We Are Tomodachi Spring / Summer 2018

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7several specialized books to try programming on my own. At first, I struggled with programming languages for app development and my lack of English. However, when I didn’t understand something, I put my social skills to use, asking many people for advice through the Internet. After about five months, I completed “hinadan,” a game in which players arrange the traditional hina (dolls) displayed for the Japanese Doll Festival in their proper order on the stair-like dan (display shelves).”When hinadan came out in February 2017, response exceeded anything she had imagined. Articles appeared in one Japanese newspaper after another, and CNN introduced Wakamiya and her game in the United States. She was invited to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California in June 2017 as a special guest and introduced as “the oldest developer.” The day before the conference, Wakamiya had the opportunity to talk with Apple CEO Tim Cook. She also gave the keynote speech at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for a February 2018 conference on digital technology and the elderly. “With ICT [Information and Communication Technology] literacy, seniors can create their own space, and by using social networking systems, they can expand interactions with family members, friends and foreigners who live far away. This makes me really happy.”Confronted with an aging society and decrease in the number of people in the labor force, the Japanese government is seeking to implement a “Human Resources Development Revolution.” Wakamiya is seen as a role model and has been selected as one of the experts to participate on the “Council for Designing 100-Year Life Society” that is considering practical measures for Seniors learn hands-on at Wakamiya’s computer class.The hinadan game app Wakamiya created requires players to use their knowledge of Japan’s traditional Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival) to arrange dolls each in their correct position on a four-level display stage. “To make it easier for seniors to play, I did not use slides and swipes, but made it possible to move a doll with just a tap,” she explained. The number of downloads now exceeds 80,000.Masako WakamiyaWakamiya was born in Tokyo in 1935. She is vice chair of the senior generation website “Mellow Club” that she helped create in 1999, director of the NPO Broadband School Association, and active in promoting the usage of digital devices by seniors. As an expert on the Japanese government's “Council for Designing 100-Year Life Society” held from 2017, she is involved in policymaking to support learning after mandatory retirement.transforming, as did Wakamiya, aging into opportunity.Wakamiya’s interest now lies in the evolution of AI. “Some people are afraid of being deprived of work, but we must find new jobs and participate in society in new ways. I am looking forward to what the future society will be like,” she states, eyes shining with irrepressible curiosity.