I was invited by an internet friend of mine, Denden (Twitter @dieciaem), to illustrate something for her Supergiant Games charity zine, "We All Come Home." I was so happy and honored to have been asked to illustrate something for the zine and Denden could not have come at a better time. I was asked over the summer so I focused on summer-like events which I was experiencing at the time. Such as festivals and being outside with my friends. I hope you enjoy this illustration! It's been a while since I have illustrated something digitally :) 

Thank you Denden for inviting me to participate in this awesome zine you produced!!!! And thank you to those who have pre-ordered :) 

With love, 

❤ Mana ❤

After having the privilege again to watch another live concert, I couldn't help but illustrating something else! One of my good friends here in Japan is working towards her dream to become a singer abroad in the states. She's working on making English songs besides her Japanese songs. Her group is called TOKYO POST IT and they are working on their first album! I went to one of their first live concerts a couple of weeks ago! 

I am so happy and grateful I have such good friends who are working towards their dreams. Watching my friends work so hard makes me want to work hard as well!!!

The song I drew this illustration to is called "Love Yourself." Go take a listen!!! The song is so smooth and happy, it was really something I needed to hear at the time they debuted it.

Love, Mana <3

An illustration I did when spring was just beginning! I'm very proud of this illustration. I want to keep practicing coloring with a limited color palette! 

It's been a couple weeks since my last blog post slash illustration. The reason being I recently moved to Tokyo!! Moving was a very exciting experience for me and it taught me a lot (and still is!). My life in Ibaraki was a time I will treasure forever. Now I'm starting a new season of my life.

I spent a while debating whether or not I should talk about the move because most of what moving entailed was busy work and having to go to multiple offices -- ADULT THINGS. Which sound completely boring on paper. However, there were specific things about the process which meant a lot to me and I wanted to take time to share.

One thing which meant a lot to me and something I am proud of, is my language skill level up. Despite being extremely nervous about completing important paperwork by myself without any help from a native Japanese speaker, I was able to successfully talk to government office workers and get everything squared away for my move without any problems. This means a lot to me because I remember thinking I could never get my Japanese level up enough to do this sort of thing. This process proved myself otherwise!!! One of my goals for living in Japan is to become FLUENT in the language. When you live the everyday, talking to people, you don't notice how much you actually LEARN. While the boring adult things were mundane, I can look back at these moments and be PROUD.

Unfortunately a small portion of the move was indeed stressful. When things become too big to think about, or even something I know will force me out of the present moment, I have a bad habit of shutting down completely.

I take up weird hobbies or activities to distract me from the situation I probably need to focus on. For example, I started reading the Harry Potter series and also picking up Pokemon White again. I also slept a lot. In addition, I realized I was starting to look at the calendar much too often and resenting my job. I wanted to just LEAVE already because the process of uprooting again was too much for me. I didn't like this feeling. So I did something about it. 

Instead of counting the days of when I would finally be in Tokyo

 I took a LONG LOVING LOOK at my surroundings.

 My school, my classrooms, my apartment, my friends, my neighborhood, all of these places. I looked around me and thought about how much I really loved where I was. I this everyday until I left, and what once was a place I labeled as "the place I will be until I move to Tokyo," became a place I will treasure forever. A lot can change when you stop and take a long loving look around you. 

Now I'm in Tokyo, trying to adjust to my new environment and new job. I'm hustling a lot, and it's not as slow as it was in Ibaraki. Still, I'm learning to love where I am now, just how I learned to love Ibaraki. On my commute I get the privilege to look at Tokyo Tower just a few minutes away from me. When I'm having a busy day and too tired to think, I try and remember to look at the tower and remind myself where I am -- because it's easy to forget. I'm nervous and excited for what's ahead of me, and I'm going to work hard to make Tokyo my new home.

Have you taken sometime to take a long loving look around you?

❤ With love, Mana ❤

It's never to late to reflect on some favorite things from the month before!! Here are some things that I really loved from February: 

1. Agete white small purse from SPRiNG Magazine's February magazine.

I really like the bags that come in Japanese magazines. The bonus presents are called Omake !! Sometimes the bags come with not so god quality things, but sometimes (with the right magazines) you can find some pretty great items!! I enjoy using this purse when I'm going out on a date and don't need to bring too many things.

Japan Travel Tip: If you want to buy a magazine with an omake and are worried about what it really looks like, go to a bookstore like Kinokuniya or Tsutaya and they usually have the items out of the magazine for you to see what it is!! 

2. Windsor & Newton Ink: Nut Brown and 0/3 Watercolor brush

I am in LOVE with using this color ink lately. It's thanks to Frannerd that I started trying to use ink and brush rather than a pen and it has changed my perspective of inking. I'm looking to buy different colors in the future to expand my inking colors and working with variety!! 

3. Erasable Muji Pen & Frixion Ball Pens

I cannot express enough how much I LOVE using these pens now for journaling and planning. I love using colored pens when I journal or plan, but when I make a mistake I hate using white out to fix the mistake. Maybe it's my passion for aesthetic, but I really dislike the way white out looks in the middle of a page I am really proud of. I know many people don't like them for the fact that they react to heat, but I haven't had any problems with that yet!

4. Windsor & Newton Travel Watercolor Set

I did it. I caved and I followed Frannerd and other watercolor illustrators and invested in a new set of watercolors. I have been using the Sakura Koi Watercolor Set for about 4 years and I really liked it for my level of watercolor skill. Recently I have been really enjoying illustrating with watercolor and realized the watercolor set I had before uses a lot of water to get the pigment I want. I figured it's time to invest in better quality watercolors. Result: I love them. The colors are so RICH. I intend to switch out some colors for other colors I usually use.

5. Plum Blossom Festival

About two weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to my local Ume Matsuri or Plum Blossom Festival in Mito City (Ibaraki Prefecture). The flowers were so beautiful as they were beginning to bloom! I got to taste some Plum Sake or Umeshuu, take pictures with the town mascot and staff in kimonos, and take LOTS of pictures of flowers. Spring is my favorite season here in Japan along with summer because there are so many festivals and everyone gathers together and really enjoys the moment while it lasts. 

Japan Travel Tip: If you want to go to a flower watching or hanami festival, or other festivals and want a space to sit and enjoy, make sure you get to the destination EARLY. Or pick a day where people would not normally go (example: a week day or early in the morning on weekends). If there's one thing this country loves its picnicking at festivals so places will be PACKED.

6. The Harry Potter Series

I'm going to be honest and say I have never read the Harry Potter series. I have watched all the movies but when I was younger I was never interested in reading the books for some reason. Now I'm starting to read it (via the library at my job.) It's been a great experience and I'm getting really into the series more than I have before!

7. SPRiNG Magazine

I've been really inspired by this magazine. I could talk about it more but I have said a bunch in my post about Japanese magazines here! 

8. Hacienda Del Cielo - Daikanyama, Tokyo 

For valentines day my boyfriend Kiyo and I went to a Mexican restaurant in Daikanyama, Tokyo Japan. We got this amazing view of the city up in the lounge and the day was BEAUTIFUL. The food was delicious and we had a really good time there together.

9. Shimokitazawa, Tokyo

Kiyo wanted to show me a sub-cultured part of Tokyo near Shibuya called Shimokitazawa. The area is full of street art, stores with handmade items, and clothing stores with unique fashion styles! I really enjoyed walking around the area with Kiyo and I even got to see the place where his art exhibition will be!!! 

10. The saskrit word: SANTOSHA

I learned about this word from an episode of The Lively Show with author Brene Brown. In a nut-shell it means to use the word "and" instead of "but." Example of using "but:" "I like what you said but I disagree." Using "and:" "I like what you said and I disagree." There are other examples of this and I realized it takes a lot of practice. Using but creates a space for negativity. The feeling of what your saying changes! Using and doesn't only create a space for positivity, I find that it also forces you to really be HONEST. It's really difficult to beat around the bush when using and (from my experience in practicing santosha). 

Really long post with lot's of info about my February AND I hope you liked it! 

If you have any questions about anything I mentioned above don't hesitate to ask!!! 

 ❤ With Love, Mana ❤

I arrived in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, late August of 2015 as a new ALT (assistant language teacher). While I was happy and grateful to receive the chance to move somewhere in Japan, my heart was in Tokyo, and I knew I would be looking for jobs to move there the following year. So from the very beginning, I knew I couldn't get too comfortable and fill my new apartment with more than what was necessary. 

Now, with only 3 weeks until the end of my contract and the start of my new teaching job in Tokyo (YES!!!!!), I've started to reflect on what I've learned from living here in a new prefecture on my own. I stared at my apartment and thought back to when my company greeted me on my arrival to Ibaraki.

I don't blame them for asking me if what I brought with me was all I had. They thought I must have sent the rest of my things in packages from the states just like the other ALT's. I got to my apartment, got some necessary items, and the number of things hasn't increased since then. If my friends and family saw my apartment now they would also be confused. "You sleep on the floor?" "No pantry?" "No desk? Chairs? Lamps? Side tables? Sofas?" "Is that all you have?"

Majority of my life was spent in a big house with lots of things, big kitchens, multiple rooms and all that jazz. One would think I would be bothered by the lack of things I was used to having. Or be upset with the fact that I would have to live this way due to my current job being temporary. Instead I learned an amazing thing about myself while living in this apartment -- while living in a place society may believe has "nothing." 

I live with what brings me JOY.

For those who don't know, there are cultural differences between Japan's lifestyle and other countries'. (i.e sleeping with a futon on the floor, no drying machines, no dishwashers, no pantries full of food, no central heating systems, taking off shoes inside etc.) However the point I want to make is not the cultural difference, but that wherever I live, I could still feel the need or make the choice to fill my apartment with a four poster bed, a desk, a sofa, a standing lamp, a shelf full of stuff, etc. The list could literally go on. The question I would ask myself is, 

"will these things I could have, bring me JOY?"

Here are some things I have which already bring me joy and pleasure:

(These are just some of the physical things. There is also the very real support of my friends and loved ones who bring me joy every day.)

Some of these items seem very simple and obvious. I used to think I didn't have many things back when I was in the states and would always want MORE. I'm happy to say I don't feel that anymore. I go over to my friend's places and instead of being jealous of how much they have, I enjoy their space and company AND I go back home knowing I live in a place I ALSO enjoy.

I am not judging those who do live with many things! I don't think everyone should live the same way I do. That would be a very boring world, wouldn't it? What brings me joy might not bring you the same joy. 

And don't get me wrong, would it be nice to have a desk right now? Hell yeah. I would also LOVE to see my books and items neatly organized in a birch wood shelf. I also know I have lived for 7 months (and will continue to) without these things, and that's the awesome part. Knowing what I already have is really all I need to bring me joy, gives me so much relief and freedom. I don't question or judge my lifestyle, it just is.

I would like to rephrase my answer towards my boss, and to anyone who asked "Is this all you have?" to:

"This is all I need."

What brings YOU joy?

❤ With love, Mana ❤