Ken Hagiwara is professor at the School of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University in Tokyo and former research associate of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University in Tokyo. He gives courses on Japanese theater history and undertakes research on modern and contemporary German and Japanese theater. His activities include translation and preparation/operation of subtitles for guest performances by companies from German-speaking countries in Japan, and he has worked for Rimini Protokoll, Christoph Marthaler, and Rene Pollesch among others.

His publications include “100% Tokyo (2013) by Rimini Protokoll as a Political forum by Emancipated Performers and Audience Members” (in “The Routledge Companion to Theatre and Politics”, 2019) and “The gap between the <insider view> and <outsider view> on Fukushima as seen in the change of Festival/Tokyo’s lineup” (in “Performance Studies international Fluid States 2015 Tohoku, Japan Beyond Contamination: Corporeality, Spirituality, and Pilgrimage in Northern Japan Select conference proceedings”, 2015).

Keiju Suzuki is a teacher at Seto SOLAN Primary School in Japan. The school is characterized by a curriculum centered on inquiry-based learning. He has been involved in the practice since the school opened in 2021, and this year, in addition to practicing the inquiry based learning, he also serves as the grade leader and teach 4th grade students. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in International Japanese Studies from Meiji University in 2021.

Roberto Figueroa is an Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines (UP). He is the director of the Immersive Open Pedagogies Program and the deputy director of the Center for Open and Digital Teaching and Learning at the UP Open University, where he primarily develops and teaches courses on information technology and educational technology at the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies. He is currently engaged in research projects that involve collaborative online international learning, spatial computing, climate information services, and immersive learning. These projects are being conducted in collaboration with colleagues in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

Position: Professor, Department of Education, Chonnam National University, South Korea.
Research Focus: Dr. Ryu’s research specializes in instructional design principles within media-rich learning environments, with a particular emphasis on virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) learning environments. He is an expert in measuring multimodal features of learning, especially within immersive settings. One of his major research topics is the embodiment of learning in immersive learning environments. His recent work is centered on designing learning experiences that integrate both emotional and cognitive perspectives to offer a more comprehensive understanding of the learning process. Additionally, he has been actively participating in research aimed at enhancing learning experiences.

Makiko Kishi, Ph.D. (Informatics), is a Professor at the School of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University. She specializes in developing inquiry-based workshops through Arts-Based Research. As an Associate at the Eastside Institute and the Taos Institute, she focuses on learning environment design using the Performance Approach, also known as the “psychology of becoming,” within international networks. Dr. Kishi has dedicated many years to creating educational programs for refugees in Syria, Palestine, and Turkey, as well as for children with special needs. Her work integrates artistic methods to foster inclusive and dynamic learning environments, promoting both personal and community growth.

Yuko Kawashima is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Informatics, Kansai University. She received her Ph.D. at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Her special fields are Education, Communication Studies, and Applied Theatre. Paying attention to embodiment and cultural practices in theatrical performances, she devises educational programs for multicultural conviviality, applying theatrical methods. She has engaged in programs in and outside schools, including communication education for teachers and the First-Year Experience at university while researching learners’ experiences of transforming selves and transcending cultural boundaries. Currently, she is working on a documentary theatre project with her students.