Expedition No.2

Explore the frozen wastes! Beware of the six-legged bear! Marvel at The Lights and The Darks! Visit the Stone Mushroom-shapers!
Expedition No.2 - To The North opens in little more than a week on the corner of Vesterbro Torv and Vesterport in Aarhus, Denmark!

Here are the opening hours:
6th Dec. 11AM-5PM (Workshop noon-3PM)
7th Dec. 11AM-5PM (Workshop noon-3PM)
8th Dec. 10AM-5PM
9th Dec. 10AM-5PM (Workshop 1-4PM)
10th Dec. 10AM-5PM
11th Dec. Open late: 5-8PM
12th Dec. 10AM-5PM 
13th Dec. 11AM-5PM (Workshop noon-3PM)
14th Dec. 11AM-3PM

Our Café will be serving snacks for both belly and brain.

a secret club

www.schhh.org

Minami-Alps

Hiking in Kyushu

  

Last month I did some travelling in Kyushu. The highlight was hiking in the mountains in Kuju. There was a hot spring up in the mountains and a great camping area. It was the first time climbing up the mountain with a tent but the tent was so light I took it up in my backpack without much trouble. I hope to do some more overnight hikes this summer.

Expedition No.1: The Eastern Forests

I will be exhibiting at a secret club's "Expedition No.1: The Eastern Forests" show.

Expedition No.1: The Eastern Forests

(Danish title: Ekspedition No.1: De Østre Skove)

Jægergårdsgade 57, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark

17th-20th April, 11am-5pm, 21st April: 11am-4pm

Explore The Eastern Forests, where 14 Danish and international artists have joined a secret club and created fabulous works of art, that tell of the forests and the animals, tribes, plants, and beings that live there.

Rest in the Supplies Café with coffee and cake. Solve a HAMA bead sudoku or have a go at our collage-material pick'n'mix. Follow on twitter or facebook to see which cakes are fresh out of the oven and when.

Free family workshops:

Thursday 17th April  between 2pm and 5pm and Monday 21st April from 1pm-4pm, you can drop in and learn how to look like one of the creatures of The Eastern Forests.

Visit us on Saturday 19th April between 2pm and 5pm to make a glorious medal, fit for the most intrepid explorers.

Both workshops can be completed in approx.20 minutes, but if you're having fun, it can take a lot longer.

Funded by Børnekulturpuljen.

Here is a list of partaking artists:

Morten Barker (DK), Frederikke Becher Hermansen (DK), Elkeland (DK), Rita Fürstenau (DE), Garudio Studiage (UK), Birgitte Haahr Lund (DK), Ponga Huang (TW), Stina Langlo Ørdal (NO), Reena Makwana (UK), Esther McManus (UK), Yumi Okuda (JP), Cendrine Rovini (F), Phuc Van Dang (DK), Melanie Williams (UK) and a secret club.

plum blossoms

It's almost springtime here. It feels like the garden is changing every day. It's such a joy and reassuring to see familiar faces showing up at the same spot as last year. 

winter hike

I went hiking in the snow for the first time today. 

It was a beautiful mountain. There would be spaces between the snow where the earth was exposed. Displaying intriguing patterns. And occasionally the path opened up to striking views of the mountains around. It was just out of this world.

Viri Fide

オーガニックコットンTシャツストア、Viri Fide でうさぎのデザインのTシャツ作ってもらいました。売り上げの11%はNGOに寄付されます。

The rabbit drawings are now on sale at a organic T-shirt store, Viri Fide. 

Toba

鳥羽に牡蠣を食べに行った。前の日からボーっとしていて、みんなの会話が夢の中みたいに聞こえた不思議に一日だった。

My friends and I went for a drive to Toba to eat oysters. It was my first time eating fresh oysters. I ate two. Not sure I liked it. Really salty.

winter walk

Bike trip

We cycled from Nagoya to Yoro Falls in Gifu. It was more than 80km there and back, the longest bike ride I've done! It reminded me of a cyclists I met in China travelling for months. He said there are times when he doesn't see anyone for days. I don't think I would be able to cope with the loneliness. 

gocco print

giving

"You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?"

-Kahlil Gibran

garden flowers

China-Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan

 

 

  

I went away for the summer to China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. At first the plan was to go to Kyrgyzstan to take some lessons in Russian but I ended up spending some time travelling through China mainly in Qinghai and Xinjiang. And staying at Issyk Kul and Altyn Arashan, the countryside in Kyrgyzstan. 

7月から2ヶ月中国、カザフスタンとキルギスに行きました。最初はキルギスでロシア語を勉強しようと思っていたけど、中国ではウイグル自治区や青海省時をみてまわって、キルギスではイシクル湖の周りやアルティンアラシャンという山の方に行きました。

キルギスのオシュで会ったお友達のサイト。夫婦で世界一周しています：

ふたりでふらり　ゆるりとぐるり

Weekend activities

I often work weekends but it's great having them off sometimes. A few weeks ago there was a free music festival in Toyota. It was nice hanging out with good friends with music and dancing all around. Last weekend a furniture maker friend came and taught us how to make a wooden spoon! I must start taking more time off on weekends.

Rain

最近雨の日がいやじゃない。

2 days

When I came back from my trip to Kanazawa and Kaga, all the cherry blossoms were in bloom. 
2日の旅行から帰ってきたら、桜がたくさん咲いてた。

Spring

I didn't realize that I went out not wearing a scarf.　

moving and settling

New year is a big celebration in Japan and it makes me look back on the year. Last year was a filled with changes. I changed jobs three times and moved house three times. I now feel more settled here in Nagoya and ready for a new challenge. Last year I made a mid year resolution to spend more time with friends and I think I did quite well with that. I'd like to keep on doing that this year but also to draw more and gain a new skill, maybe dressmaking or pottery.

去年は仕事も変えたり引越したりしました。名古屋に引越して落ち着いてきたのまたなにか新しいことを始めたいと思う。陶芸とか洋裁も習ってみたい。

canyoning in minakami

Last week I visited my friend Victor who was camping in Minakami, Gunma. We camped just by Tone River. It was great to swim in fresh water again. There was a beautiful pool just behind where we were. One evening we got to see Bunny Gang perform. There I met Wisdom and made these drawings together.  On the third day we went canyoning, sliding down waterfall. It's so refreshing to be in fresh water. It makes me want to live near a lake.

群馬県の水上にでキャンプをしました。とねがわのすぐちかくだったので川で泳ぎました。滝をすべっていくキャニオニングをしました。そしてウィズドムと一緒に絵を描きました。

Ten days in Hokkaido

I went camping in Hokkaido with my friend Victor. We visited four different lakes in ten days, climbed a volcano, travelled on many trains and hitchhiked our way around. My favourite part of the trip was swimming in the lakes and the yubari melon I got at one of the stops on the way to Lake Nukabira.

北海道にキャンプをしに行きました。湖で泳いだり、火山を登りました。夕張メロンをたべました。

furry plants

When I examine plants through a magnifying glass I see that they are furry and wrinkly. I like how texture they are.

葉っぱを虫眼鏡でみるとしわしわで毛もいっぱい生えてる。

balcony garden

I've been growing some flowers and vegetables on my balcony. The salad leaves are so quick to grow. I'm also trying to propagate some lavender from cuttings. They are looking good so far so see how they do.

ベランダのサラダリーフとラベンダー

Rain in Tokyo

It's rainy season in Japan at the moment. Maybe this is why I am feeling curious and soaking up everything there is. I love the summer rain. The earth so wet and absorbing all the rain. The plants so lush and green. I have started taking Russian lessons and swing dance classes and picked up reading again. But I still feel hungry for more. If only I learned to wake up earlier in the day.

梅雨の日々は色々吸収したくなります。地のように。ロシア語の教室とスウィングダンスも始めて見ました。そしてまた本を読み始めました。でもまだまだ飲み込めそうです。もう少し早起きできるようになればいいのに。

wild flowers and night time drawing

It's been either rainy or hot during the day in Tokyo but I am enjoying wandering around the neighbourhood in the evenings. So quiet and everything looks different in the dark. There are so many little streets to explore. I like how the streets are lit and the plants on the streets. I've also started a small balcony garden myself.

holiday textures

Hotel signs in Ise and beautifully crafted items at Kurashiki Archaeological Museum. 

倉敷考古館と伊勢のホテルのサイン

Hiroshima / Kurashiki

 

After my travels through the vast forests of Russia, it feels anywhere and everywhere is so accessible. I've been catching the night bus to some cities for weekend trips. The last time I went on the night bus about 10 years ago, I just got up as I had to get off and found it really hard to function during the day. But now I know the trick is to get up at least half an hour before my stop and have a tea and snack to I'm ready to go. 

広い広いロシアを経験してからはどこでも行きやすく感じます。夜行バスで週末出かけます。

a nice thing happened

Although it's almost half way through the year,  I've decided on my new year resolution to spend as much time as I can with treasured friends. To share time and experience the days together. This year I've had some time off which meant that I was able to go on holidays with my dear friends. I'd like to fill more of my days with the such things.

Hachimakura

An old friend and a wonderful painter Kiborio organized a one day exhibition at a stationary shop in Kokubunji. It was great to see some friends that I hadn't seen for some years. I exchanged one of my meteorite drawing with this beautiful wooden receiver.

国分寺のハチマクラで一日展示しました。きぼりおさんが参加したみんなにおはなしをききました。そしてこいさくさんのすてきな受信機と作品交換しました。