December 3rd - December 17th, 2023 Sumida River Shinra Bansho Sumida Yume Project Planning sponsored by Sumida Ward

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​Sumida River Literary Walk

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Created an audio guide that mixes ``readings of literary works by great writers with ties to Sumida'' and ``modern-day urban landscapes of Sumida.''

Visiting spots related to the work and listening to audio guides about the locations will bring a new sense to the familiar cityscape. Let's experience the old and new "Sumida" together

The changing scenery of Mukojima ~A literary walk is a requiem for the ever-changing "Sumida"~

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The changing scenery of Mukojima: A literary stroll is a requiem for the ever-changing Sumida.
The northern part of Sumida (Mukojima) was rapidly urbanized after the Great Kanto Earthquake, and developed as a town of row houses, having escaped the ravages of war after the Great Tokyo Air Raid. On the other hand, the town's landscape has thease days gradually changed due to renovation of buildings and expansion of alleys, as its dense residential population poses a high risk in the event of a disaster.
After exploring Mukojima, Kobayashi felt a sense of crisis: "Nowadays, row houses and wooden buildings are few and far between, and will probably disappear in a few years.”
Kobayashi specializes in theatrical productions in the city, creating works to carry on the "history of the vanishing city of the past”.
He will perform a piece titled "Sumida River Literature Walk" as part of the "Sumida River: Shinra Bansho Sumi ni Yume" (Sumiyume) art project organized by Sumida ward.
Sumida has been treated as a location for many literary works. While listening to an audio guide of literary works depicting Mukojima in bygone days, visitors will use their feet to observe Mukojima in the present. By learning about the scenes that gave birth to the words of literature and tasting them with their own body, they will discover and reaffirm the unique atmosphere of this place.
I believe that knowing the value of a town is the foundation for creating our future town, and that is where we, city dwellers, can feel the raw reality of our city.

Composition/Direction: Ryo Kobayashi Voice: Nobuto Ariyoshi Art: Hokuto Hayashi Production: Natsu Watanabe
Original idea Utaro Noda “Utaro Noda Literary Walk Volume 1 Tokyo Literary Walk Sumida River/Koto Edition”

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【How to participate】

①Listen to the audio guide alone
The audio files uploaded on the web can be listened to at any time during the exhibition period as long as they have a mobile internet connection such as a smart phone or tablet. Visit a specific location in Sumida ward at their favorite time and play the audio guide.

② Audio Guide Guided Tour
The participants can listen to the audio guide and tour around Sumida City while introducing the places included in the audio guide. Please bring thier own device such as a smartphone and earphones to play the audio guide.

③Sumiyume × Klang River Festival Talk Event “City, River and Art Project” December 17th (Sunday)
Just like the Sumida River in the city of Tokyo, there is a river called the Klang river in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Both Sumiyume and Klang River Festival are art projects on urban rivers, and may be a mechanism to reaffirm the role of rivers as ``cultural corridors.'' Starting with a question from Kobayashi, who participated in both events, two staff talks were held online to consider the roles of "cities" and "rivers."

【Reference URL】
Klang River Festival https://www.klangriverfestival.com
Sumida River, the universe, dreams in ink https://sumiyume.jp
Related site: https://kikakukoba.wixsite.com/kikakukoba/sumiyume​