UNESCO Cities of Literature meeting 2026 in Okayama

From Monday, February 9th to Thursday, February 12th, 2026, the “UNESCO Creative City of Literature Okayama International Meeting” was held in Okayama City. 

This was the first international meeting on UNESCO Creative Cities held in Okayama City. The meeting aimed to provide an opportunity to learn about the activities of the member cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Literature from around the world. Six focal points gathered in Okayama. The conference featured presentations on case studies from each city and a symposium featuring writers with ties to Okayama.

<Participating Cities and Countries>

 Puchon / South Korea, Seattle / United States, Melbourne / Australia, Dunedin / New Zealand,  Kozhikode / India, Edinburgh / United Kingdom

A welcome reception for international guests was held at the Okayama Castle. Approximately 50 people attended. Following opening remarks by Mayor Omori of Okayama City and Taguchi of the Okayama City Council and a toast by Chairman Yamakawa of the City of Literature Okayama Promotion Council, the international guests introduced themselves and offered their greetings.

The meeting of representatives from Cities of Literature was attended by guests from six cities, representatives from Okayama City, and participants from other Japanese cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Following introductions by the participants, Okayama City gave a presentation titled “Cultivating Minds through Literature,” outlining the distinctive features and activities of Okayama as a City of Literature.

Case presentations were held in 3 rooms.

Group Photo

The first part featured an introduction to our activities in Edinburgh, while the second part consisted of a discussion between novelist Yoko Ogawa and writer Hatsue Nakawaki. The event was hosted by Tomoe Okazaki and Yuri Shibata from the Broadcasting Club at Sanyo Gakuen High School, who had also participated in the case study presentation on February 10.

The event opened with remarks by Masuo Omori, Mayor of Okayama City.

Ms. Harriet MacMillan of Edinburgh, UK, gave a lecture titled “A Rock Unshaken by Storms: A Literary City Built on Volcanic Rock.”

The theme of the dialogue is “The Primal Scene of Creativity.”

In the dialogue,  two authors talked about their childhood reading experiences and their experiences at the riverbanks of Asahigawa where Yoko Ogawa used to play, and the Ushirogawa River, where Hatsue Nakawaki used to play.

They also talked how they come into the world of creation, how characters are born and come to life within the story, and the process of depicting scenes and portraying emotions.

During the visit, we went to Okayama City Ishima Elementary School.

Located in a school district that includes Ikeda Zoo and the Okayama Prefectural Sports Complex, the students at Ishima Elementary School presented what they had learned about their local community as part of their fourth-grade “Integrated Studies” curriculum. Following the presentations, there was a question-and-answer session, during which the students asked questions about the guest’s country’s culture, food, and popular games, leading to a fun exchange.

From Art Cafe Yumeji to our afternoon excursion destination, Okayama Shrine, we strolled along the Asahikawa River.

Upon arrival, Chief Priest Shintaro Hisayama of Okayama Shrine gave a talk on Shinto, shrines, and the *Kojiki* from a historical and cultural perspective, and the participants listened intently. There were also questions about rituals and customs, which likely helped our international guests deepen their understanding of Japanese culture.