Heritage Dialogue #1: A Kathmandu-Tokyo Online Exchange Meeting on the Conservation of Historic Houses

On 22 August, we held the first session of the “Heritage Dialogue”, which is planned as a casual communication platform to share knowledge, ideas and experiences relating to cultural heritage.

The topic of the first session was the conservation of historic houses, welcoming Ms. Hisae Watanabe, a board member of non-profit organization (NPO) Taito Cultural & Historical Society, as our speaker. She introduced the NPO’s activities for the conservation of historic buildings in Yanaka area of Taito, Tokyo. From Nepal, around 20 people took part, including heritage practitioners and specialists, owners of historic houses, young architects, and students.

The Kathmandu valley in Nepal faces major challenges under urban development pressure, much like central Tokyo, particularly when it comes to conservation of privately owned historic properties. The NPO’s approach – taking time to establish the relationship within the communities to support the conservation of historic buildings in the area – seemed to leave an impression on participants, many of whom felt inspired to take their own small first steps from the very next day. During the discussion session, facilitated by Dr. Lata Shakya of Ritsumeikan University, many questions focused on how consensus is reached among owners and other stakeholders to bring about the preservation and utilization of privately owned historic houses.

We hope to continue creating such opportunities for dialogue, and to widen the network of people involved in cultural heritage conservation in their various roles.

This event is financially supported by FOUNDATION FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ART RESEARCH.

（Natsumi Asada）

Top：Heritage Dialogue #1 Poster (Poster design: Prasanna Bajracharya, Photo credit: Kazuhiro Yokozeki)