OTOCARE’s mission is to foster a deep sense of wellbeing through the use of sound, drawing from years of individual research and planning and by forging new partnerships with healthcare professionals, urban designers, artists and scientists. OTOCARE was founded by Yu Morishita and Hikari Sandhu from the University of Tokyo and Nick Luscombe from MSCTY, initially as a response during the early days of the COVID 19 pandemic, to conduct research around the use of sound recordings to improve the wellbeing of staff and patients in high stress medical environments. The project has since expanded into other areas of study and application. This panel discussion will feature a mix of speakers working as sound artists, musicians and scientists from the UK and Japan. The main themes of our discussion will include the ways that sound shapes our daily lives, how we can improve the sonic environment of our cities, the use of music as a way to stimulate memory and what the sounds of the natural world can provide as a resource for our wellbeing. Introduced and moderated by Yu Morishita, Hikari Sandhu and Nick Luscombe. Yu Morishita Yu Morishita is a researcher of building informatics at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo with PhD in Interdisciplinary Information Studies. Currently a Project Lecturer leading Memu Earth Lab ( www.memuearthlab.jp ), a university-wide project exploring ways of listening to uniqueness of places through fieldwork, figuring the role of infrastructure for the next society. Hikari Sandhu Hikari is a researcher at the Institute of Industrial Science with a Ph.D. in Health Science, and a registered music therapist certified in Japan. Hikari has been interested in using sounds and music for human health. She has experience of working with terminal cancer patients in the U.S. and Japan as a music therapist. Her recent interest has been on the health benefits of nature sounds and joy of music in our everyday life. Nick Luscombe Nick is a BBC radio broadcaster, producer, music curator/collector and field recordist. He is the founder of the international spatial sound practice MSCTY ( www.mscty.space ), the leading agency for music and architecture. His previous roles include Chief Music Editor at iTunes Europe, Director of Music at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and presenter of BBC Radio’s Sony Award Winning Late Junction programme.