Part 1: Activity Report on the Use of Supporting Membership Fees

The "Supporting Members' Gratitude Festival 2024" was held on Friday, October 18, 2024, as an opportunity to report on the activities carried out by the Museum thanks to the support of our Supporting Members.

In Part 1, we reported on the activities funded by the membership fees, focusing on the "Overall Activities of the Supporting Membership in FY2023" and "Events Funded by Supporting Membership Fees."

Under the "Overall Activities" section, we provided details on the creation, purchase, and restoration of specimen materials. We used photos and videos to highlight projects such as the creation of a full-body taxidermy specimen of a Northern Elephant Seal (a specimen the museum did not previously possess), the purchase of Nagara Meteorite No. 1 (one of the meteorites that fell in Japan), and the restoration of specimens within "Compass: Discovery Park for Parents and Children."

Regarding the "Events Funded by Supporting Membership Fees," while we were unfortunately unable to receive a direct report from the museum researcher due to field work, we presented a video report on an event held at a commercial facility by the Tsukuba Botanical Garden and a lecture series titled "Exploring the Crossroads of Culture and Natural Science."

The Q&A session following the report brought forth numerous questions about the Supporting Membership and the museum's activities, strongly emphasizing the high level of interest and deep commitment of all the participants.

Special Exhibition Researcher Commentary

Part 2 of the Supporting Members' Gratitude Festival: Special Exhibition Researcher Commentary

In the second part of the festival, a researcher in charge of the Special Exhibition "Alpine Plants: Diversity and the Linkage of Life in the Flowers of the High Peaks" provided a guided commentary within the exhibition room.

Due to the size constraints of the exhibition space, participants were divided into two groups, allowing everyone to enjoy the passionate and enthusiastic commentary from the researcher (so enthusiastic, in fact, that time seemed to fly by!). This program received the highest satisfaction rating in the questionnaire completed by participants.

Although the Special Exhibition "Alpine Plants" has concluded, you can still view this exhibition through the [Special Exhibition Digital Archive] and the [Kahaku VR] feature, which allows you to explore the exhibit with 3D views and VR video. We encourage you to check them out.

Supporting Members' Gratitude Festival: Advance Viewing of the Virtual Exhibition "Alpine Plants" (Tentative)

While one group was participating in the special exhibition commentary, the other group took a break for café time.
During this time, we offered an advance viewing of the Virtual Exhibition "Alpine Plants" (Tentative), which was still under development and unreleased at the time of the festival.

The footage displayed in the attendees' VR goggles was also projected onto a screen at the front of the venue, allowing everyone to catch a glimpse of the VR experience. Talking with the participants while viewing the projected footage made it a very enjoyable time for the Supporting Membership staff as well.

We received responses from nearly 70% of attendees on the post-event questionnaire, and we sincerely thank you for your feedback. We will use the opinions received, including those from the event day, to improve the operation of next year's Supporting Members' Gratitude Festival and further enhance our membership activities. We hope for your continued support.