Keiko Tanabe - Blog: Hokkaido Japan

Too Sensitive? Yes, That's A Good Thing!

1/24/2017 11:53:10 PM

Dear artists, have you ever been told that you are too sensitive? How about "Lighten up," "Don't take it too seriously," or "Oh, you're overreacting"? When this happens in a daily conversation, how do you feel? If you feel hurt, you're not alone. I have been told all these on a number of occasions. Even a seemingly innocent, lighthearted remark such as "Just kidding" is not really innocent because whoever said it knows that they said something not so kind, rude or hurtful to you. That's why they have to say it to try to make you believe what they said [...]

Hakodate Sunset I, Japanese Landscape Painting

8/25/2013 6:48:24 PM

A railway stationfilled with local accentsI go into the crowdto listen for mine (by Takuboku Ishikawa, translated by me) For Japanese poet Takuboku Ishikawa (1886-1912), Hakodate had something special that made him say that he would like to die there. One of the well-known figures in Japanese literature, most notably for his tanka and free-style poems, Takuboku wrote many poems that tug at our heartstrings. He lived for less than half a year in Hakodate in his short, poverty-stricken life of 26 years. The time he spent there was perhaps the happiest for him thanks to the camaradarie with his colleagues. He was also [...]

Onuma (Hakodate), Hokkaido II, Japanese Landscape Painting

8/23/2013 11:10:22 PM

My recent 5-day workshop in Hakodate, Japan involved a day out with nature with stops at a couple of picturesque spots near Hakodate. We, 20 of us, all prayed for good weather the day before, and next morning we woke up to a cool day with cloudy sky (so I think most of us had been good!). We were all excited that we could paint beautiful landscapes of southern Hokkaido directly from nature. The lady who organized my workshop had chartered a bus for the day's trip. Everyone felt like school kids on a field trip to an amusement park or something, [...]

Fishing Village, Hokkaido II, Japanese Landscape Painting

8/19/2013 2:05:52 PM

This fishing village on the island of Hokkaido is not exactly in a remote, rural area; rather, it is near a city that used to thrive on herring industry. But in Hokkaido, even cities are not too crowded and they have a small-town feel. And I have found the people living there very friendly and easygoing. The northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido has a long, severely cold winter. After all, it is not really far from Eastern Siberia of Russia, which says a lot about the difficulty of spending winter months and the perseverance required to do that each year. As well, it [...]

Hakodate, Hokkaido III, Japanese Landscape Painting

8/17/2013 10:37:31 AM

Old-fashioned street cars bring me back distant memories of my childhood. As a toddler, I remember always wanting to go out for a little walk with my beloved grandmother. To me, it meant feeding pigeons at a nearby temple and waving to street cars on the way there while my grandmother was watching me with a gentle smile. I can't remember well a lot of other things from those days but a few things such as street cars have had a special place in my heart. Whenever I hear the familiar sound of a street car, I think of those old, happy days [...]

Fish Market, Hakodate, Japanese Landscape Paintings

8/10/2013 8:56:21 PM

Recently I was in the city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Early in the morning, there's a neighborhood in the heart of the city that is already bustling with life. Every morning narrow streets there become one big outdoor market where all kinds of sounds and smells tickle your senses. But what dominates the air is the smell of the ocean: sweet, tender squid the city is particularly known for, crabs, sea urchin, several different kinds of fish and shellfish... all looking as fresh as they can possibly be. I got up early and went out without breakfast to set [...]

Workshop in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan

8/5/2013 5:15:30 PM

I am not a fortune teller but this time perhaps I was. From the breathtaking natural beauty to local delicacies to cooler weather, everything I predicted for my stay in Hakodate, Japan did happen (click to read my related blog post). I spent the last week teaching a workshop in Hakodate, a port city in southern Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, for a group of about 20 watercolor painters who traveled there from all over Japan. With mountains, slopes with ocean views, historical buildings, city streets with vibrant markets, the city offers all kinds of subjects (and they are all beautiful!) and we painted in and around Hakodate to our hearts' content. [...]

Goryokaku, Hakodate, Japanese Landscape Painting

7/24/2013 8:28:56 AM

Imagine how chaotic things must have been when the 200-year-old rule of the shogunate ended in Japan in 1868: The power was to be given back to the imperial court and thousands of samurai's were to lose their status in the society, all in the name of reforms for a new era. Then a civil war occurred. The city of Hakodate took center stage when those who resisted the new government held out inside the massive Goryokaku Fort. They even established a republic in Hakodate even though they were not successful and surrendered in a short time. Today the historic site [...]

Hakodate Fish Market I, Japanese Landscape Painting

7/22/2013 11:05:31 AM

Within a week I will be in Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. To take in their natural beauty? To savor their fresh sea food? Or to escape the summer heat? I will be sure to do all of these and more, but the main reason is that I will be teaching a 5-day workshop for a group of about 20 Japanese watercolorists who will travel there to paint with me. I learned that in Japan painting workshops are quite popular but it usually lasts a half a day or a full day at most and it usually takes place indoors [...]

Winter Wonderland, Hokkaido I, Japanese Landscape Painting

12/16/2012 1:51:27 PM

If you choose Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, as a wintertime destination, you must be a winter sports enthusiast or have a very special reason to do so. For years I've been spoiled by the year-round mild climate in San Diego, making me a cold weather wimp, so it took me some courage to decide to visit Hokkaido in December. But my hesitation melted the second I saw a breathtaking view like the one in this painting. In fact, with or without snow, Hokkaido is beautiful and well known for its unspoiled nature, vast open land, exquisite food and wonderful people.I am [...]

Fish Market, Hokkaido II, Japanese Landscape Painting

6/2/2012 11:44:55 PM

Crabs, squids, salmon eggs, sea urchin, scallops, etc… you see many kinds of fish and shellfish being sold at this busy morning market and they are as fresh as they can be. The best part may be that you can taste some or all of them on top of a steaming bowl of rice right there if you arrive hungry. Just look around those eating places along the street that offer a variety of seafood-topped breakfast rice bowls, and wander into one - the more crowded, the better. For serious foodies, the joy doesn't have to stop with breakfast. Hakodate, the third-largest city [...]

White Lovers, Japanese Landscape Painting

2/14/2012 4:15:27 AM

I remember all the excitement surrounding February 14 when I was growing up in Japan. On Valentine's Day, it was customary for girls to give chocolate to boys. So, for days (or perhaps for weeks, it seemed) before the big day, candy stores were packed with girls looking for a perfect box of chocolate for their someone special. But that was not the end. Men and boys who received a gift were supposed to give women something in return on March 14, which was called White Day. I wonder if this tradition still continues today? In today's painting is a couple walking [...]