Sakura

Little spring in a recent Ikebana arrangement. It's still snowy in Toyama, but I have cherry blossoms in my bedroom.

I escaped the winter a couple weeks ago, during a trip to Hiroshima. It was still cold -- but dry. The A-Bomb Dome and Peace Museum were powerful and fascinating and sometimes disturbing. I'm glad I saw it for myself. I understand why they've kept the dome, still charred and scattered with rubble. It was a potent reminder.

Miyajima was the highlight of the trip for me. It's an island off the coast of Hiroshima famous for the a shrine built on stilts, Itsukushima Shrine, and especially for the bright red torii gate in the water beyond the shrine. New photos on flickr. While I was there, I had my feet "cleaned" by hundreds of fish ravenous for my dead skin. I'm so ticklish. What was I thinking...

So while I got away from the snow for a couple days, it was waiting with a vengeance back in Fukui. On the night bus home, we got stuck in a blizzard. I woke up around 5, expecting to be home. Instead were were some 2-3 hours out, stopped along the highway with an endless line of cars and buses stopped ahead and another endless line piling up behind us. When the bus driver came through handing out cans of crackers and sugar cubes at 7, I knew we were going to be there for a long time. Around 30 hours. Viv and I spent at least one of those hours playing charades with some new Japanese friends and at least two hours playing 20 questions. We also compiled this list:

Things we accomplished. 31st January 2011.

Slept
Stood
Charades

Animals
Sports
Occupations
Things in the House
Transportation
Put coat on + off
Mr. Squiggle
Drawing pic. game
20 Questions
Removed nail polish from left hand
Tic tac toe
Ate our rations
Danced
Drew pic. of cat hairdresser
Simon Says
1/2 Card for Chris
Reading
Hamlet

I am a Cat
Japan Travel Guide
Txt Messages
Rang Schedule Control
Talked to Jason Wright
Listened to Classical Music
Changed pants
Went outside
Wrote a list of accomplishments
Japanese Nouns
Walked up and down stairs
Potentially listened to the news
Opened curtains and closed them
Listened to Japanese Rock Music
Decided against truth or dare and spin the bottle
Changed seats
Discussed our magic powers
Rolled over several times
Blew nose 4 times
Made Japanese friends
Inhaled and Exhaled
3 Farts (small)
Read accomplishments list aloud

Maiko Katsuyakko sketch

When I was in Kyoto last Fall, I saw a nice show that included a performance from this geisha in training, or maiko. I'm trying to be more careful in my drawings lately. And more patient.

Chinese New Year began this week. Year of the rabbit - that's me. I think it'll be a good year. Not counting being stranded on a bus for 30 hours in a blizzard last week, it's been pretty excellent so far.

Japan by Rail

Some gorgeous stamps await the recipients of this month's batch of postcards. The top image reminds me of a few of the stops along my main route to work.

Ostukare

Detail from a drawing exhibited at Hope Against Hope in the Phoenix Shot Tower, Baltimore. Based off of some wonderful text messages I've received. Combined roman and romanized hiragana. Soon to be a lettering/typography project: Times New Kana...among other soon to be projects.

Experimenting with lettering for a friend's new website, projectician.

I think about how strange it is that I live in Japan. How I didn't give it much thought before I came. I wasn't even particularly interested in this country. No more than any other country at least. Sometimes I'm surprised at how much I like it here now. How I feel like I really am turning Japanese. A little. I've been making glass beads (Mary McDonough, you were right about me and glass) and origami, but my new favorite hobby is ikenobo, the Japanese art of flower arranging. It reminds of installation or sculpture or even layout--with flowers and leaves and sticks. The design considerations are the same: where's the weight? is it balanced? is there enough push and pull? bold enough? detailed enough second read? how's the negative space?

The teacher's wonderful. She's a friendly old woman who speaks just a little English, but somehow writes in beautiful cursive. Also, I love how messy the tatami room where she holds classes is. It feels right. Or at least familiar.