Long time no post! I said long ago that I didn’t really want to get into YouTube, but I decided to push myself outside of my comfort zone and try making some videos in Japanese as a way of practicing more regularly. In my first one, I talk about what spurred my interest in Japan way back in 1995. It’s subtitled in English, so I hope you’ll watch (and maybe subscribe?)

先週の金曜日はノッティンガムからロンドンへ行き「ブライアンとロビンのクリスマス・コンペンディウム・オブ・リーズン」を初めて見った。イギリスに住んでいる人なら、この有名なデュオを知ってるはずだが、知らない人のために紹介しておくと「ブライアン」とはブライアン・コックス教授、マンチェスター大学の素粒子物理学者だ。それだけではなく…

Instead of sharing the usual offerings from big brands, this year I’ve decided to share a selection of unique gift ideas from fellow independent artists, illustrators, and designers from around the world who are working hard to make a living doing what they love (and some of my products, too).

September was a huge month for me that I’ll never forget. I was fortunate enough to travel to Japan for the second time this year—not for language school, but to participate in an artist residency at the beautiful Almost Perfect gallery in Kuramae, Tokyo. Situated in a renovated 100-year-old rice shop…

Last year I wrote a fairly… optimistic, shall we say, blog post about how I planned to study for the summer JLPT N3 exam in London. Having the N5 and N4 certificates already under my belt, by early 2018 I was ramping up my study schedule ahead of a five-week stint in Japan…

新年は目前に迫っているので2018年を反省するのは当然です。なんとなく私は今年は時間が経つのが遅く感じました。もちろん浮き沈みがあったけど、今年は楽しくて特別な経験も多かったです。

Not only is Tokyo my favourite city in the world, but it’s my favourite city for cafe hopping. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge coffee nerd, and while many people might associate amazing coffee with cities like Melbourne, San Francisco, and New York, I believe Tokyo is the best in the world—not just in coffee quality, but in attention to detail, customer service, and cafe atmosphere. This blog post is the first in a series where I’ll talk about my favourite cafes across this wonderful city. Here are my first top five!

Just as we’re all different people with different preferences, our study techniques shouldn’t be the same. What works for one person isn’t necessarily going to work for someone else. Just because someone on the internet claims that they can learn 2000 kanji in a year just by reading flashcards doesn’t mean that another person…

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a gorgeous comfort food, far removed from the more refined washoku and delicate sushi folks usually associate with Japanese cuisine. The word "okonomiyaki" can be broken down as お好み (o-konomi) meaning “preference” or “choice,” and 焼き (yaki) can be translated is “grilled” or “cooked.” The name alludes to the fact that you can choose whatever ingredients you want to add to the batter or topping, making it a highly personalised and fun dish to eat. 

People are usually quite surprised to learn that, although I’ve been in love with Japan since I was twelve years old, I never had the opportunity to visit until I was thirty-three! In this new blog series, I’ll talk about the best hot spots around the world for travellers who may not be able to visit Japan, or who simply want to feel nostalgic about a journey long ago. First up, Copenhagen!

Well, after toying with the idea for a while, I’ve decided to create a Geri Draws Japan YouTube channel! For my first vlog, I’ve decided to share my original audition video for my appearance on TV Tokyo’s 「世界！ニッポン行きたい人応援団」(Who Wants to Come to Japan) program in February 2017. 

My first event as a vendor was a success!

From July 14-16 I attended the Hyper Japan Festival in London as a first-time vendor where I launched my Geri Draws Japan illustrations and goods. Since getting back from my trip to Japan in February, I’ve been planning, designing, printing, packaging, and stressing over getting every last detail right.