in the brewing process, as the next generation of children will be interested in Sake culture, as well as the forest conservation of the water source in the Sake brewing area. The town of Saijo in Hiroshima Prefecture is located in one of the ‘big three’ Sake brewing areas in Japan. Saijo Elementary School is a local school that uses teaching materials on the use of groundwater for brewing in its environmental education program. However, there are only a few teaching materials or educational programs on the relationship between the characteristics of water in the brewing area and fermentation. The authors investigated the quality of the underground water used for brewing Sake and a delicious water called “Meisui of Saijo.” Scientific data, such as the water quality of Meisui and the brewing water, along with the growth characteristics of Sake yeasts, showed that the groundwater is a valuable environmental resource in the Sake brewing area. Based on these data, experimental teaching materials were developed that allow even elementary school students to recognize the differences in yeast fermentation depending on the type of water. Then, when a lesson on water was taught at Saijo Elementary School using these experimental teaching materials, it was possible for the students to learn about groundwater and environmental conservation in an area where Sake brewing is a traditional culture.

　The Karakuwa-hanto Visitor Center was established in 1984 to provide environmental education to tourists visiting the Sanriku Fukko (reconstruction) National Park. This study aimed to examine the background of the establishment of the center, as well as its financial plan. An examination of the administrative documents stored at the visitors center revealed:

(1) In the early 1980s, the fishing industry, which was the main industry in the town of Karakuwa, was stagnant and the townʼsyounger population had started an exodus. Therefore, the town planned to establish a visitors center in order to revitalize the

local economy through the promotion of tourism.

(2) A central theme of the exhibits at the visitors center, since its establishment, has been “tsunami.” The contents of these exhibits

are decided by a committee consisting of representatives from Miyagi Prefecture and Karakuwa, academic experts, and the

exhibit production company.

(3) The visitors center did not intend to rely on government subsidies; the intent was to operate on a self-financing basis through

admission fees for the Tsunami Experience Museum, located next to the visitors center.

(4) Although the visitors center did not achieve independent profitability, it was able to secure half of the planned revenue 13 years

after its establishment.

　This paper first summarizes ‘sports and development’ and ‘sports and education’ based on previous research cases, and the

prospects for environment education and conservation based on a case study of the Fiji Baseball and Softball Association as an example of ‘development through sports.’

　In recent years, “development through sports,” in which sports are used to solve various development issues in developing countries, has been attracting attention. While there are many examples of development issues such as poverty reduction, conflict resolution, and peace-building, there are few examples of the development issue of environmental conservation through sports.

　Sports education, emotional education, and environmental education have areas that are related or common to each other. The case of the Fiji Baseball and Softball Association, while dealing with different areas, can be expected to demonstrate significant synergy by implementing integrated and systematic education.

　On the other hand, there should not be so much focus on the functions of sports and environmental education as “tools or means” for solving social problems that are being neglected in the development and improvement of sports and environmental education itself. Translating and processing the various effects and significance of sports and environmental education to suit local conditions, and using them in a progressive manner through collaboration and cooperation with other fields, can lead to the development o sports and environmental education; which in return can contribute to addressing social issues in the target country and region.

　With 2030 the target year to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), many workshops are being held to promote environmental conservation and create a sustainable society. Although people’s awareness of environmental issues is increasing worldwide, there are still major hurdles for each person to understand and take action in their daily lives. Therefore, education for sustainable development (ESD), an approach that allows each individual to consider creating a sustainable society on their own, has become required in recent years.

　This article introduces an emergence workshop as an effective format for online ESD, and utilizes a high school-university collaboration program, “Kyoto University Morisatoumi LAB by ONLINE 2021,” as a case study. The emergence workshop is defined as a way to encourage co-creating new ideas and visions with others through interactive and participatory group discussions. Features of this method are that it does not require establishing a common topic and it develops free discussions without detailed directions. For this study, an online event was held and group work was conducted by high school students using the emergence workshop approach.

　As a result, students’ opinions were encountered through free interaction. Completely different topics were generated by each group. Furthermore, unique discussions ensued. Within the large framework of thinking about the future in 2030, it was possible to converge various opinions, even if the same methodology was used in each group. The results of the questionnaire completed by researchers who facilitated each group’s discussions showed that even young faculty members at universities with little experience in ESD could provide high-quality ESD to high school students using this method. We believe that this study presents a new approach to online ESD. As a future study, we plan to further expand the workshop design and group work facilitation, and consider more effective emergence workshop practices.

　COVID-19 has profoundly affected teaching and learning in higher education. We conducted an online survey to determine the pandemic’s impact on experiential learning linked to environmental education and outdoor studies in higher education in Japan and other countries for the period January 2020 – March 2021. This study focuses on Japan and reveals that 17.9％ of the classes and programs out of 117 cases were conducted as planned, 26.5％ were cancelled, and 55.6％ were conducted in alternative ways. Although online alternatives were utilized, other measures such as changing the times held and locations were also applied. The study demonstrated the faculty members’ ability to adapt to distress and highlighted the irreplaceability of direct experiential learning. Further, it revealed lasting damage over the continuation of the courses and strategic policies of the institutions. The study discusses the core value of face-to-face experiential learning through communicating with others and draws attention to the need to secure experiential learning under the pandemic with considerations for students’ and faculty’s physical and mental health.

　This study discusses education to foster the skills needed to select appropriate information from a large amount of complex information, and to make decisions under conditions of high uncertainty. Based on the question of whether the COVID-19 vaccination is necessary, this study focuses on discussions of the framework of education to foster judgement skills. First we examined rational judgement methods and determined the requirements for judgement education. Then we examined methods for risk education and determined the requirements for that. Finally we examined methods for critical thinking education and determined the requirements for that. Twelve requirements for the desired judgment education were listed and divided into categories based on the degree of reflection required and on who was implementing them. Briefly, A1 is what teachers do, and B1 is a requirement that can be measured at specific achievement levels. B2 is a requirement that should be met to the fullest possible extent. A sample course was designed to meet the requirements of A1 and B1, and to meet the requirements of B2 to the fullest possible extent. The course consists of three components: a “simple story” which supports vaccination based on estimated mortality risk, a “detailed story” which is more cautious in judgement and quantitative evaluation, and, lastly, the processes in which students construct their theories and refine them through discussion. While it is not easy to design a course that meets all 12 requirements, it is important to develop comprehensive skills to judge whether the vaccination is necessary. Reconfirming the importance of fostering skills such as critical thinking, judgement and expression, we created a basic framework to discuss the desired education to foster the skills needed to select appropriate information from a large amount of complex information and to make decisions under conditions of high uncertainty.