Greetings!
So, I wanted to have a blog on my website to kind of make up for not having an email list! I figured what better way to start it off than to talk about my time in Japan! I’m actually still here, so honestly I’ll probably make another post about my final week here near Tokyo. So much has happened already though, I think it’s definitely enough to make a post about!
I started out in Arita for six weeks where I was studying porcelain. My very first time throwing, hand building, touching porcelain! It was very cool and I learned so much! I especially found an interest for nerikomi. I’m bringing home lots of colors to continue testing stuff out at home! Besides ceramics there was lots of other stuff I was lucky enough to be able to participate in! Summer festivals in particular were an amazing thing to be able to take part in. Kashima, Arita Sera, and Imari all had awesome festivals! Eating a cucumber on a stick with mayo on it was definitely a first for me! Even just biking to Seven Eleven was such a mundane yet mesmerizing experience here! Sincerely, it was so inspiring and I can’t wait to take everything I learned and was inspired by home to get to work!
On August 17th I flew my way to Ishigaki where I spent four days. In-between rain storms I was delving deep into nature. I was able to go diving for the first time, which is crazy to say because it was relatively unplanned! My host asked me the day I arrived if I wanted him to arrange something for me. I was a little nervous, but I still said yes! I’m glad I did because it was truly special. You would think it’d be hard to top that, but another day I was out kayaking and eating pineapple under a remote waterfall! Genuinely unreal! I feel so grateful for the experiences I’ve had here in Japan.
Right now I’m in Hakone taking a couple of rest days before I go to Sanmu tomorrow, a town a little bit outside of Tokyo! Then it will be back home to Saratoga Springs in a little over a week! The future is shining bright and I’m excited!
Wishing everyone the best!
Polar 🙂
(see photos below)
((This post was originally made in August 2024))
