I was invited to give a calligraphy demonstration and workshop at the Riga Bourse Museum, as part of a cultural exchange organised by the Embassy of Japan in Latvia. 🇱🇻🇯🇵

Two years after my first visit, this marked my second time returning to this deeply inspiring place.

During the introduction of the tools, I invited participants to touch brushes made from various types of animal hair.

One young girl, a little shy, hesitated to reach out and touch them.
Sensing her reserve, I chose not to insist, and simply observed her quietly, with kindness.

Under the warm gazes of her mother and the museum staff, she eventually smiled and began to draw her very first strokes with joy.

A few days later, a member of the museum team showed me a photograph: inspired by the workshop, the same little girl had created a new piece at home.

Whenever such unexpected moments emerge through calligraphy, I find myself thinking,
“This is a gift for the future.”

To write is to encounter oneself.
In a way, it is a love letter addressed to one’s own being.

To witness children—and adults as well—weaving their own stories through calligraphy, and to be able to accompany them on that path, fills me with deep gratitude.
May this ripple of happiness continue to spread.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency Ambassador Yoshida, Minister Isono, Ogo, Zaiga, Santa, Nozomi, and Kristīne from the museum, for their trust and their warm welcome.

Finally, it is with great honor that I announce that my work Evolution of the Serpents 2025 has been donated to the Riga Bourse Museum.
Seeing the signature of the Director of the Latvian National Museum of Art on the certificate, I felt the full weight of this gesture—and immense gratitude.

I am deeply moved by this precious opportunity, and by the human connections woven through this experience.

The journey of calligraphy continues…
Liels paldies!!