Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1950. Journalist.
Mr. Ikegami started his career at NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 1973. As a news reporter, he has been assigned to Matsue Station, Kure Office, and then to city news department, news bureau in Tokyo headquarters. He has reported from Metropolitan Police Department, Meteorological Agency, Ministry of Education, Imperial Household Agency, etc. Since 1994 through march 2005, he took the role of Father and reported news in NHK program “Shuukan Kodomo News” (weekly news program for children). Mr. Ikegami quit NHK in March 2005, and now works as a freelance journalist. He has published many books including “Soodattanoka! America” (Now, I got to know America), Soodattanoka! Gendaishi” (Now, I got to know the modern history), “Aiteni Tsutawaru Hanashikata” (How to speak and let others to understand you), and “Ikegami Akira no Jouhouryoku” (How I gather information).

Once again, the Enikki Festa has elicited a diversity of works from Asian nations. I am delighted to see the Festa continue to cover an extensive geographical scope.

The works in this Festa, as in previous Festas, exhibit immense stylistic variation by nation and region. Some of the works feature florid coloring and bold composition. Colored pencils, on the other hand, were the only artists' materials available to most of the children in some nations, and the works from those nations are in generally paler tones. The entries thus reflect economic differentials among the participating nations.

The children evoke a heartwarming love for their nations. Also touching are the depictions of strong family ties, as in the numerous works that portray grandparents and other family members. In all the diaries, we enjoy an up-close look at the artists' communities and at the children's daily lives that is genuinely exhilarating.