Yokohama Printing Class

“One day, I received a letter from students of Ooka Elementary School who had seen my “Yokohama HOZONHOZON” artwork at the station. They asked me to design bandanas celebrating the 160th Anniversary of the Opening of the Yokohama Port, so that they could print and dye the bandanas in class using the traditional Yokohama textile printing technique. I thought it would be a good chance for them to make bandanas of their own design, and decided to teach them about the thought process of design instead. I told them that anyone could draw and there were no such things as good or bad drawings. I also told them that all 30 of them could find their own unique/personal symbols of Yokohama all around, as I wanted them to feel free to draw Yokohama in their own way. When they finished drawing, we combined all 30 designs into one big graphic image. The bandanas designed by the students were then actually sold at the Tokyu Hands store in Yokohama. I hope this has been a good learning experience for them.”