Making disaster prevention activities
more familiar and more enjoyable.
This event provides participants with a fun means of learning about
disaster prevention through playing with families and friends.
“Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” is a disaster prevention education event that combinesa local disaster drill program and “Kaekko Bazaar,” a toy exchange bazaar, created by artist Hiroshi Fuji. In this event, children learn about disaster prevention as a continuation of play. Started in 2005, this event has been held nationwide in cooperation with various enterprises and organizations.
Exchange unwanted toys
into kaeru points.
Use kaeru points to buy
toys displayed in the hall.
Children who do not have toys to
exchange can collect kaeru points
by participating in disaster drills.
Points that have been collected
can be used in an auction of
the most popular toys.
We offer many disaster drill programs
that are helpful for emergency situations!
These disaster drill programs, developed and improved by listening
to the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995
and those of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011,
provide not only fun activities but also practical activities that are
helpful at times of earthquake disasters.
“BOSAI”（Disaster prevention）is Japanese culture
The increasing awareness of disaster prevention is not exclusive to Japan. The awareness is growing overseas as well after the experiences of various disasters such as the large-scale eruption of Mount Merapi in Indonesia, the heavy flood in Thailand, and the damage caused by typhoon on the island of Leyte, The Philippines. The “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” program that started in 2005 is extending its activities in other countries while understanding the regional characteristics and proposing disaster prevention activities suitable to the region.“BOSAI” (Disaster prevention), a new aspect of Japanese culture, has been exported to various countries.
We provided support for the spread of the “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!”
program and nurturing of leaders who promote localization of the program
in collaboration with universities and NGOs.
The program started with interviews with local residents of Jogjakarta, an area hit hard by the 2006 Central Java Earthquake. In 2007, an “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” demonstration was held for the first time in Indonesia in partnership with Jogjakarta’s Gadjah Mada University.
In 2009, “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” was held at a local elementary school. Forums were held regularly under the auspices of a local NGO and elementary school teachers with the cooperation of Gadjah Mada University. Locally led disaster preparedness education including the development of workshops tailored to regional needs and leadership training started to develop.
In 2010, the BOKOMI Badrun was created. This is modeled after Kobe City’s community based disaster prevention organization called “disaster safe welfare community (BOKOMI).” Led by local teachers, Indonesian-style “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” was held at BOKOMI’s establishment ceremony. So far, these programs to provide disaster preparedness education and to improve readiness have mostly taken place in Jogjakarta.
Steps are now being taken to introduce these across the country, for example, by holding an international symposium attended by representatives of national and regional educational and disaster prevention organizations.
A target-shooting game using water extinguishers. In this program, chinese wok and soccer ball are used as targets.
The program of making "paper" dishes. They make dishes using banana's leaf instead of newspapers.
Using stretchers made of bamboo stick and sarung(the native costume of Indnesia). They carry the doll of young deer which is the symbol character of ICK.
Training to run away from the fire through the bad foothold.
The program of learning about sediment disaster.
Local volunteers conducted demonstration of the program.
Other programs developed in Indonesia were also implemented.
In 2012, the exhibition titled "ALWAYS PREPARE" to introduce the disaster prevention spread of Plus Arts's activity is held in Thailand Creative Design Center (TCDC) and raised recognition of "Learning Disaster prevention knowledge and skill with fun ". In addition, for Plus Arts, it was a chance to build the foundations of network with the leading figure of the field of disaster prevention of Thailand.
In 2013, an exhibit entitled“ EARTH MANUAL PROJECT” was held at the Design Creative Center in Kobe, Japan. This exhibit connected Plus Arts with Design for Disasters, a Thai NPO. Working together with the Arts and Culture Department of the Japan Foundation in Bangkok, Plus Arts and Design for Disasters organized a program called“ Red Bear Survival Camp in Thailand” in Bangkok in June, 2014. This was the first such initiative in the country. This program attracted many Thai people involved in disaster prevention education and training. In particular, the Sirindhorn Special Task Unit (hereafter, SSTU) indicated great interest. The SSTU is a foundation which provides social services under the auspices of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Thai Royal Family. In September 2014, the SSTU proceeded to organize a Red Bear Survival Camp in Chiangrai, Northern Thailand, where an earthquake had caused damage four months earlier. In December 2014, the SSTU organized a Red Bear Survival Camp in Phuket, where a large tsunami had caused significant damage 10 years ago. Plus Arts and the Japan Foundation assisted to organize and execute both camps.
At present, the Red Bear Survival Camp projects are carried out by the SSTU, with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, Thailand’s biggest foundation for rescue operations, looking after the camp’s operational side, while Ms.Ruttikorn, a Thai game designer, helping the development of original programs for the camps.
How to make emergency life jacket using T-shirts and Pet bottle.
Thailand's Shuffle game learning about the flood and Tsunami.
Disaster Life Cycle game learning about the flood and Tsunami.
The disaster drill of walking the way which water is overflowing with flood.
Learning how to protect the legs from the flood using garbage bag and vinyl string.
The program was implemented in the region where the magnitude
8.8 earthquake and tsunami occurred.
An original program is scheduled to be developed.
The City of Talcahuano suffered severely from a magnitude 8.8 earthquake and a subsequent tsunami in 2010. As part of an initiative to build a city designed to repel natural disasters, the City hosted “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” in July, 2014, and a Red Bear Survival Camp in December, 2014.
These two events were made possible by the enthusiasm of Mr. Boris, the City’s official in charge of disaster prevention. Mr. Boris participated in a training program organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2013, and attended a lecture given by Plus Arts. Mr.Boris was very impressed with the innovative programs offered by Plus Arts with regards to disaster prevention, and was motivated to organize “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” and Red Bear Survival Camp in his hometown.
Red Bear Survival Camp was successfully offered in December, 2014. The program consisted of a morning session and an afternoon session.In the morning, participants were divided into groups and invited to take part in a number of activities. In the afternoon, the groups raced against each other for fun and to check how much they had learned from the morning session. 240 children in total gathered from 17 neighboring municipalities, to take part in the activities with great enthusiasm. Following the lead of the City of Talcahuano, plans have beenmade for Chile to develop its own educational programs on minimizing man-made disasters subsequent to natural disasters, and prepare educational materials to be used in the programs. Plus Arts will give its full support to the nation’s initiative.
They developed the fire extinguisher's targets.
A jack-up game. The teacher got on a table as weight.
The program learning how to CPR.
They developed the disaster drill of taking refuge for the physically handicapped persons.
The disaster drill of carrying the injured man with two people.
An original program featuring an original character has been created!
In 2012 in Yokohama, Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (hereafter, JICA) organized a workshop to educate the participants on disaster prevention. City officials and residents of the City of Iloilo in the Philippines were invited to attend the workshop where Plus Arts was one of the presenters. “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” interested the Iloilo delegates, and upon their return to their home city, they wished to organize “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” in Iloilo. In 2013, the JICA, the City of Yokohama, and CITYNET Yokohama which is an international NPO, assisted the City of Iloilo in organizing a Philippine version of “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!”. For the first year, the organizers followed a Japanese version for the most part.
For 2014, its second year, the organizers held a workshop prior to the Caravan itself, tailoring parts of the program to address different typesof natural disasters specific to the area.
Cagayan de Oro, a town in Northern Mindanao, suffered great damage from the Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. In November, 2014, enlistingcooperation from the Capitol University, the town and the Arts and Culture Department of the Japan Foundation in Manila offered the“ MOVE PHILIPPINES” on the University campus. The“ MOVE PHILIPPINES” was an entirely new and uniquely Philippine educational program against natural disasters. The program was developed by Ms.Ruttikorn, a Thai game designer, and instructors and students of the Capitol University, with an assistance and supervision given by Plus Arts. A symbol character of the program was created based the Tarsier, the world’s smallestmonkey. PULS63, a Philippine design studio, helped develop and brand this character.
Philippine disaster preparedness exercises.
Using stretchers made of Banig(traditional carft). They carry the doll of the symbol character of "MOVE PHILIPPINES".
The program learning how to use daily necessaries when a flood happened.
The disaster drill of walking the way which water is overflowing with flood. The glasses they are wearing is worked not to see footwear on purpose.
Philippine's Shuffle game learning about the flood.
The local counterpart proactively held lectures.
They not only held the lectures within the country, but also provided
support for a neighboring country to hold the lectures.
Led by students of Boy Scouts, the local volunteers, who are future
leaders of promoting the program, implemented activities in schools, etc.
High school students who had taken training sessions played a leading
role in holding disaster prevention workshops targeting students of
elementary and junior high schools.
We conducted demonstrations of the program by calling for
volunteers on the site.
Teachers who had participated in “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!”
in Japan introduced “Disaster Prevention Bear Caravan” after they
returned to Turkey.
The caravan program was put into practice three years after we held
lectures and workshops on the site.
Trainees who had participated in disaster prevention research in Japan
implemented the program after they returned to Panama.
FOR INQUIRIES
Please contact NPO Plus arts
for inquiries about “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!”
We at Plus arts have been promoting projects to solve problems in various fields in society including education, town development, disaster prevention, environment, and international cooperation and to revitalize these fields by introducing art (fine art, design, architecture, etc.) into the fields, while adding the power of art that moves people as well as artists’ creative thinking which is free from conventional boundaries.
