The ASEAN-Japan Centre participated in the family-oriented event “Sunshine City Family Festa 2026,” organized by Sunshine City Corporation (Ikebukuro, Tokyo) on Sunday, 15 February, together with the company’s volunteer team, World Friends.
Objective
The workshop, titled “Fish Safe Paints – Let’s Paint Ocean-Friendly Art,” invited Ms. Serene Lau, a Malaysian-born, Brunei-raised sustainable visual artist currently based in Australia. Participants experienced an art activity using environmentally friendly paints made from vegetables, as proposed by the artist.
More than 140 children joined the workshop, where they enjoyed coloring sheets featuring animals familiar in the ASEAN Member States, such as otters and lionfish, as well as penguins popular at Sunshine Aquarium. Using handmade, plastic-free paints created by the organizing team from natural ingredients, participants also learned how colors change when vinegar or baking soda is added, creating their own unique and colorful artworks through experimentation.
Activities
The seas connecting Japan and the ASEAN Member States face challenges from marine plastic pollution. Through the AJYELN (ASEAN-Japan Young Environmental Leaders Network) programme, the Centre has already worked with over 100 youths from ASEAN and Japan to address this issue together.
This workshop, designed for children living in Japan, aimed to raise awareness that one of the major sources of microplastics entering the ocean comes from plastics contained in paints[1]. By engaging in the familiar activity of coloring, the workshop sought to encourage participants to reflect on how everyday choices are connected to the ocean and the environment.
Left: Stage Time: Introducing the Centre’s AJYELN activities and highlighting marine plastic pollution as a shared challenge between Japan and ASEAN.
Centre: Why sustainable paints? (Serene Lau)
Right: Paints that can be made with ingredients at home (Serene Lau)
Outcomes
The workshop served as an opportunity to extend the environmental themes addressed through AJYELN to a younger generation. Participating children enjoyed discovering how diverse colors could be created from natural materials, while accompanying parents and teenage participants were encouraged to reflect on environmental issues affecting the seas that connect Japan and ASEAN.
Key Highlights
- Over 140 participants joined the hands-on workshop using vegetable-based paints
- Marine plastic pollution was introduced in a child-friendly and accessible way
- Promoted understanding of shared environmental challenges connecting ASEAN and Japan
- The ASEANPEDIA booklet was distributed to participants
Way Forward
The Centre will continue to explore approaches tailored to different age groups to address shared challenges between ASEAN and Japan.
[1] University of Plymouth and the Marine Biological Association (MBA), 2022
