November 2006

groovisions are a japanese design group from kyoto! for these videos they designed a little digital world so the funky guy can march around in it. this video really makes me happy.

the videos are for a kyoto dj called halfby. the first song is “rodeo machine” and the second is “screw the plan”.

i’ve also posted this to VIDEOSIFT.

it’s not fair… it’s just too cold here in saskatoon. it’s -27℃ with the windchill. it’s very unusual even in saskatchewan to be this cold this early. it’s colder than my freezer. i told my mom how cold it is, but it was more than her comprehension - life in a -27℃ world is impossible to her. my parents live in wakayama japan, where it’s around +13℃ this week. they think that’s cold… oh, well. SHO-GANAI ne.

since the outside world is depressing, i want to make my home life as cozy as possible!

so i made myself a cup of tea: rosehip tea with hibiscus flower (mmm, tropical!). i also made some rosehip tea cookies. i added rosehip loose tea leaves to the cookie dough. although they don’t taste anything like rosehip berries, it adds a touch of pretty pink color to the cookies. this happy color should make me happy.

the recipe is the same as my lavender cookies recipe except that i substitute rosehip loose tea leaves for the lavender flower buds. the recipe is here.

(click the image to view close up)

this is a drawing for an exhibition in spain in 2007. this exhibition is called “dreams” organized by roger omar in spain.

In 2002 I started a project of dreams. I ask kids from
different countries to write their dreams during 2 weeks.
From hundreds of dreams I made a selection of 60 very short
dreams from kids of México, Spain and Brasil.

he invited artists to select and draw one kid’s dream, to make an artbook of 60 dreams/artists. from the interesting children’s dreams, i chose #32.

32. (SPAIN-GIRL) - Yuka Yamaguchi
I dreamed that I married my dog. I was in the altar, dressed in white, with my fiancé. When the priest said “Kiss the bride”, I saw that my fiancé was a boy with my dog´s face.

usually i’m not good at drawing with a theme in mind. but to my surprise, i had a good time drawing this :) i hope the girl who dreamed this dream will like my drawing.

this result of this project will become an artbook. The exhibition of the project will take place in Cadiz-Spain, 2007. The kids dreams and the images of the book will be exhibited, as well as some other things related to the project, like photos and some original kids-written dreams.

along with their drawing, the artists are asked to submit one dream that they had in 2006. oh boy… i have tons of dreams to choose from. i dream a lot, or so it seems. after seeing my drawings, some people have asked me if i have nightmares. i really don’t. i have some scary dreams featuring cats (i’m scared of cats), but i’m not sure if those are in the nightmare category.

i have some of the same dreams over and over again. here are my recent dreams:

• i enter Nijo castle (in kyoto) at 2am and have to run around and around the castle 10 times before dawn without being caught by the security guards. it’s hard, because Nijo castle has special “nightingale floors” that squeak when you step on them (protecting against ninjas!). cats keep getting in the way and i can’t run past them…
• i’m on an escalator with hundreds of steps, and it’s not moving. i need to get to the top of the building because i need to buy a toy from the toy department of this department store. but by the time i get to the top of the stairs, a different dream starts…
• i’m riding on the electric streetcar in kyoto, but i’m on the wrong train, going in the wrong direction. i’m carrying a suitcase that i have to keep secret and safe.

none of my dreams are really nightmares but they’re pretty stressful. maybe i’ll draw them someday.

stereolab

i need some music to cheer me up :)

watch this video on VIDEOSIFT.

(click the image to view close up)

finally finished.

my new heart is beating real fast.

art recipe 1
art recipe 2

UPDATE: you can buy a print of this drawing from my SHOP.

“uragiri-mono” means betrayer.

x’mas is almost here… i used to like santa. but now that i learned how santa is trained, i’m not sure… (caution: this video may not be for santa-loving people).

the postcard of this photograph is for sale in my SHOP.