<p>What can anthropology and anthropologists do in a local community in Japan? What possibilities arise for the future of both anthropology and anthropological education when anthropologists deeply commit themselves to local community activities? Recently, participating in community revitalization and contributing to the community have become primary concerns of academics from different disciplines who are engaged in the study of local communities in Japan. Political scientists discuss participation in local politics, while architects consider city planning and good landscape maintenance. Also, specialists in social welfare and education consider the importance of local communities. In such an atmosphere, anthropologists must also explore their own way of learning in and with the community. In the author's view, enabling community revitalization and contributing to the community are not the purposes of anthropological research, but are rather the results or products of the interpersonal relations with people within and beyond the community. Now we need to find a direction toward the creation of a new type of public sphere within and beyond the community in Japan, based on anthropological perspectives and practices. Based on presentations and analyses of a range of activities in the city of Uji since 2002, this article aims to suggest new possibilities for anthropological activities and education. Two main activities are reported in this article : the Ujizo and Manatabi projects. The first example concerns the activities of the Ujizo-gumi, whose main activity is to carry out fieldwork on Jizo beliefs and Jizo-bon in central Uji. They also employ various methods of expressing the findings of their research, such as publishing field reports, hosting street workshops, and designing Ujiizo goods. The Ujizo-gumi is a network mainly composed of graduates and students of cultural anthropology from Kyoto Bunkyo University. They participate in these activities to deepen and widen their knowledge and understanding of the actual situation of contemporary Japanese society. Since Japanese society is now facing a serious decline in the number of children and an increase in number of the elderly, students see that Jizo-bon reflects current social problems and plays a key role in maintaining community ties. The workshops basically collaborate with organizers of local events and use the creative arts so that even small children, who cannot read or write, can absorb the feeling and meaning of Jizo. So-called "stamp rallies" (i.e., running around to collect stamped imprints from various sites) have become one of the core activities affording opportunities for both children and adults to share real encounters with Jizo on-site. Those activities aim to stimulate communication and bring about interaction among people from different generations and different origins (i.e., people of different cultures). After conducting research in Uji and participating in various local events, the networks have developed in many directions. An internship program for undergraduate students was started with the cooperation of the Ujibashi-dori Shop Owners Association and the Uji City Tourism Society. Students experienced face-to-face communication in daily business and learned what work means to people in their daily lives. Many participants found the internship very helpful in broadening their views, and as a result started their real job-hunting activities more positively. Through the program, shop owners and students personally built up a feeling of mutual trust, one by-product of the internship program. The Ujizo gumi also helps promote the advertising of the unique goods in the Ujibashi-dori Shopping Street, in collaboration with the Uji Chamber of Commerce. They have taken part in a special exhibit at Uji City Museum, and started creating new Jizo goods together with some welfare firms. Another</p><p>(View PDF for the rest of the abstract.)</p>