I’m approaching the end of our current month-long visit to Japan, so here are some more train sketches. For me it’s been a month basically looking up old contacts, finding the current buzz of what’s going on for illustrators, and peering through the busy noise of central Tokyo, where I’m staying. Usually nowadays I stay in areas outside the circle of the Yamanote line, though I was based within it for over half the 21 years I was “permanently” living here. As mentioned previo

Some more train sketches from my current sojourn in Tokyo. I’ve been here over two weeks now and it’s been a remarkably wet and cool July until now, the rainy season just carried on and on, with some significant downpours adding to the general drizzle. The cooler than expected weather meant getting about town was more efficient (if you could avoid being poked in the eye by umbrellas) but the general gloom was definitely sense in the mood of train passengers…. As mentioned in

I’m back in Tokyo throughout this month, and, as is my habit, have been drawing people on trains again. As I’m staying in a central part of the city this time there are not so many long commuter train journeys, so sketching has been sporadic, on short journeys with bustling trains, when people move, get on and off more frequently, and (in many cases) block my view of my drawing model. So I’m getting a lot of false starts like this! You’ve just got to get on with it…. and be q

Here’s a few more pocket sketchbook scribbles from my recent trip back to Tokyo. It’s always great to be in Japan, I never get tired of the country or lose the desire to go back, no matter how long I’m separated from it, even if, like this time, the entire trip was spent in the Tokyo metropolis. But in fact it’s the urban city that really sparked my interest when I first went, and still holds my biggest fascination even now, uptown or downtown, the people, architecture, and l

Today will be remembered by many as the 1st anniversary of David Bowie’s death, but it also represents a special anniversary for me, as it marks 30 years to the day that I first set foot in Japan. 10th January 1987 – a date ingrained into my memory. It was a one-way ticket into the unknown, on a year’s working visa for a sponsor I knew almost nothing about. A country in which I was to live permanently for 21 years without a break, and have frequently returned to in the years

I’ve just returned from five heady weeks in Tokyo, soaking up life back in the old metropolis, the place I lived for nearly half my life. Every year daughter and I go back to Japan, usually in the summer, every year we return with new and unique experiences, the only constant being the humidity and the constant murmur of cicadas, though this year there were several unseasonably cool spells amidst the swelter. It’s wonderful to explore familiar locations, see old friends and f

You may remember the map of the world I created for Mainichi Newspaper last year (the web interactive map is still online, see my previous post about it here). Well what do you know, I’ve done another one! This time a map of Japan. This new map is in the morning edition of today’s Mainichi Newspaper, sold across Japan. You can zoom in on all the details by accessing the fabulous interactive web version. Can you spot a tiny self-portrait in there? The observant will immediatel

As some may know, I’m back in Tokyo all through the summer, to organise an exhibition (more on that shortly), run a workshop for SCBWI Tokyo on the 19th, see as many old friendly faces as possible, and basically to just re-connect with my former home of 21 years. It’s very good to be back, even though school holidays dictate daughter and I are here at the hottest time of year. Most people here can’t understand why I would want to come back to Japan while the Olympics are on i

I’ve been extremely quiet on the blog these last couple of months for which I offer wholehearted apologies. Since moving away from London there’s been a lot of adjustment, finding school for my daughter, settling down etc, with a consequent backlog of things I need to catch up with. All in all it’s taken me a while to get back into the swing of things so I decided on a self-imposed shut down from social media… only essential emailing, limited Facebook and Twitter, in the hope

Here’s a sad story of our times. A couple of years ago I was commissioned to work on a brand new logo to revamp the dated image of Skylark, a well known but financially troubled family restaurant chain, with branches all across Japan. Hard did I work, well did the designer pitch the designs, but unfortunately the presentation was cancelled, as so often happens in advertising today. I presumed we’d just been defeated by a rival design, but I see that Skylark is still today usi

I’ve decided to try running a Japanese language blog for my clients and friends in Japan. I expect some of the material may repeat themes in this blog, and I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to update it, but if you read Japanese please have a look. In the vain hope not too many people will laugh in derision at my kanji construction, all comments are welcome! #blog #Japan

Why can’t you find as decent western tea pot in Japan (or suburban Yokohama to be more specific)? Could this be a rant coming on? Yes it is. So the story’s this. My old tea pot broke it’s spout in the dishwasher, so the missus and I set out to buy a new one. Off we marched to new town shopping mall paradise “Center Kita” with our hopes high. Center Kita – the very name (“Center North”) conjures up images of modern Japanese blandness. Twenty years ago it was nothing but rice p

It’s been a day I’ll not forget in a hurry. My youngest son from my first marriage has been over to stay with me from London, which has been a precious and emotional experience I find hard to put into words without getting very personal (too personal for this blog at least!). I usually only get to see him on my infrequent trips to the UK, so these past two weeks together have been pure magic. He’s just approaching his 13th birthday now, on that threshhold of childhood to teen

Seeing the smooth transition of Dekune’s large expressive painted gallery works to the powerful images in her picture books made me realise how different the culture and education behind Japanese picture books is from, say the UK or USA. This is work by someone who’s as much an “artist” as they are an “illustrator”, in fact there’s little division between the two. I remember when I was at college in the UK my tutor Tony Ross (himself a well known children’s illustrator) confi

Well, travels over, back home in Japan. It’s our first trip into town to do some shopping. We get out the station, climb the stairs to the busy city street, and WHAM! Something grabs me on the head. It was a crow. It took me right from behind – it must have singled me out from all the myriad people on the busy street (this was the middle of Shibuya!) and tally ho down he swoops. Groped my head with both claws then flew off to a nearby tree. I wasn’t hurt, but bloody hell! Fir

It was a simple, but elegant service. The vicar(?) was a Brit, and gave a sermon in stumbling Japanese that no one could understand, but which seemed to be all about “love”. God barely got a mention, unsurprising in this heartland of Shintoism. We were a small crowd, but included the bride’s grandparents (Seren’s great-grandparents) who came all the way up from Takamatsu in Shikoku to attend. I’ll spare you the endless family groupings and smiling faces. I only wish we were t

Now here’s somewhere that really is in the middle of nowhere. Last weekend was spent in Fujiya Hotel, Hakone National Park’s oldest western-style hotel. Overall it’s a fine location and had me itching to paint. Instead I had to pull on the suit and tie, and concentrate on the serious business of my wife’s sister’s marriage. If I had to complain about anything it would be the rip-off restaurants. 1,200 yen for a beer – extortion! And only two pieces of toast and a dab of sc

Local elections are in progress as I write. For those who may not be familiar with this curious phenomenon in Japan, polling for votes here largely consists of driving around the local area in white vans with enormous speakers mounted on top, blaring out at ear splitting volume (roughly translated) “This is the Democratic Party (or whatever), vote for Yoshida Taro! (or whoever). Yoshida Taro, your Democratic Party candidate! Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!”. Young(ish) smiling wom