Hello! This is Toki from amigurumiche☆
As a child, I loved gazing at charming streets that looked like they came out of a fairy tale. It made me feel like I was stepping into a picture book. Whenever foreign landscapes appeared on TV, I would watch them intently, completely losing track of time. Why did someone like me decide to start sharing about Japan?
Let me share my story.
The Day I First Felt “Japan” Overseas
Until then, I spent my days enjoying foreign scenes from the comfort of my small home in Japan. But in 1998, I experienced “Japan” for the first time overseas.
My husband and I had our wedding ceremony in Paris, France. During our stay, we visited a Japanese restaurant called “Shozan(勝山）,” located a bit away from the Eiffel Tower. You might wonder why we didn’t go for French cuisine in Paris, right? (laughs) Well, after being immersed in French food, we craved some Japanese cuisine to relax, and it was important for us.
By the way, the reason we chose this restaurant was… because it had the kanji “勝” (meaning “victory”) in this it’s name, which my husband likes (laughs).
At the time, “Shozan” offered a course meal of Japanese cuisine, including bite-sized temari sushi and seafood salad. The restaurant was filled with locals besides us. I was surprised to see so many people enjoying Japanese food in France.
This was the first time I became aware of and felt “Japan” from abroad.
Until then, I had always admired foreign countries, but I was shocked at how little I knew about my own country.
Inspired by Hidetoshi Nakata’s Activities
Even after realizing the presence of “Japan” from abroad, I didn’t know what to do. After returning to Japan, I went back to daydreaming about foreign lands.
One day, I watched a documentary about Hidetoshi Nakata, a former soccer player for the Japanese national team. It felt like I found a hint for what I should do next.
After retiring, Hidetoshi Nakata dedicated himself to spreading Japan’s wonderful culture. Moreover, since his active playing days, he had made efforts to convey his messages to fans in his own words. Therefore, he minimized his use of media and actively shared information through his own social media.
Knowing this, I felt a strong connection to Hidetoshi Nakata that I still remember vividly.
Starting to Look for What I Can Do
With the internet now widespread, I wondered what I could do and arrived at my current style.
Captivate people with Japan through amigurumi.
I decided to pursue this path, which brings me to where I am today.
It might be a big theme for an individual activity.
However, like the story of “The Hummingbird,” I want to keep doing what I can, step by step, to share my message.
ーThe golden hummingbirdー
The forest was on fire.
All of the animals, insects andbirds in the forest rushed toescape.
But there was one littlehummingbird named Kurikindi, or Golden Bird,who stayed behind.
This littie bird went back and forth between water and fire, dropping a single drop of water from its beak onto the firebelow.
When the animals saw this, they began to laugh at Kurikindi.
“Why are you doing that?” theyasked.
And Kurikindi replied,“I am only doing what I can do.”