Last Days

There are many things about Itoshima that I’ll miss. Being immersed in a vastly different culture has been refreshing. Stepping away from myriad responsibilities at home and having uninterrupted creative time has been indispensable. The value of this experience can’t be calculated and boarding the flight today I’m taking these things with me.

The landscape. Read more

A Bit Too Far

The trip is coming to an end and I want to seize every opportunity; see everything I can. Today C and I decided to ride our bikes to the mall; which sounds like something my friend MJ and I would’ve decided to at age twelve. Walking outside it was clearly way too hot so we’d go to the nearby Gooday Store and then to the beach shrine where I wanted to paint. After getting to the Gooday Store we enthusiastically decided to go to the mall after all. Read more

Osaka

It’s just 2.5 hours to Osaka from Fukuoka on the bullet train. That doesn’t include the hour it takes to get from Itoshima to Fukuoka but it’s still a manageable trip. CC and I set off riding our bikes early Saturday morning, leaving them at the Ikisan train station till we returned Monday evening. Read more

Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival

We traveled into the city of Fukuoka yesterday to catch some of the Hakata Gion Yamakasa practice runs. After a delicious ramen lunch, we wandered around and found a lantern-strung street leading to the Kushida Shrine. People started gathering around a central square where a team, clad in traditional happi coats, prepared for the arrival of the float.Read more

Making Things

Studio Kura was founded by Hirofumi Matsuzakion on the property where he grew up. Hiro was trained as a printmaker in Berlin when he invited the first visiting resident artist to stay at his parent’s property and share the detached studio/shop. The next year Hiro accepted six resident artists after which his parents said, “No more!” and he started looking for other locations. Read more

Heat, Bugs, and Bamboo

The studio is accessed from the dining room or from the narrow road bordering the four bedroom house. It’s an ideal set up and one of the brightest interior spaces. It’s also one of the hottest.Read more

The Sea and the Studio

Dragon Palace is a beautiful, small island shrine between the studio and town. A dirt path leads down the embankment just along a private residence foundation wall. I met the woman who lived next door as she came up from the path with her friendly, golden retriever.Read more

Shinto Shrines by the Sea

Konnichiwa! We arrived in coastal Itoshima City two days ago on a cloudy, drizzly day. It never opened into a full fledged rain and was clear enough to bike into town without any rain. The Sea of Japan framed by the low lush volcanic mountains is beautiful and on a bicycle even more lovely. Read More