The author and his laboratory students are now working on a fieldwork-based mapmaking project in Yoita, Nagaoka City. This article reports on the process of the first year of the project.
We first explored Yoita in a small group and decided on two themes, “Ayashii (strange)” and “Kawaii(cute),” for the map to be produced. Next, NID students participated in a citywalk event and collected a large number of “strange” and “cute” objects. We created two maps reflecting these items, and held a citywalk and exhibition to unveil the maps. The maps caused interaction with various actors such as students, local people and event participants, and shifted total mode of the project dramatically.