TEDxRyukyu took place at OIST on November 9th, and 400 participants filled the OIST auditorium.
TED is a non-profit organization that aims to spread the ideas of the world’s most inspirational thinkers through presentations that are made available to the entire world. TEDx is an independently organized event in which people sharing the same mission hold the event at the local scale.
The first TEDxRyukyu took place in 2010 and was the third TEDx to be held in Japan. This time, in the second TEDxRyukyu, 14 inspirational speakers gave talks based on the theme “crossroads.”
“In choosing the theme, we were inspired by the artwork called RAINSTORM/surge at the entrance of the OIST Tunnel Gallery. We chose this theme in hopes that OIST and more broadly Okinawa will become a place where different cultures and civilizations mingle and serve as a crossroad,” explained Dr. Youhei Morita, who was one of the organizers of this event.
The presentations included topics such as photography, free diving, and future energy sources, and simultaneous translation was available for all of the presentations. Volunteers also hosted a traditional Japanese tea ceremony during the break.
During the lunch break, the lawn across from the auditorium was filled with participants enjoying conversations with fellow participants. University of Ryukyus student Mai Motomura, who participated in TEDx for the first time, commented, “The presentations were mind-blowing. In the future I want to be able to stand on the stage and give such engaging talks. This motivated me to get exposed to more ideas so that I can think in my own, unique way like they do.”
The video recordings of the presentations will be made available on Youtube.
