There was an opportunity for me to live in the rural area, countryside of Nara, ancient capital in Japan, for a year, one full cycle of four seasons.

For 8 years before that, I had been one of busily working office girls in the middle of Japan bubbling economic growth time and almost every day's overtime work took away my usual sense of feeling the change of seasons except some rare moments like the beautiful sun set I was entirely fascinated and forgetting all my work, just absent mindedly watched through the window of the high-rise building.

One year in Nara was just after such office working time. The surroundings of my house were the rural landscape of the foot of Mt. Ikoma and it was the time for me to begin and start a new life in different surroundings. I have never had such impressive experience for enjoying the vivid change of each season.

In Spring; the flowers of violet blooming everywhere, the seedling of rice planting and the voice of frogs, in Summer; the pure white of the andromeda and the flowers of mimosa blooming rich on top of the big tree, in Fall; the big flowers of cockscomb, in the same size as a child's head, the dragonflies of crimson velvet color, in Winter; just freezing sight with dried up rice fields, frozen puddles of muddy footpath and rough roads.

I enjoyed having ample time to draw the pictures I like. To my happiest pleasure, however, I have encountered, through this nature loving life period, to touch on vine. What a surprise and excitement to be able to form and make with my bear hands, something I like from just the raw material, vine.

After passing young days I just spent without realizing its true value, I have finally found out importance and meaningfulness of true love and attachment to the nature and our world. Since I met vine in nature and rattan, it has been discovery every day about the infinite joy and the possibility of the creative work this material pulls out.

Being absorbed in my favorite work, rattan, and concentrating on trying to finish my product, I just feel the happiness for the creative excitement, which always gives me the confidence to challenge in other areas in this world.

From such real pleasure of my experience, I truly believe that you will find the same excitement from handling rattan craft.