Always crowded, the place becomes jam-packed on weekends as people from everywhere all gather for different reasons. A group of elderly Japanese women who took a day trip from New Hampshire (that’s a 5-hour drive one way!), Asians looking for Oriental delicacies not found in regular super markets, American teens agonizing over which anime DVD to get… It was totally fascinating. After all, how often do you see a blond girl in a pair of jeans strolling through shopping mall while eating mitarashi dango instead of ice cream?

Many of those who visited our exhibition were interested not only in senga techniques but also in Japanese culture and landscape depicted in artwork. “I like this one” “I think this one is more gorgeous!” (or something like that) was the conversation heard repeatedly during the exhibition.

Throughout November 6th and 7th, which fell on Saturday and Sunday, we had demonstration sessions during which actual small senga samples were made. As I cut paper, people stopped, gathered around and watched curiously, their eyes following every movement of my hands. Some of the questions they had were surprisingly technical and detailed.

We also sold senga merchandise such as postcard sets and small senga pieces in metal frames, which proved to be very popular. There was a middle-aged couple who came back twice and bought several for their house’s hallway. There was a boy who, after watching one of the demonstrations with, literally, twinkle in his eyes, successfully coaxed his mother into buying him one. People we met at the mall are decidedly (and refreshingly) different from our usual gallery audience. Meeting and talking with them can be quite insightful. It’s these encounters that we cherish.

We’d like to thank everyone at Mitsuwa Shopping Mall and Japan Graphics for their generous cooperation.!