Setagaya Mama Cont’dー 40 Years as a Small Media Outlet

Finished

Setagayama Mama was a general store that opened in Kyodo, Setagaya-ku in 1982. The owner’s name was Masako Ohashi. She conducted many activities, including lending books, publishing coloring books by illustrator Genichiro Yagyu, and conducting small radio broadcasts (known as “mini FM” in Japanese). The store’s pink and yellow windows that stood out in the residential area were designed by architect Osamu Ishiyama, and its logo was by designer Koga Hirano.

This exhibition will be the first opportunity to introduce “experiments in daily life” by women raising children, focused on the activities of Setagayama Mama. These experiments included Kodomo-saurus, a library opened to the public by Kimiko Hirano in her apartment in 1979; Ame-no-Kai, a gathering held in parks and homes of mothers who met at Kodomo-saurus; and "Ame-no-Kai Tsushin," a record of the activities and daily life of the Ame-no-Kai. Masako Tanoue, who was in charge of the mimeograph (a duplicating machine that preceded the photocopier ), still uses a mimeograph to release a mini publication called "Ame Tsushin."

The venue will display about 40 years’ worth of materials, including mini publications and photographs from around the 1980s, to precious works such as Koga Hirano’s graphics, to "Ame Tsushin" that continue to be published to this day. In addition, there will also be essays reflecting on the era by people who lived near Setagaya Mama as children and poems written by picture book author Chihiro Ishizu, a regular at the store. The exhibition traces small media activities rooted in daily life using diverse perspectives. Discover the adventures of mothers that began in the room of one of their apartments, and learn how they are continuing today.

[Related Event]
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Dates: February 4 (Sat) (1) 11:00 (2) 14:00 (30 minutes for each session)
Venue: 5F Seminar Room
Target: Infants and older
Capacity: 50 people (first-come-first-served basis)
Fee: ¥500 (parent or guardian free)
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Instructor: Mirai Sasaki (Illustrator/Graphic Designer)
Date: March 21 (Tue., national holiday) 14:00-15:00
Venue: Civic Activity Support Corner, 3F
Eligibility: 1st-grade elementary school students and older
Capacity: 10 people per session (by lottery)
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"Family Rakugo"
Performers: Hajime Kokontei, Yusuke Kokontei
Date: April 23 (Sun.) 14:00-16:00 (with intermission)
Venue: 5F Seminar Room
Target: 1st-grade elementary school students and older
Capacity: 100 people (first-come-first-served basis)
Fee: ¥500
*Please check the official website for event details and how to register.

Schedule

Jan 31 (Tue) 2023-Apr 23 (Sun) 2023