Fifty-two fifth graders at Minami Shinozaki Elementary School in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, have created a video and newspaper to preserve a record of the traditional handicrafts in their neighborhood.

The project began in September 1999. The students made thorough preparations and broke up into six groups before they visited artisans in Edogawa Ward, including those making glass wind chimes, shimenawa (Shinto decorations made of twisted straw), bamboo baskets, dyed Japanese towels, Edo-style fans, and latticework.

After an editorial meeting, students went through reference materials and other documents detailing the works and lives of these artisans and visited a local traditional crafts exhibition. They then discussed what they wanted to record and how they should go about it. They created a script on their own, and used many interviews of these craftspeople. Ward officials taught the students how to use video cameras and how to interview people.

The students assigned different roles to themselves. Some acted as directors, while others served as reporters and members of the camera crew. They also rehearsed the interviews before going ahead with actual shooting. As a result, they successfully finished the video by the end of October 1999, and it was screened before all pupils at the school during lunch hour.

Miho Teraura, recalling the process, said, "It was a challenge creating a script and thinking about what angles we should shoot from. But it was also great fun."

The students have also produced a newspaper based on what they learned during the video-making process. The articles describe the traditional crafts and show how the video was made with photographs and illustrations. The headlines reveal how the students view the crafts they observed: "Wind-bell making requires much labor," claims one, with others reporting that "3,000 towels are dyed each day" and "Successors sought by Shinozaki basket weavers."

Kazuko Horiguchi, the teacher who supervised the project, notes that interviewing the artisans, learning about traditional handicrafts, and producing a video program and newspaper have given the students a chance to learn more about society, while writing a script and newspaper articles helped them improve their language skills. "I think the students learned a great deal by meeting local people and relating their experiences on film and in writing," she added.

Photos (from top): Interviewing an Edogawa craftsman; member of a camera crew perfect their technique. (Minami Shinozaki Elementary School)