Theme: 衝動

Welcome to TEDxHamamatsu!

This year’s theme is “Impulse.”

Impulse is the source of our new ideas and actions, the hidden creative energy within us. It may be just a small seed, barely starting to sprout in your mind. Or perhaps it hasn’t even begun to sprout yet, but it surely exists as a small presence in your heart.

According to philosopher John Dewey, “Impulse is not merely a fleeting emotion, but rather the source of human creative thinking and action.” He also stated that “when impulses are properly expressed and interact with the environment, they lead to richer experiences and self-realization.”

What is your “impulse”?
And how will it shape the future?

We hope that through the ideas of our speakers and the interactions among participants, your impulses will evolve and grow. These impulses will surely become the driving force that opens new paths for you.

Let’s explore those possibilities together at TEDxHamamatsu 2024!

The TEDxHamamatsu 2024 Staff

Seien Girls' High School
3-20-1 Sato
Hamamatsu, Sizuoka, 4300807
Japan

Aki Furuhashi

Product Marketing Manager

Born in Hamamatsu City. Until 2020, I gained experience in general affairs, accounting, and store management at a local company. Currently, I am part of the Planning and Development Department at Hamamatsu Pulse Co., Ltd., where I am involved in the development of the commercial air purifier Air Revive. Through this work, I have interacted with many farmers and have come to understand the challenging conditions surrounding agriculture, yet I am deeply inspired by their positive attitudes. Motivated by its potential, I pitched the concept of Air Revive, winning the Grand Challenge Award at the Photonics Challenge 2024 and the Governor's Award at the Shizuoka Prefecture SDGs Business Awards 2022.

Anna Mohri

Stage Actor / Stage Producer

Born in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture. After graduating from Shizuoka Seien Girls' High School and the Musical Department at Showa University of Music, I transferred to the Vocal Music Department. Subsequently, I joined a talent agency and gained diverse experience as a stage actor, performing in straight plays, comedies, musicals, period dramas, and on television. Additionally, I have used my dance skills to choreograph for stage productions. Since 2017, I have expanded her activities by producing an annual stage production and donating the profits as school support funds to a kindergarten for poverty stricken children living near a garbage dump in the Philippines.

Kang Hannah

Entrepreneur, Entertainer, Tanka Poet, International Sociocultural Scholar

Born in Seoul, South Korea. I came to Japan alone in 2011. While working in the entertainment industry, I earned a Ph.D. in Sociology and have also been active as an international sociocultural scholar. In 2022, I published my first business book, Content Borderless. In 2019, I published my first collection of tanka poems, I'm Not Done Yet, which won the 21st Modern Tanka Newcomer Award. Since 2020, I have been active as an entrepreneur, having founded the 100% vegan cosmetics brand "mirari", and continue to excel in various fields.

Namiki Matsushima

Capybara Explorer

Born in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. During university, I had a fateful encounter with a capybara, which led me to embark on a journey of exploration, captivated by its charm. I traveled around zoos and aquariums across Japan, and my activities expanded to various countries around the world, particularly in South America. Through providing materials and hosting photo exhibitions at facilities both domestically and internationally, I share the allure of capybaras, and engage in international exchanges aimed at achieving the best outcomes for both humans and capybaras by combining the technologies and wisdom of different countries.

Sanjiro Minato

Sento Activist

Born in 1990 in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. I moved to Kyoto during my university years, where I founded a sento (public bathhouse) club and visited around 160 sento in Kyoto and approximately 700 in total. After working at an apparel company, I left the corporate world to rebuild "Sauna no Umeyu" in Kyoto. As part of "Yutonami-sha", I manage sento including "Minamoto-yu" (Kyoto), "Yoki-yu" (Shiga), "Ninjin-yu" (Aichi), "Miyano-yu" (Osaka), "Kamogawa-yu" (Kyoto), "Minatogawa-yu" (Hyogo), "Ichino-yu" (Mie), and "Pearl Onsen" (Osaka). My mission as a sento activist is to ensure that sento do not disappear from Japan.

Takahisa Sugiyama

Farmer / Peanut Butter Maker

Born in 1982 in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. After graduating from Baruch Zicklin School of Business, I built my career as an accountant at KPMG's New York office. I learned about the existence of native peanuts from my hometown through a local newspaper, which led me to return to Japan and establish the peanut butter company "Sugiyama Nuts". I am currently working to revive the legendary peanuts, once praised as the world's best, through agriculture.

Yuki Anzai

Entrepreneur / Researcher

Born in 1985 in Nerima Ward, Tokyo. Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo and completed a doctoral program at the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies at the same university, earning a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Information Studies. Currently, I am the Co-CEO of MIMIGURI Co., Ltd. and a Visiting Researcher at the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies at the University of Tokyo. My research focuses on new theories of management that leverage the potential of people and organizations. My major works include "The design of questions", "The manners of questioning", "Paradoxical Thinking", "Research Driven Innovation", and "Workshop Design". My motto is "Cultivate the Creativity."