EBA Kumamoto Fieldwork 2023

The EBA Fieldwork Program is an on-site, immersive experience where participants apply the Evidence-Based Approach to real-world issues. The EBA Kumamoto Fieldwork 2023 focuses on disaster recovery and resilience in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, exploring the question, “What action will you take to tackle disasters in your local area?” Over the course of the program, learners examine how communities, local governments, and stakeholders respond to natural and man-made disasters and work toward building disaster-resilient societies.

Participants actively apply the EBA method in practice through data collection, data analysis, data visualization, and storytelling. In Kumamoto, they investigate the impacts of the April 2016 earthquakes, which caused significant human and housing damage, as well as the July 2020 torrential rains that brought floods and mudslides to southwestern Japan. Through site visits, stakeholder meetings, group work, and discussion, participants collect evidence of local disaster experiences and recovery efforts, then develop final outcomes collaboratively after moving to Keio University in Tokyo.

By completing this program, learners strengthen their ability to collect and interpret field evidence, connect local disaster cases with broader resilience challenges, and communicate findings through evidence-based storytelling. The experience deepens their understanding of disaster recovery, community resilience, and practical action, preparing them to contribute meaningfully to designing safer and more resilient future societies.

Study Requirement: 90 hours, including pre- and post-fieldwork activities

Topics Covered in This Course

Disaster Recovery and Resilience: Examining how Kumamoto communities have responded to natural and man-made disasters, and how local action can contribute to building disaster-resilient societies.
Kumamoto Earthquake and Torrential Rain Disasters: Investigating the impacts of the April 2016 earthquakes and the July 2020 torrential rains, including damage to homes, communities, infrastructure, and local environments.
Evidence-Based Disaster Response: Exploring how data collection, data analysis, visualization, and storytelling can help learners understand disaster impacts and propose actions for their own local areas.
Locations Visited: Participants visit and engage with sites and stakeholders including Tokai University Aso Campus, Kumamoto Gakuen, Minamata Environmental Clean Center, ECO-NET Minamata, Minamata Disease historical places, and the Minamata Disease Historical Museum, while also meeting local people, local communities, and disaster-related stakeholders.
Field Observations and Reflection: Participants collect evidence from field visits and stakeholder discussions, reflect on disaster experiences and recovery efforts, and work in groups to connect lessons from Kumamoto and Minamata with possible actions in their own countries’ background and local contexts.

Learning Outcomes

This course offers learners the ability to:

Apply the Evidence-Based Approach (EBA) to real-world field research challenges.
Understand the EBA method, which consists of data collection, data analysis, data visualization, and storytelling, and practice it in the field.
Understand natural and man-made disasters that occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture and how local people have worked to overcome them.
Collect, document, and analyze evidence from disaster-related sites, local communities, and stakeholder discussions.
Interpret and visualize field evidence to generate insights about disaster recovery and resilience.
Communicate findings through storytelling, group work, and final presentation.
Propose possible solutions to disasters in participants’ local areas based on learning from cases in Kumamoto City and Minamata City.

Related Courses

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Prerequisite

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Criteria

This badge was awarded to the learners who completed the following criteria:

Participate in online sessions and pre-workshop activities in preparation for the fieldwork.
Join the fieldwork and actively participate in all field activities.
Collect evidence through site visits, stakeholder meetings, local community engagement, and group discussions.
Develop final outcomes collaboratively with teammates after evidence collection.
Present outcomes of the fieldwork and further developments during the final presentation.
Successfully complete the fieldwork’s final report.