“The more things change” is 8x10, made of washi and found papers, acrylic paint, and adhesive on illustration board. It is available as a greeting card or notecard set reading ”may peace prevail on earth.” The haiku version appears in my 2021 calendar. © Annette Makino 2020.
Heavy snowflakes were falling as our taxi pulled up to the traditional Japanese inn. The snow took us by surprise—having packed light, I had only a rain coat and Dansko clogs—but it was magical.
It was March 2012 and my sisters and I were visiting the town of Takayama on a trip through Japan following our father’s funeral. After an emotional couple of days and a five-hour train ride, we arrived in this preserved Edo-period town still in mourning and feeling disoriented.
The tiny, warm-hearted innkeeper showed us to our room, which had tatami floors and rice paper screens. Through falling snow, there was a view of the river below. She served us foamy matcha tea and sweets at a kotatsu, a low table covered with a wool blanket that had a heater underneath, so we could tuck our legs under it for warmth.
Walking to the river afterwards, we came upon a bright red bridge heaped with snow, in a scene straight out of 17th century Japan. At a restaurant just across the river, we ate the local specialty of hoba miso: miso paste spread on a magnolia leaf, grilled at the table on a small hibachi together with tender Hida beef and mountain vegetables. Delicious.
The serenity of our surroundings gradually seeped into our pores. Although we had never been there before, it all felt deeply familiar, perhaps from our childhood months of living with our Japanese grandparents in their traditional home in Takasaki, in Gunma prefecture.
At an intense time in our lives, the heart-expanding beauty of this place was deeply healing. I tried to capture the otherworldly quality of our visit to Takayama in a collage, above.
the more things change
raindrops slowing
into snow
Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season.
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Makino Studios News
2021 mini-calendar: My calendars of art and haiku are almost sold out, but I am reprinting them and will have more next week! Some are available online now and in select local stores. They feature 12 of my new collages with original haiku.
Made in Humboldt fair: I’ve just restocked my calendars, small prints and boxed notecards at the “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA, open through Tuesday, Dec. 24. This is the only fair where you can find my work this season.