Spreading art in a corner of the countryside!
Kanagawa Gallery Walk
File.1 Teraya Studio
( Yamamoto Shino/Gallery Watts)
It's a pleasant season that makes you want to go for a leisurely stroll.
It was a cloudy but calm day. "That's right, let's go there," I thought, and headed to Terakacho in Aoba Ward, Yokohama City. It is also called Teraka Hometown Village, and is a green conservation area where fireflies can still be seen.
After getting off the bus and walking through the rural landscape for a while, you will see a building that exudes a Totoro atmosphere.
Teraka Studio is actually a very modern gallery and cafe.
There is a bus stop sign for JIKE STUDIO at the entrance. (No buses stop here. But maybe the Cat Bus will.)
A variety of exhibitions are held here, including art, fashion, crafts, and sometimes rakugo.
When I looked inside, I saw colorful knitwear with strange compositions floating in a simple space.
As you walk through the knitted fabric, you feel as if you are enveloped in a rhythmic sound.
The artist who was on display was Yoko Takeshita, who lives in Oita. A graduate of the Oil Painting Department of Tokyo University of the Arts, she creates unique knitwear, which she sees as an installation in which "her paintings walk through the city."
She is self-taught when it comes to knitting, and is inspired by the happy memories of knitting with her mother as a child.
She also values an improvisational style that involves weaving together colors and materials that she feels sympathy for at any given time. Combined with collages of textiles that she has drawn herself, it is a kind of wearable art.
At first glance it may seem difficult to wear, but once you put it on, it's amazing. It's surprisingly easy to wear. It also gives you a sense of freedom. You can rotate the skirt 360 degrees and decide which way to wear it depending on your mood that day. You can also change the look of the outfit by turning the top back and forth or upside down. 
Whether it was their first time trying Takeshita's knitwear or they were repeat customers, young or old, everyone tried on one piece after another and shared their new senses, and it was stimulating just to watch from the sidelines. It was like the doors to the creativity sleeping inside of you that you hadn't noticed yet were opening one after another, and once you experience this kind of fun, you might get addicted?!
Although the pieces were clothing, what was unfolding before our eyes was a "moving painting," exactly the installation that the artist intended.
The "Yoko Takeshita World Exhibition" touches upon the profound meaning of "wearing" and will be held until May 6th.
After enjoying ourselves, we went to a cafe for lunch. The fresh greenery stood out beautifully even under the gloomy sky. It was so pleasant!
The menu for this day was a hearty meal, with a salad of colorful beans and oranges, appetizers of squid and celery marinated in ginger, beef and green pepper croquettes, and sauteed Spanish mackerel and spring vegetables, as well as homemade bread, dessert, and drinks.
The organic vegetables, which they grow themselves, are full of love and have a strong flavor. The green pepper croquettes are a revival of the flavor used by gallerist Hiromi Sakagami's mother.
Furthermore, the store is lined with works by artists related to Teraka Studio, as well as select goods, so there are plenty of things to enjoy. Time flies by in the blink of an eye.
Our stomachs and hearts were completely full, and we were about to head home when Sakagami said, "I'm just about to go to the fields to pick some vegetables, so let's go together."
Sunny lettuce, chrysanthemum, arugula, and other vegetables are growing well near the gallery. Tomatoes are also expected to flourish soon.
"Compared to the others, I'm a little embarrassed because I do it my own way," she said with a shy smile, as she shared some fresh vegetables with us.
"Cherish the time that flows and the time that doesn't flow."
It was a day spent fully immersed in this phrase, which is the theme of Teraya Studio.
