The person I interviewed this time is Shohei Shimizu, who is also the president of INOSHISHIYAH Corporation and a member of the community revitalization cooperation team in Akitsu Town. The theme of Mr. Shimizu, who is expanding his activities to other areas, is education. But not mainly learning as provided by schools. What he values is to learn about one's own curiosity and inquisitiveness through various experiences and encounters with people.

Currently, INOSHISHIYAH is working with the Higashi-Hiroshima City Council to create opportunities for university students to get involved with the local community, and to provide support and advisory services for students.

In addition, they sometimes act as an intermediary between the Higashi-Hiroshima City Office and local residents' associations to promote community development. As a member of the Community Development Cooperation Volunteers, he is expanding the field of learning to entire town, such as managing the community school at Kazahaya Elementary School in the town of Akitsu and designing local learning programs.

Mr. Shimizu's idea for the field of education is to go beyond town and go overseas. He has been organizing the Vietnam Study Camp since he was a university student, where participants can explore their own interests in the country. This year, when COVID-19 makes it difficult for him to actually visit the country, he will create a new place for students to challenge themselves.

"What you see and feel is your treasure."
Mr. Shimizu's words are based on his experience of going to India when he was a freshman in college.

After a few months of research, he went to India and experienced a completely different India from what he had imagined. For Mr. Shimizu, seeing is believing, and this was the moment when he realized it firsthand.

Mr. Shimizu also found it interesting that the members of group who spent time together in the same place had completely different ideas about their experiences in India.

"What a person sees, hears, and feels is priceless.“

He wants to increase the number of people in Higashi-Hiroshima who can spend own life as wished. The field of Mr. Shimizu's idea of "education" will continue to expand, from regional education to international education.