Bon Odori Summer Festivals

  Japanese summers are pretty spectacular. They buzz (cicadas) and DON DON DON (taiko drums). They whistle and gong and chant (festivals). They're burning hot and impossibly humid. But if you let the music drifting from the festival grounds carry you along, not only will you make it to fall without melting into a puddle … Continue reading Bon Odori Summer Festivals

Daibutsu in Chalk

At this spring's Hase Ichi (Hase Market), there was a big blackboard for kids to colour all over while their parents browsed booths selling knickknacks, art, and food. I've been struggling to draw the Daibutsu, but after seeing these two chalk drawings, I think I can do it.

A Fine Fall Day

The first winds of winter may have started blowing this week, but the afternoons are still gloriously warm. Hisashi bought a small boat the other day, fulfilling a year-long dream, and took Kaede out for a little row. By the time I joined them on the beach, they were back to shore, and Kaede was … Continue reading A Fine Fall Day