The glitter of water in the distance was like a school of fish wetting their dorsal fins and moving smoothly, and Summer's profile was fantastic in the evening wind. Lake Ashi, Owakudani, and Hakone Shrine are all beautiful places filled with history, nature, and culture, and I expressed the essence I got from them in my paintings.

We stayed at the KAI Sengokuhara in July when the greenery of Hakone is said to be the most beautiful. Although it doesn't represent a tangible image that we see, the rich nature of Hakone, the light, wind, and water, was a significant factor in our creation. We stayed in this room and realized that the space changes its expression with the view of the morning, noon, and night outside. It would be great if it were not a painting that insisted on a solid message like the sun but a painting that reflected the viewer's thoughts and brought out various images like the moon.

In my production style, I create two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes by discovering experienced shapes and colors in my paintings. Again, the five senses memorize the landscape through fieldwork and make a mental map. This time, the scenery of Hakone Sengokuhara was the protagonist.

The beautiful view of the windows, the grittiness of the mud walls, the beautiful sound of birds … I drew the rhythm of wind and light inspired by Lake Ashi in this room that stimulates the five senses. I wish this space would expand richly like a sail that receives a lot of wind. I hope your journey will be enveloped in a pleasant light and wind aboard a ship that moves at ease and serenity.

I recorded the landscape of Hakone Sengokuhara. Rich herbaceous plants exist in this land, along with the memory of water—the freshness. I thought of and drew plants growing after the rain. I hope you enjoy the magnificent view of Sengokuhara and the work that changes its expression by the light of morning, noon, and night.

I learned people have protected and maintained the pampas grass prairie in Sengokuhara since ancient times. A meadow surrounded by massive trees contrasts with the fumarolic region of Owakudani. There was a softness that felt the presence of people. The varied terrain where the history of Hakone Volcano feels familiar is like entering a Hakodate garden. I can't express it all, but I want to share the joy of staying with you through my work!

My work reconnects personal and cultural identities with the landscape and asks, “How does the environment shape me?” The repeated and abstract shapes from local plants, the ridge line contour, the color palette, textures, and tracks of insects all are taken from and reference my experience of Hakone. The Hokusai images are an homage to that great Edo Period artist and acknowledge the influence of Japanese culture and art on Western thought and aesthetics.

Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to share my experience and vision of Hakone with you through my artwork. This is a beautiful and exceptional place, and I hope my images will encourage and invite you to take the time to look closely and fully appreciate the unique experience of the area. Enjoy!

I was creating artwork in a unique and beautiful environment such as this one is challenging for any artist. In my work process, I often use colors from my surroundings. I was impressed by the light, the sky, the greenery, the topography of the region of Hakone, and the modern architecture of this hotel. I took colors such as silver, white, and blue to express the fresh mountainous atmosphere, light greens for the bamboo plants, reds for the natural temples, and so on. For my artworks, the most important thing is experimentation with various materials, that is why I use rough building materials that I collect in the place where I am, in this case in Japan, and in this way, I try to attract the viewer to touch my paintings and feel on his own the topography of my experience of the space/surroundings. You are welcome to handle my paintings by yourself!

The important message to the viewer of my artworks is that the real environment of our existence is beyond portrayed in the purest form. It reflects the personal way of the traveler from conscious to subconscious through its variants phases to reach the goal of their traveling.

When I saw a "Shide" for the first time, it seemed to be a zigzag-formed emptiness cut out from a noisy, colorful evening in Tokyo. Simple, logical, and nice, it offered a free space for the mind. In the painting, I lay ten impressions of Hakone over a taped shi-deform and each other. You can see the colors on the sides. In the end, the tape was removed, creating free space again.

I am inspired by Japanese culture and delighted by the variety of forms. I used the spiritual symbols with admiration and respect. I hope you feel invited by the works to rest from planning and forcing and find leisure to enjoy and reflect, as I do when I experience this country. I want to linger and bring you to the garden of Hakone's Ancient Temple, where trees are like ropes to bring your gaze up and the stairs that help your body to go towards the 8 million of Japan's Gods.

The title of my artwork is "Breathing." Everything is alive and breaths, not only humans, animals, plants, and even rocks. When all these things come close to me, I talk with them and feel a dialogue and harmony. My inspiration from Sengokuhara, Hakone, comes especially from rocks, Vulcano smoke, and reflections from water in the lakes and waterfalls. Please take your time to look closely at my artwork. It will give you a feeling of quietness, silence, and harmony. You can even talk to the painting! Many people ask me what they should look for in my pictures if what they see in an image is what I meant to show them. But there are the right things to see! Maybe you even see things in my artwork I didn't know existed.