Boiling City: Y/Our Climate Exhibition

It looks like we’re in for another scorching summer this year. How can we best respond to forecasts like this?

In the summer of 2025, “Y/Our Climate” was launched. This program brought businesses, government agencies, and artists together to explore the urban climate. This exhibition presents the outcomes of those dialogues and research.

This exhibition focuses on the “microclimates” scattered throughout the city. “Microclimates” refer to small variations in climate that occur within a limited area, such as around parks or buildings where temperature and humidity vary from place to place depending on sunlight, airflow, and building layout. The scale implied by this term, which describes localized climates, encompasses the very fabric of urban life from our bodies and homes to commuting routes and commercial facilities.

“How can we turn this heat into an opportunity?”

We present concrete approaches to urban climate adaptation born at the intersection of science, art, and business. With even more severe heatwaves predicted for 2026, now is the time to join us in redesigning the future of the “boiling city.”

Scenes from the final session of Y/Our Climate, held at FabCafe Osaka in October 2025. The event featured an exhibition showcasing the results of the workshops and fieldwork conducted as part of the program.

The exhibition consists of two areas: a documentary area where visitors can relive the excitement of the program, and an interactive area where they can explore the tools of the future through measuring instruments, cutting-edge wearables, and art.

We will present the process of deciphering urban microclimates, focusing on a preview of the research book *Boiling City*. The exhibition will feature records of “shade hunts” conducted using measuring instruments and systems thinking, as well as an “Issue Map” that visualizes 30 topics ranging from thermal environments to bodily sensations. Through footage of fieldwork and talk sessions, visitors can relive the full scope of the “Y/Our Climate” program.

■Exhibition Contents

• Research Book
• Sample field notes from the “Shade Hunt”
• Issue map derived from the program
• Video of the fieldwork and talk session

We introduce five instruments and products designed to help us adapt to a changing climate. From weather sensors that help us understand our immediate environment, to temperature-regulating apparel by Goldwin Co., Ltd., a video showcasing the heavy rain control project for the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and the City of Toronto’s thermal comfort guidelines. Ranging from technology to policy design, we present a diverse array of ideas to inspire urban infrastructure and heat adaptation initiatives.

■Exhibition Contents

• Measuring instruments such as thermohygrometers and thermal cameras (Urban Ecology Observatory)
• The Osaka-Kansai Expo Heavy Rain Control Project (Kyoto University Disaster Prevention Research Institute)
• Layered Hyloft Garments (Goldwin Co., Ltd.)
• Weather Sensor Devices (Itsuki Doi)
• Thermal Comfort Guidelines (City of Toronto, Canada)

In the summer of 2025, which saw record-breaking temperatures, the “Y/Our Climate” business program was held to explore how to adapt and envision a new future for cities from the perspective of “microclimate.” The program brought together companies, government officials, researchers, and artists, conducting collaborative research through processes such as lectures by experts across a wide range of fields, from meteorology to architecture, and a shade-collecting workshop using systems thinking.

Due to popular demand, we are planning a second session with updated content for the summer of 2026. >>> Click here for program details