hi anna,
congratulations! you've become an aunt,haven't you? you can ask me how to behave as aunt.
by the way,here is my nephew's work.i think he has a sense of art.don't you think so?
......oh,i am sorry,i've just boasted.
i stay in front of the mac a long time and go out just for bussiness these days. i like working,but i need a break.i want to wander around the town or playing with cats all day long is also great.
talk to you soon!
nobuko
hi anna,
genki???
you miss tokyo and hand-drip coffee,don't you? here you go.(i am so sorry i had a little bit.)
this portrait was drawn by fancomi.i think i am about to say something.let's talk!
nobuko
hi anna,
genki?
it is cloudy or rainy in Tokyo almost everyday.the rainy season.......it makes me lazy and tired.but on the other side t is good season for reading or thinking about something.
i enjoyed Aki's first exhibition.it was nice to see her works in Moriokashoten.her blue things took away blue sigh from me.
the textiles of sahara is so beautiful! i know why you like it.
i am fascinated by gloom beauty of hydrangea which seem to be nourished by rain.
Akie is studying in Italy.she is traveling bookbinder like you.i am sure she is fine.
nobuko
hi anna,
genki?
i am fine.
we had an strong earthquake.i feel we were necessitated to be changed our life and mind.the disaster continue still now.sometimes i am worry about it so much.but i work and make books. same as before.
anyway,i had a great fun in Australia! a guest house i stayed was so nice for me.i decided to stay there because they have a cat.he was not so friendly,but it was OK.he was lovely.the owner who is a photographer was so sweet and charming.there are a lot of interesting books.i bought many nice books in Sydney.i want to show you them.
i visited Nagoya and Kyoto last week.i relaxed so much.there were different atmosphere from Tokyo.Akie(she moved to Nagoya) and i exhibited at a wonderful bookshop in Nagoya.
thank you in Singleton! all the memories of the party are precious which put heart(genkiness) into me.
how are you doing?
Nobuko
hi anna,
genki?
you had tough days in France,didn't you? otsukaresama.
thank you for lovely new year greeting.my friend said he was touched by your card.good job! the exhibition was successful.
i am so busy preparing for my next exhibition with my friend who is a copperplate engraver that i can't study English these days.too bad! the title of the exhibition is Winter Tree.i select words from my favorite writings.i am bindind books now.it is challenging work for me.
you are going to exhibit in Hong Kong? earrings for elephants?! i think your earrings look,if anything, better on giraffe than elephant.anyway,it is for window in my house.
i will study English hard next month in order to enjoy Sydney.i am looking forward to see you and your wedding dress! did you find nice one?
nobuko
hi anna,
genki?
do you know Mochitsuki? i and Toru enjoyed it with my Kappan friends yesterday.we pressed not letter but rice. it was early year end party.so we drunk and talked and laughed a lot.
Cressida Campbell! so beautiful!! i want to buy her book.
i will prepare and show you some hanga artist's books such as Hiroshi Yoshida.
see you soon!
do not forget to bring your earrings!
nobuko
hi anna,
genki?
thank you for everything in Hong Kong!
i was fascinated by Hong Kong.it's busy,noisy,messy,open,rough and beautiful.especially i like to see a forest of old apartments.i miss a stray dog and people naked to the waist in downtown.i am sure Hong Kong is best place for stroll as stranger.i felt i mingled with people naturally because i can't tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese by their appearance.that was dizzy and enjoyable feeling.
i got to know a lot of artists and designers such as Chihoi(lovely 花花),Furze Chan(i love her paper puppet),La Jeunesse,moustache,my little airport……so interesting.
i want to know more about Hong Kong and people living in Hong Kong.books i bought there will help me. Grandma Grandpa Cook is inspiring for us,isn't it?
Rolling Hong Kong gathers no moss——this is a title of a non-fiction which i bought recently.i want to be rolling nobuko.i think visiting Hong Kong is good idea for it.actually there are so many slopes!
see you!
nobuko
(the image above is from Portraits from above)
hi anna,
genki?
i've finished reading very interesting story by Natalia Ginzburg.( i guess there are two versions in English;Family sayings and The things we used to say.)
Natalia gave me a lot of charming words and phrases which would make her brothers and sisters who have already been distant both in space and reration recognize each other even in the darkness of a cave or among a million people.in fact they lived very difficult days,but the story is full of humor.especially i love her hot-tempered father who often gets furious at his wife and children with this word;what a donkey you are!
when it comes to donkey,my husband sometimes says nothing is more prettier than donkey.the image is from his scrapbook. he seems to like not only donkey but also various animals.
anyway,the other day i bought some lovely animal's postcards by boekie woekie.
i am looking forward to visiting Hong Kong. isn't there donkey in Hong Kong?
see you soon!
Nobuko
hi anna,
how are you?
the book fair was so exciting that i don't need any excitement these days.
i don't feel like making new book now.it's time to read.we talked about it the other day,didn't we?
i used to read American novels such as John Irving,Paul Auster,Richard Brautigan,Nicholson Baker.....and so on(of course in Japanese!),but regretfully,i've almost forgottn to read foreign novels for these ten years.
i took a translation of Sudden Fiction International after an interval of 16 years. do you know this book? it includes your favorite writer:Peter Carey and Italo Calvino.i also recommend you Almost No Memory written by Lydia Davis.you can enjoy it especially in a perverse mood.
all the best,
Nobuko
hi anna,
how are you?
thank you for great music!
your friend's song made me want to go Hong Kong righit now.otherwise,i want to go to see Hong Kong movie.
i 'm busy with making new works,a book and bookmarks.of course it is fun,but.......
anyway,about music,i like this voice very much.i feel it so earthy that i feel relaxed.i enjoy listening to his song instead of walking in the park or forest these days.
talk to you soon!
nobuko
hi anna,
how are you? genki?
do you enjoy HongKong now?
Have you found good cafe or bookshop?
thank you for sending me lovely letter.i really like your Japanese writing.there is beautiful primitiveness. some mistakes are poetic and inspiring.
i asked my English teacher to write some chinese character the other day.he wrote very well.i was surprised at his writing 日曜日.but he mistook 都.i love it.I am sorry that i can't mistake in this way.i have already lost fresh feeling about chinese character.
but i can mistake shrimp for shrine. actually i did.i hope it inspiring for English speaker.
i and akie have started to think about ananas press's new book.
how about you? are you making something?
sincerely yours,
nobuko
hi anna,
how are you?
your studio looks great! i want to visit there.i am also curious about your new works which are produced there.
i sometimes listen to the radio while i am working.
i took the photo of my wall.the happy-nobuko illustration was drawn by my friend's daughter.
someone's wall is very interesting.
do you know this book? you can enjoy not only Stefan V. Jonsson's paintings depicting the mountain in Iceland but also various walls and rooms.i like to imagine what the owners are like.
see you soon!
nobuko