Combing Cowlicks in Japan

Happy New Year.  I wish you all a healthy and fruitful 2020 ahead.

I hope that your holiday season was full of rest and joy.  The holiday season for Cowlick Combs was one that will not soon be forgotten.  It was an honour, a treasure and a very memorable experience for this Canadian - raised boy to spend it in Iwaki, Japan. I love visiting Japan in general.  It truly is a remarkable country with such a high quality of life and with such respect, care and pride concerning some fundamental things that I have personally grown to take for granted.  So, like many others when abroad, I am able to become conscious of things in a different way and it's inspiring.  I was so very fortunate to have been given the opportunity of creating a space in a little city that borders Iwaki called Kitaibaraki.  The space was a classroom in a recently closed down elementary school that I thought, was situated in a beautiful countryside landscape.   The task was to reinvent the space for a group that uses it for a meeting place as they do creative art projects with various types of moss.  They also hold workshops and host community events within the space.  Some of the other former classrooms are also being occupied by various artists working in various genres.  My connection came from the group's founding member - a gentleman by the name of Yama.  Yama was able to organize and manage the two week project which did indeed require a lot of time, effort and resources.  As I generally prefer to predominantly use reclaimed/found materials, I thought that doing my first project in Japan was going to strike some challenges in that regard.  I was very wrong.

Yama and his 'Japan Moss Art' group members had already compiled quite a bit of reclaimed materials prior to my arrival.  We were even able to come across an old abandoned lumber processing facility in which the owner gave us free reign to help ourselves with whatever we wanted.  It was a paradise for me as I truly love bringing old, used, discarded materials back to life.  There's something so beautiful and rewarding about the entire process of doing just that.

Not only were all the necessary tools and materials waiting for me upon my arrival, but so too was a man named Kazu.  At 72 years of age, Katzu was incredibly sharp and full of energy and focus.  But most importantly, his many years of carpentry experience and just experience in general, honed a skill set that was top grade.   It was a first experience for both him and I to work under such circumstances.  For me, to have such a skilled carpenter execute my vision and design with such beautiful results exceeded my expectations to a large degree.  I've only ever done my own work so the experience for me was rather emotional.   And for Katzu, doing work in such a creative style proved rewarding as he communicated his enjoyment, pleasure, and pride to me.  That made me so happy!  And as I cannot speak Japanese nor he english, we were able to allow the carpentry and art do the talking!

I'm completely aware that in order to execute such a large amount of work in such a short time there truly needs to be a team that understands teamwork I am easily able to fully acknowledge our team in its entirety.   First off, there was the talented pottery artist, Emmy, and her husband Mamoru. It were Mamoru's tools that were primarily used for our project and on our final day, as time became tight, it was them that cleaned up our rather large mess, which ended up being a couple of truckloads!  Emmy also helped my wife throughout the days with the painting and staining detail. Which brings me to my friend, Saori.  Of course it's her that has to basically babysit me when I'm in Japan, and especially when doing such a project.  She has to translate for me, do the organizing and serve as a facilitator on the project site.  And on top of all that, she took care of most of the staining and painting, allowing the construct to move ahead so smoothly. And then there was Toshi.  I met Toshi the first time I visited Fukushima and like everybody else, I instantly like him.  His personality easily allows others to feel comfortable and his positive energy was felt throughout our project as he brought a feeling of calmness to us all.  Toshi jumped in whenever, wherever, however and did whatever was needed and for that, I was personally very thankful.  

But the project was made possible because of the wonderful Yama.  Yama Chan to me.  Yama Chan has the ability to bring people together, to organize, to orchestrate and to connect the needed resources and he does it with a leadership style in which he always fully respects everyone around him.  He always presents himself with a good demeanour, with calmness and takes care of any hiccups without putting stress on others.  I have already learned so much from him.  And on top of all that, it was Yama that executed the dirtiest job of them all as he planed and sanded most of the materials which enabled us to move along with such fluidity.  It was my absolute pleasure working with/for Yama Chan!!

So, when initially asked to recreate the 'Japan Moss Art' room, I wanted the space to serve as their studio, gallery and classroom.  I'm proud to say that I feel that the vision was realized!  The entire process was absolutely fantastic.  I got to ride the train to the location on some mornings and on other mornings, I got to ride with my friend, Kimiko - Both things that I don't often get to do.  I got to spend time in the countryside and as a country boy now living in the city, I cherished it.  I got to eat lunch with the crew each day and anytime I get to eat in Japan, it's a bonus for me.  

I was very inspired by the surroundings that Kitaibaraki awarded me.  I just hope that the 'Japan Moss Art' group feels the same about their new space surrounding them!

Thank you so very much, Sincerely, Jamie Comeau of Cowlick Combs.