Design Week Kyoto WE 2016, a design festival showcasing Kyoto's rich heritage, will be held from February 21 to 28, 2016, at approximately 100 locations, primarily at JR Kyoto Isetan, Kyoto Shinkin Bank, and Horikawa Common. Design Week, which has been held in over 100 cities worldwide, has created opportunities for people from Japan and abroad to interact with the city's products, experiences, and people through workshops, factories, and studios, as well as events. While Kyoto boasts a diverse range of products and experiences, those who perceive it as intimidating have few opportunities to experience or learn about them. Many tourists and even locals lack the "true Kyoto." This project aims to foster a deeper understanding of Kyoto, a city of craftsmanship and innovation, rich in crafts, performing arts, design, architecture, and high technology, and to connect it to the future.

During the week-long event, various locations throughout Kyoto, including offices, workshops, and cafes, will be open to the public. Anyone will have the opportunity to enter facilities that are usually considered inaccessible. As the project team explains, "We hope that this will spark communication between people from industries that don't normally have contact with each other, leading to new creative endeavors." The aim is to create new creations through collaboration between industries that don't normally have contact with each other, much like the LED screen "Matrix," developed in collaboration between Kuroi Electric in Kyotanba, Kyoto Prefecture, and German designer Wolf Wagner.

[Event Information]
"Design Week Kyoto WI 2016"
Venue: Approximately 100 locations, mainly JR Kyoto Isetan, Kyoto Shinkin Bank, and Horikawa Common
Dates: February 21st - 28th, 2016