​PAST
I was born and raised in a little town in Shizuoka, Japan. I had started showing interest and skill in arts & crafts at a young age.
My first exposure to Japanese woodblock printing was during grade 4 of primary school, where it was a part of curriculum, but
I never created my own prints outside of school.
At age 18 after finishing high school, I moved to New York City. I studied dance at Broadway Dance Center for a while, moved to Seattle to attend a community college, then decided to study graphic design back in NYC. ​After 3 years in Graphic Design major at Fashion Institute of Technology (The State University of New York), I left FIT with an Associate Degree. My first job was at a streetwear brand Triple 5 Soul as a womenswear graphic designer, which was the beginning of my career in the fashion industry.
​Over the course of about 15 years, I have worked as a full-time and freelance graphic designer for many brands such as Zoo York (NY & Australia), Burton Snowboards, Nike ACG, Victoria's Secret, Calvin Klein Jeans, DKNY Jeans, Adidas Japan, Aèropostale, Rip Curl, etc. See these works here.
PRESENT
In 2009, I moved to Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, and had 2 children. It definitely was a full-time job to be a mother for a while. I had always been interested in printmaking, and I kept thinking about workshops I took at Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop (etching) and at MOMA (relief printing) back in NYC. But remembering the process of etching and some other printmaking, I really wanted to stay away from toxic and environmentally harmful practices. So I came back to woodblock printing which I knew the very basic of from grade 4. I have been self-teaching woodblock printing and other non-toxic, handprinting methods of printmaking via books, videos and practices. I am working to make printmaking accessible to all people via Kitchen Printmaking Club, through workshops, classes, and kits.