5 October 2013

Life in Japan

I am having hard time adjusting myself to the life in Japan. Everything is rather stressful here! There are little space in the house and little open common space outside and September was extremely hot for me after spending summer in cool England. I have to wake up and eat and go to sleep in tune with my mother's schedule. On top of that, I have allergy to something in this house or flying in the air so that I am sneezing all the time!
Having too many things to do doesn't help me either. Time here seems to fly three time faster than it was in Cambridge. I also feel like things, especially food, are a way too expensive. Where is my 89p bag of carrots and the reduced bananas with 30p per a kilo? When I look up the sky, there are always electric wires or huge ugly signboards in my view, which bother me a lot.


Before I went to England, I was really fine living here with all these situations perhaps because I wasn't even aware of these things. Or I didn't know anything else to expect.
I know that the best thing to do is to get used to the situation and let my mind and body become oblivious. It is not easy to change some of those things and there is no point in feeling stressful or being irritated all the time.
But at the same time, I am scared of going back to where I was and just being satisfied!




Marsh Harrier chicks from the field trip to Cley Marshes. I made this images with wooden engraving tools on a piece of vinyl! When I get some more time, I am going to practice and explore this media! (Thank you so much, Colin and John!)



Although I sounded quite negative, I do enjoy my life at home in Japan. The best thing is to work with my brilliant mother! We made a movable crow card out of my illustration for the book cover. We printed them as one of our paper bird series like bird mobile. We will be selling them at the Japan Bird Festival!



We also made the sparrow rucksack!



The gray heron sleeping. I haven't got enough time to go out birdwatching and sketching but I at least painted this one by the tiny river near my house.

3 comments:

  1. Hiromi Gibbs5/10/13 13:25

    お久し振りです。日本に帰国されたのですね。カウンターカルチャーショックでしょうか? 無理せずがんばってください。先日、本屋で"Birds & Blooms of 50 states" という本を見つけました。アメリ力50州の花鳥をプリントワークで紹介してるもので、なりささんのアートワークを思い出しました。(Dutch Door Pressという所から出てました)

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  2. ヤマセミ5/10/13 17:06

    東郷さん 私も同じような経験があります。山手線の車内で日本人同士が話す会話が英語に聞こえたり、余りにも忙しない雰囲気に落ち着かない気分になった事も、たびたびでしたよ。不思議なのは、日本からイギリスに行った時には、そのような違和感を記憶していないのです(笑) イギリスに慣れようと努める気持ちが強くて、そのような違和感を感じないままに終わってしまったのかも知れませんネ

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  3. コメントのお返事が大変遅くなってしまい申し訳ないです。ブログの更新もついつい滞ってしまい駄目ですね。
    Hiromiさん、
    10月に入っても30℃という暑さに本当に参っていました。とんでもない年に帰ってきたものです! "Birds & Blooms of 50 states"という本、イギリスのどこかの本屋さんで見ましたよ! デザイン的ですごく素敵ですよね! 
    ヤマセミさん、
    ずいぶん長いこと、通りすがりの人の会話を小耳にはさんでは「あれ、あの人たち日本語でしゃべっている!」ーーーいや、日本にいるから当たり前だーーーなどと妙なことを思っていました。おっしゃる通り、日本に「帰る」と周囲の環境の変化は大きいのに、新しい土地にいるという緊張がないから、逆に順応するのに時間がかかるのかもしれないですね。

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