Walking alone is very nice. That's why I like to go for a walk on days when I don't feel like it.

When I go for a walk, my whole body sometimes becomes like a sensitive antenna. It was as if my whole self had become a quiet lake or a poem. The first condition for a good walk is to walk without being rushed or chased by anyone or anything. To leave things to chance, to decide where to go according to one's heart, and to spend time on one's own whims and guesswork.

When I spend quiet time concentrating only on the scenery and my thoughts, the mundane scenery that I usually pass by becomes suddenly brighter. On my walk the other day, I saw this scene.

A small stuffed squirrel was placed in front of a pair of what appeared to be men strumming a guitar on a bench on the greenway, as if to act as spectators. There was another one next to the squirrel, and I thought it was also a stuffed animal, but it turned out to be a real plump brown bird. I wonder if they keep it. However, for a pet, it had the simple mannerisms of a wild bird. The bird didn't just stop by for a moment, it seemed friendly and was really listening to the performance carefully.

A chance encounter that I had never imagined goes beyond the limits of my imagination and expands the contours of my perception. It is also the act of rediscovering that the scenery that was ``unknown'' and ``extraordinary'' to me is actually someone else's daily life.

I believe that a solo trip is an extension of that solitary walk, both in terms of time and space.

It was a sunny autumn day when we met at YUKI FUJISAWA's atelier. I had promised to talk to Yuki, who traveled alone mainly in the Baltic countries for 28 days from September 8th to October 6th, 2023. My heart fluttered just by seeing the plan to ``listen to travel stories'' in my schedule book. Memories of the trip that Yuki told me. I think it would be great to be able to record small scenes like scooping them up with a spoon. What can you hear?

Following Aran knit hats and scarves, the unveiling of YUKI FUJISAWA's first hand-knitted sweater was held in April 2023 at Moriyama Tei Aito, where light reflected all around. Six months later, Yuki plans a solo trip centered around the three Baltic countries.

``I went to Europe last year (2022), and I had a lot of fun encountering lots of handicrafts.I wanted to go to Europe again this year to see handicrafts, but my schedule didn't go well with my trip. I thought it would be boring to go there, so I thought I'd go to a region I've never been to before.The Baltic countries are covered in forests, so I thought there would be wooden products and a knitting culture as well.The first thing that came to mind was, Mittens from Latvia.However, there were other things that really fascinated me and things I discovered during my travels."

Although Yuki wrote at the beginning that she would focus on the three Baltic countries, she ended up visiting the following eight countries over the course of a month.

1.🇹🇭Thailand (Bangkok)
2.🇸🇪Sweden (Malmö, Lund, Landskrona)
3.🇩🇰Denmark (Copenhagen)
4.🇱🇹Lithuania ( Kaunas , Vilnius)
5.🇱🇻Latvia (Rīga)
6.🇪🇪Estonia (Tallin, Viljandi , Tartu)
7.🇫🇮Finland (Helsinki)
8.🇮🇪Ireland (Dublin, Donegal, Mayo, Galway)

``I was thinking of mainly going to the Baltic countries, but I haven't really decided on the other countries.It's easy to travel by plane within Europe, so I decided to travel here and there if I could.This time. , I didn't set out to travel with any specific purpose in mind, I just went to have fun.
I was hoping that I could use it in my production, but I didn't want to feel pressured by not having gained anything while traveling, so I woke up in the morning and thought, ``What should I do today?'' I wanted to have the freedom to make whatever came to my mind come true."

When I suddenly looked into my atelier, I saw small and lovely objects, glass, yarn, and other small objects that I had probably bought on my travels lined up like a daydream. Not only on this trip, but now that I think about it, Yuki-san's atelier is always filled with carefully collected accessories.

"I like things that can feel the imprint of someone's hands." The items arranged in this way sometimes serve as inspiration for making things, but they also keep me watching everything that happens in this atelier, and I feel like they are like the guardian angels of the atelier.

It wasn't a trip I was trying to get anything from, but I was brought home with my heart, and the treasured souvenirs from across the ocean are now standing right in front of me. The story of Yuki's new friends at the atelier who seem to be waiting for them to tell their stories, and the handiwork that has been done in faraway countries, is a great way to explore Yuki's journey. I had a feeling that a figure would emerge.

[2023.9.11-9.14 Sweden]

“This is my favorite.”

What he held up to the light was a lovely wine glass with a star pattern that resembled an asterisk symbol. The combination with the circular pattern that resembles the fluff of a dandelion is unusual and has a unique charm.

This was my second visit to Sweden, where I stayed for about 4 days, following my trip last year. Apparently, he stopped by his favorite store that he had found last time and bought some.

" I bought it at an antique shop run by my grandpa in the southern part of Sweden called Malmö . The shop has become part of the local community, with young people visiting with their dogs and having tea in front of the shop. This store has a lot of broken items on the floor. But no one cares. I think the concept is to enjoy the thrill of seeing the glass products stacked up in such a delicate way that they might fall if you touch them. Also, there is a mysterious liquid in the glass (lol).
This is my second time visiting this store, and each time the selection was very good and I bought a lot. This is Tomte, an old man fairy from Scandinavian folklore. This plate depicts a person eating a porridge called porridge.

It is said that tomte is the guardian deity of farmers, and as I listened to stories about Sweden, I thought it was like a talisman for Yuki-san's travels.

“The Aran knit that will be unveiled in the spring of 2024, I had decided to use an Irish yarn called Donegal Yarns . This is wool from Ireland that I encountered on my trip in 2022. On this trip, I carried this thread sample book with me. There was also a practical reason that I wouldn't be able to finish the production in time if I didn't decide on the color quickly since I would be leaving my atelier open for a month, but I also wondered what would happen if I looked at this yarn under different types of sunlight outside of Tokyo. ? That's it.

The color of light and the cityscape vary depending on the area. When I saw it in Tokyo, this wool had a tweed-like feel and had an idyllic impression. But when I saw it in the natural landscape of Ireland, I could see the many colors mixing together, like the way light shines on fallen leaves, or like the nuts on a tree. I immediately understood that they were incorporating the unique nature of the area into the design, and it made sense to me.''

[ 2023.9.14-9.19Denmark ]

A stemware with margaret-like petals blooming between the bowl and the stem. The memory of how enchanted I was when I happened to see it on Instagram came back to me when I saw it in front of me.

I bought that glass in Denmark, which was my second visit there after my first visit six or seven years ago. Our stay this time was a little longer at 6 days.

“I contacted Nina Norgaard, a glass artist who collaborates with Cecilie Bahnsen and HAY, and visited her atelier.It was nice to meet her, but I sent her a DM on Instagram, and she asked me to come to her atelier. I said okay. In Europe, there seems to be an atmosphere where ordinary people can go to the atelier by making an appointment. I thought that the level and open relationship between them was very interesting. As a culture, creating and It felt so close, and I wanted to try it too."

When Yuki travels, she carries one of YUKI FUJISAWA's signature items, a vintage tote bag wrapped in foil and wrapped with a gift ribbon. As a thank you for the studio visit, I handed it to Nina . My birthday is the next day. Nina seemed to be smiling and happy.

Sometimes a little miracle happens when you muster up a little courage and go meet the person you want to meet. Every time I hear a story like this, I think that's because even though the time we crossed when we met on a trip was just a moment, the time we spent living hard in our respective places overlaps not in points but in areas. think.

``The people and animals in Denmark seemed to be very friendly, which left an impression on me.The owner of the Airbnb I stayed at took care of me one night when I got home late. "Why are you being so kind to me? When I asked him, ``It's not easy to be kind.'' I booked some accommodations with cats to alleviate the cat shortage, and the cats slept with me every night.''

“Connecting daily life and culture” Baltic countries edition: Continued from travel story (2)

Words: Yume Nomura

Photo: Masumi Ishida

movie (travel): YUKI FUJISAWA