MISHIMA, Shizuoka — In a showcase of creativity and engineering, elementary and junior high school students from Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, unveiled 21 miniature hydropower generators during a recent contest. The event, held at Shirataki Park on August 11, featured a dazzling display of innovation as the miniature generators powered LED lights while waterwheels turned in the park’s crystal-clear stream.
The contest aimed to educate young minds about the significance of Mishima’s waterways, foster memorable summer experiences, and promote awareness of hydropower as a sustainable energy source. Entries were judged on five criteria: creativity and technological ingenuity, design and artistic flair, environmental impact, electricity generation capability, and overall effort. This year’s event marked the ninth edition of the contest, with a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the 21 entries were several standout creations. One notable entry, “Adding Coolness to the City of Water,” featured a kingfisher statuette that drank from a “shishiodoshi” bamboo fountain, activating its waterwheel mechanism. Another entry, “A Summer Night in Mishima,” showcased a miniature Mount Fuji surrounded by LEDs embedded in firefly models, capturing the essence of a summer evening.
Kyo Shiramoto, a second-year student from Minami Junior High School, and his team, including his younger brother, presented a glowing Kodama shinkansen bullet train and a “Doctor Yellow” rail track inspection train. Shiramoto shared, “We collaborated intensively over ten times since late July. Crafting the waterwheel blades proved to be quite challenging.”
The contest not only highlighted the students’ ingenuity but also reinforced the importance of renewable energy and environmental stewardship among the younger generation.
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