What is to live in Japanese neighborhood association ? Orchestra musicians make a rehearsal in your bedroom. 自治会館に住む の生活といえば、音楽者は住むの部屋で演奏することだ! Had such a lucky chance to hear them playing and make sketches! 聞いてくれてとても嬉しかった！ This is the rehearsal of the concert for cultural Festival in Iwase. 岩瀬自治会 文化祭のためにのコンサートでした。 They improvised Katusha and Tchaikovsky for me, when get to know that I'm Russian （^^） 彼らは私がロシア人であることを知ると、カチューシャとチャイコフスキーを即興で演奏しました！ Couldn't finish cello at the time! Musicians, who played in Iwase neighborhood association, where I live, is from Chiba New Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Grateful to them. ほんとに、どうもありがとうございました！

Jeff from Netherland whom I've met in Manchester this summer was visiting Japan, so we had short sketch session with Eriko, Atsuko, Miyu in Nishiogikubo. This place is non of tourist site, just a ordinary Tokyo town, yet we found charm there through sketchers point of view. Next day, we had sketch meeting in Ikebukuro. Kwin from Thailand, whom I've met in Singapore last year, Atsuko, and I drew one of the most busy scene of Tokyo street. It was always joy to discover something new by seeing fellow sketchers way of drawing and tools. That's why small group sketch session is good to communicate, and to learn.

Johanna from Germany whom I've met last summer in Manchester was visiting Japan. We met again in Tokyo. Including fellow sketcher Eriko, we visited Yoyogikoen station area, sketched non-picturesque but somewhat interesting view. Then after lunch before it got dark we sketched near by shrine called Yoyogi-Hachimangu. So lovely to see each and everyone's approach. This was beautiful and tranquil place.

Sketch from recent workshop in support of preserving red brick building in Ichikawa town with high schoolers. I was facilitator of a group of 4 high school girls. Three of them drew sketches too. After that we brain storm how to help preservation of Red Bricks Building of Ichikawa and spread information about it. There was a Ginkgo tree and it smelled strongly of it's seeds. This is the link to Tokyo University, though I, laughing. So, the suggestion of schoolers was to make a complex lesson of history, art and nature, using this location. Girls described their feelings during the drawing at the presentation. One of them said, that she realized this building has a soft character. We also met the other sketcher there.

World Wide Sketch Crawl 53 for me was half-day, but even the short time I got powerful support of drawing together with many people around the world. It feels different! I drew room view with TV at home:  A nearby street with the Kannon statue. 松戸の雰囲気　 And a way from Matsudo station. I thought the building facade remind mount Fuji. I want to see it :) So I wrote: むかし昔から富士山に行ってみたいけど、また松戸にいるんです。

どこかへ行かないともったいない秋晴れ。 早々と洗濯を済ませて、谷中ぎんざへスケッチに行ってみました。 通りかかったオジサン「あんたプロ？こういうのテレビで見たよ。テレビに出てる人じゃないの？」とか言われました。 「違います。」 色つけは何時になることやら。

Went to see the University of Tokyo a while ago, drew a sketch. I like the buildings, made of red bricks! Some of them remain in Yokohama too. There are some of them in my hometown of Nizhniy Novgorod, and I was always attracted to see these buildings.   Some of them was made for soldiers, some for making alcohol. They have a fabulous time charm on them, I feel. By the way, there is also a   red brick building in Chiba Prefecture, in Ichikawa town, on the bank of Edo river. This Saturday you can see it. 赤レンガが大好きです。だから、東京大学へ見に行きました。 ステキな建物ですね。次の時は横浜の赤レンガへ行きたいです。 私の出身町ではこのような建物もあります。 兵舎 、 ワイン工場 、住宅の建物です。 憧れているのは素晴らしい時間の魅力を持っているからです。 ちなみに、千葉県にも赤レンガの建物があります。 市川市に残る赤レンガの建造物 今週の土曜日、29日、見ることできますよ。行きたい人は連絡をください！ 東大↓

I went to Shinjuku Odakyu department store on 12th floor in the evening and captured night view. Patricia, Atsuko, Eriko and Mr. Honma also joined me. We had challenged such a crazy, stressful yet fun subject: drawing night view through the window with a lot of obstacle reflection lights from behind and from the bottom as well... With poor vision we use our guess and common sense to complete. It was like playing a new game: searching for better way to tackle night impression seen through the window in the dark / full of reflections. ( photo taken by Patricia) This was done on my way back home.

Manchesterでのsymposiumにも参加していたドイツから来たCorinnaさんが東京にいる間に会いましょうということで、また表参道でスケッチ会しました。 お寺は静かでのんびりと描けるのですが、構造が複雑なので結局省略方式な描き方で攻略。その後、敦子さんも加わって、喫茶店にてportrait battle。 Corinna from Germany who I met at Manchester symposium last July was visiting Japan. She and I went to sketch Zenkoji temple in Omotesando, Tokyo. Sketching temple is ideal since the location is serene and there were no crowd to obstruct our view, however, the structure is so complicated and full of details, I simplified the image to capture the ambience before I really got tired. Later Asuko Maruyama joined us, we went to a cafeteria and had portrait battle over the tea/ Maccha drink.