15:07 p.m. In front of the JR Shinjuku St. East ticket gate. Ian didn’t come yet. The time we promised to meet was already passed. I called him. I thought this was the first time I called a native English speaker. “Hi! where are you now?” He seemed to wait at the Central East ticket gate. I thought my explanation might have been wrong to tell him where the meeting place was. And then, I found he was coming toward me.

I kept in touch with Ian since I met him last meeting, but we didn’ t have enough time to meet together due to our hard schedule, so we couldn’t arrange the meeting for a while. I’ve been wondering whether the meeting was held for sure, but we decided the meeting day at last! As I thought it was a rare chance to meet with an interesting type guy, I decided I would take my friends, Yutaka Ozawa, who started solo project for Japanese font recently, and Akira Yoshino, who worked for a publisher in Japan and is also a moderator on MyFonts com forum, together.

After each self introduction, we shared each other’s works. First, Ozawa-san showed his East-Asian style Calligraphy works, he also do Western Calligraphy though, and he showed his new type design in progress. Second, I showed Ian my portfolio included my package designs, logo designs and digital type faces that I’m going on. Ian seemed to be interested in my works, so he told me some opinion and asked some questions. And at last Akira presented some novels he worked for to Ian.

Ian knew some Japanese rumor concerns a famous font well. He asked Ozawa some questions about Ozawa’s Calligraphy works and also asked a question to Yoshino-san about the letter space for Japanese punctuations cited the mystery novel Yoshno-san brought. Ian often used Japanese text for his works, so he seemed to be interested in Japanese fonts and typography. Ian asked us some questions from Western style point of view. He pointed out Japanese custom. He seemed to be curious the difference between Japanese and Latin text.

I felt silly that I couldn’t explain fluently about my works in English. There seem to be some type guys who comes from overseas in Japan, so I would like to communicate with them. I’ll try to get a chance and plan a meeting at some point.

Thank you for your coming in spite of a rainy day, Ian. I hope we meet again soon.

P.S.
He also wrote this meeting on this blog “Viewers Like You”. Thakns, Ian!

I went to attend TypeCon Seattle 2007 last year. This was the first time for me to go a type conference overseas.
I got a chance to take type critique named “Ten minutes type critique” on there. Now you can see the audio on the critique from YouTube.

TypeCon Seattle 2007: Typecrit 1 of 4

As I didn’t think I could listen everything due to lack of my English skills, I recorded whole part so that I could listen after I’d back home.

Eben Sorkin, was one of designers joined 10 minutes critique, asked me to get the audio and he proposed we should provide this audio to every one who was curious about this event. And then, he compiled several photos, specimens, and movies to edit this audio and uploaded to YouTube.

The 10 minutes type critique is an usual event of TypeCon. Three critics provide their opinions to the attendees watching submitted type designs. Matthew Carter, John Dawner, and Akira Kobayashi were the critics this time. Every attendee have 10 minutes only. They explained their concept and asked critics several questions within 10 minutes. The audience also asked their question about attendees works.

photo：The member list of 10 minutes type critique on the wall of front desk.
I wrote my name third place after someone quit to attend. Great!

This critique was very useful and helpful designing typeface. Not only I got several opinions from three critics but also it was useful to hear the opinions to the other designers.
I could understand easily where he important point was or how I should compare with the difference in the element. I’m pretty sure it is worth listening.

I couldn’t believe some famous type designers attended this type crit. Gabriel Meave, who is a really gifted type designer, attended this crit to show his font “Darka”, as you know, got the TDC prize. I though he didn’t need to join this crit because he could do everything! The other two Mexican type designers were also talented. AtypI conference will be held in Mexico City in next year. I guess type design in Mexico must be better to improve drastically.

At the farewell party of TypeCon Seattle, Mr. Dawner told me I should bring my revised type design to Buffalo. Thanks, Mr. Dawner!

P.S.
Related thread on Typophile.
TypeCon 2007 Typecrit video

For big fan of ancient Buddhist art, especially for those who hunt National treasures, it was very exciting season and busy to go museum where hold the exhibition during Golden week holiday. I went to Tokyo National Museum in Ueno park to see the Exhibition of National Treasures from Yakushi-ji Temple. Last week, I went to Shin-Yakushi-ji Temple to see the Twelve generals, and this time, I could see the bronze sculptures of Nikko(日光), means the sun, and Gakko（月光）, means the moon, made in Hakuo period (A.D.672-686) as National Treasures.

That’s a good chance that you’ll be able to see the back shot of the sculptures. In most cases, a statue set on the proper place in the hall of temple, you would not be able to see it from behind of it. However, in this exhibition, every statues were standing alone and displayed without their nimbus, besides, there was a deck in front of the Nikko and Gakko so that I could see on the same level with both of statues. I could tell these looks between the one when I saw on the same level and the other when I could see from lower point.

In my opinion, I’m sure that Buddha statue images with viewing from the twelve quarters angles were beautiful. I walked around every bodhisattva statue to find out the best view, but it was hard to decide it. As bodhisattva statue twisted the body, so the outlines of the body gradually changed at every step I took. I enjoyed the variety of the lines.

At the Kichijouten (吉祥天), is also designated National Treasure, booth, it was hard to see it because a lot of people gathered in front of the Kichijouten picture like a wall. The museum staffs made the visitors move along not to stack in front of it, but the visitors tried to stay there as much as possible. Indeed, it was worth watching.

The number of exhibit works in this time was small, but almost of them were designated National Treasure or Important Cultural Properties. So I’m pretty sure there must be not-to-be-missed. This exhibition is showing till June 8, 2008.

After watching the Exhibition of Yakushi-ji temple, I went to another exhibition in Tokyo National Museum on “The Lantingji Xuin(蘭亭序)”, which is one of the most well-known East Asian style Calligraphy works, but as I was exhausted to see the Yakushi-ji’s works, I couldn’t stay focus on watching the works of the exhibition “The Lantingji Xuin”. It was a pity that this exhibition will finish on May 6th, but I was relieved to know that another exhibition will be held at Edo-Tokyo Museum in this July named “The Palace Museum. A well-known treasure on Calligraphy” and will display “The Lantingji Xuin” works. I’ll try to see them again.

After leaving from Shojudo, I went to Shin-Yakushi-ji Temple in a bit of hurry to get in time for closing time. The master of Shojudo told me it should took around 30 minutes by walk. It was hot day, so I was slightly sweaty. Watching Japanese wisteria trees budded almost be showing signs of blooming, I went through a path to take a short cut and got on a hill where Shin-Yakushiji Temple stands on quietly. I felt Shin-Yakushiji was smaller than I expected.

The front door of the main hall was closed, so I entered into the room from left side, and then I could see the Juni-Shinsho statues: The twelve divine generals, stood on there surrounding the Yakushi-nyorai statue as a principal image. The inside of the room was dark and just lit by a few candles, but I was impressed these statues. Usually, I pray a principal image before watching statues and inside the hall, but I couldn’t wait. I was really into these statues.

I guessed Japanese Mangas and animations were influenced by the Buddha statue images. For example, the Bassara general, which is one of the Twelve divine generals and I though it was the most cool, reminded me of the Katsuhiro Otomo’s “AKIRA”, which is SF manga, and the Four Heavenly Kings of Todai-ji Temple reminded me of the Gundam, which is the most well known Japanese robot animation, and I could see some similarity points between their images. One of the reasons I like the Juni-Shinsho statues was that I can tell the looks on which have characteristic each. I thought they seemed to play their roll saving the principal image Yakushi-nyorai as if the characters in a story would try to save a heroine.

My short trip to Nara was a very good and comfortable during the season of brilliant green leaves and fabulous weather.

I’d visited to almost of the temples in Nara city, but the last one I’ve never been was Shin-Yakushiji, which is famous for several Buddha statues of National Treasures such as Yakushi-Nyorai and Juni-Shinsho: The twelve divine generals, so I’d been looking forward to seeing them.

After I got off the JR line at the Nara station, I happened to get a free sightseeing guidebook of Nara city looking for a map of neighboring at JR Nara station. I was interested in a photo on an ink stick, which was called Sumi in Japan, and I decided to come by the shop on my own way to Shin-Yakushiji. The shop’s name was Shojudo “松寿堂” and was in an old town. It took about ten minutes to go there from the station by walk.

I hesitated to enter the shop for a while because its facade seemed to be an old-established and really high-toned. However, the master of the shop was very happy and welcomed me to enter the shop. The shop room was very beautiful and traditional Japanese style, there were many Japanese-traditional furnitures such as wooden step-like chest of drawers.

The master showed me some products, which were the same ones in the guidebook, and explained how to make them. According to the master, the Sumi made in Nara was called Nara Sumi, which has been for more than 600 years since Muromachi period. Shojudo has been making Nara Sumi scince 1865 and is a royal warrant shop. There were a few Sumi makers in the district a few years ago, but now Shojudo was the only shop around there. And then, he showed me a Sumigata, the decorative wooden molds made from Asian Nashi, Asian pear, used to form ink sticks.

As I remembered that Prof. Hermann Zapf used a Japanese ink stick in the movie “The Art of Hermann Zapf”, I told him that I’ve heard some of Calligraphers, who are not only East-Asian style but also European style, used a Japanese Sumi as a black ink, so I proposed him that he would be better to introduce about Sumi to Calligraphers who lives in Europe area. The master was very interested in this topic.

I bought two pieces of Sumi shaped lovely form of Japanese deer, which lived in Nara Park and was considered sacred of Kasuga Taisha shrine, in a small box of paulownia wood.
It was a pity that I didn’t have much time left to get untill the Shin-yakushiji temple would be closed. I hoped I would like to visit again so that I could get enough time to chat with the master.

(Above) The wooden shop signages and “Noren: 暖簾”, which is a store curtain hanged on the shop entrance, read “古梅園: Kobaien”on another shop that I found out during return to the Nara station from Shin-Yakushuji temple. (Lower right) The letter “墨: Sumi”, which means ink stick.

I started my design office and my blog today. I’ve been thinking about that I try to introduce type design and typography situation in Japan, because there seemed to be nothing web site in English concerning Japanese type design.

Although I didn’t know which is the best application for my blog, I set up WordPress for a starter. I have a lot on my plate to complete this site, but I wanted to start this at the beginning of April so that I can excuse that it was April fool, if I will not continue to post topic on this blog.

I have to say I’m not good at English, so I need to excuse my English skills at first. I would appreciated if you had find out my mistake and let me know about it. Any suggestion and comment would be appreciated. Thanks!