Spring letter ~ 春の手紙

Hello friends,

It has been unexpectedly sunny in England this month. It has brought this feeling of ease and joy, evenings filled with gold sunset light, friends poking their heads out of their burrow. At home, there has been the excitement of going to the plant nursery and looking after our garden.

I’m now longing for everything to be in bloom.

I’ll be flying to Japan on the 21st of April, and I will be there for 7 weeks. I’m wondering if my plan is a bit too crazy.
When I think about the moment I will board the plane, my heart is about to explode with excitement and joy. I love this familiar feeling that I’ll be transported to a very comforting, warm place. Everything there is so different, but at the same time feels like home. There is this inexplicable feeling of lightness.

And everything will be in bloom.

I’m so delighted to announce that I’m performing in Japan for the very first time (!!!) in Salo, Oiso (1hr away from Tokyo) on April 27th!

This is possible thanks to the spontaneous connection I made with Mame on instagram. We have never met in real life but we are both ambient music enthusiast. I messaged her for some advice regarding doing a show in Tokyo and she kindly offered to help organise a performance. We also decided to go record shopping at Harunoame together (it’s a record shop in Tokyo specialised in ambient and experimental music!). Sometimes the internet can be a place where magic happens! I feel beyond grateful.

I also made a connection with the talented vocal artist I’ll be sharing the stage with, Kazuho Oogiya. She paints and sings with a beautiful voice, and she asked me to record my dreams so she can write lyrics about them (crazy! I love this!).

The venue sounds like a really cosy cafe / record store / recording studio with delicious food. Exactly my cup of tea. And I also love the idea of an afternoon show. That means people can bring their kids, day dream and chill out without being sleepy, we can see each other in the light of the day, and even go for dinner afterwards. I also have an average bed time of 9:30pm so evening shows are sometimes anxiety inducing!

Shortly after the performance, I’ll be heading to Kyoto then Fukuoka to start a 4 week art residency at studio kura, near Itoshima. This place seems very warm and welcoming, there are cooking classes and a relaxed environment to work on your creative projects.

Thank you for reading and put up with my slightly overwhelming love for Japan. Maybe sometimes I’ll try to translate into words why I have a long term connection with this country!
I also recently discovered that Japan has 72 micro-seasons in the year, and I’m in love. Spring equinox micro-season is called ‘Sparrows are starting to nest’. Kana-chan was talking about this with so much tenderness in recent newsletter ~ https://substack.com/@tendinggardens

Take care 🌸​

Clémentine