Inspired by Japan

Hi everyone. Happy Thursday. 

 I'm back today with some more art for you.

I have another page for Art Journal Journey. This month Chris who you might know as Pear Shaped Crafting and myself are hosting in memory of Eileen. Her theme was Inspired By, and we are honoring Eileen by keeping it. My page has some Japanese inspiration.

My page is inspired by the trip I took to Japan 3 years ago with the school where I worked. I can't believe it was 3 years ago  already. I am glad I went then  as with covid there wasn't any trip last year and now that I am retired I don't qualify to go (at least with the school where I taught) anymore.  

For those of you who don't know the story,  the school where I taught takes a trip to their sister city and sister school in Japan during our April school break. Teachers as well as other school staff like administrators along with some students get to go. Since school employees go for free (as the city pays for their trip), it was limited how many could go each year. I had to wait a couple of years to get chosen, but I went with the best staff because the other 4 teachers  on the trip were all also science teachers, and we were all work friends also. Plus because of several other opportunities that particular April, only 8 students chose to participate. The  year after I went about 25 students participated. I know they had to change a lot of the trip's itinerary with that many kids.

 Part of the trip the year I went we visited the Nichinan area of Japan (the very southern tip of the main islands that make up the country) along with participating in some school related events. Then we had some days in Kyoto and Tokyo also.  It was an amazing adventure for sure.

When I started my page I wasn't really thinking Japan, and I just wanted to used this pretty flower washi tape I had just received. I thought it looked Asian, so I first stamped the old Hero Arts image, and then I added my washi tape. I also added some other yellow tape that matched.

I added some yellow tape and some golden paint rings (made using an empty tape  role). I die cut the pagoda, the fan and also the kanji writing, although I don't know what it says and hopefully I didn't place it upside down either.

Finally I finished the page with some yellow TH images and a quote from Art by Marlene.

I'll end this post with a few memory photos from Japan. The theme today is some shrines. These are other sights are things that inspired the pagoda and feel of my journal page.

The first three are from Udo Shrine in Nichinan, the sister city.

The next 4 are from the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. Ianri means fox, so you see lots of fox statues here.

And these last photos are from the Temple of the Golden Pavillion or palace also in Kyoto called Kinkiaku-Ji. 

Hope your week is going well.