- Yokohama City’s Decarbonization and GREEN×EXPO Promotion Bureau announced on 14 October 2026 that it is recruiting “kids reporters”. Children will interview city staff working on Yokohama’s Expo exhibits and pass what they learn on to children their own age.
- Open to children living in Yokohama, from the fourth year of elementary school to the third year of junior high. They apply in groups of three to six; up to six groups, about 36 children, will be chosen. A parent or other adult aged 18 or over must apply.
- Applications run from 14 October to 1 November (Sunday) through the event website. If there are too many, there is a lottery, with results sent by email around 6 November.
- Three days: 21 November (13:00–16:00), basics of the Expo and of reporting; 12 December (10:00–16:00), interviews with staff working on Tsunagu Yokohama Pavilion and Tsunagu Yokohama Field; 27 February 2027 (12:00–16:00), a presentation of the results.
- Days one and two are at Yokohama City Hall or nearby meeting rooms; day three is at Pacifico Yokohama North. A participation fee is not mentioned.
Our take
The names of Yokohama’s exhibits, Tsunagu Yokohama Pavilion and Tsunagu Yokohama Field, were announced on 29 September (the city’s half-year announcements). The pavilion is described as a hands-on space about greener living and technology, the field as gardens of Yokohama-grown plants with guided tours. Children will hear about these from staff in December and present them on 27 February, about three weeks before the Expo opens.
Separately, the city plans to invite pupils of its municipal schools to the Expo, school by school, on 53 weekdays from 12 April to 30 June 2027. Many children will visit that way, but only about 36 get to question the people behind the exhibits beforehand.
One thing gives me pause: the group format. A child who wants to take part alone cannot apply; they need at least two friends to form a group. Putting that group together by 1 November will be the first hurdle, I think.
Tips for visitors
- A parent applies through the event website by 1 November (Sunday). Groups of three to six.
- Check that everyone in the group can attend on 21 November, 12 December and 27 February before applying. The last day is at Pacifico Yokohama North.
- What the city is building, and its workshops outside the venue, are in our news on the half-year announcements and the exhibit-making workshops.
- “Kids reporters” and the exhibit names are trip-jp’s English renderings.
Our take
Yokohama City wants children to report on its own Expo exhibits. Groups of three to six children in grades 4 to 9 who live in the city attend three Saturdays between November and February. Applications close on 1 November, with a lottery if oversubscribed.