Before that, I had quite a few unusual jobs…
Working as international airline ground staff, interacting with customers from all over the world,
helping artists share their work domestically and abroad as an exhibition coordinator,
running a café using local ingredients grown by my parents,
connecting farmers and creators as a co-working space community manager,
working side-by-side with the president to launch a startup in Singapore,
and listening to many people’s stories as a therapist at a massage café.

Following my interests, I ended up with a list of very different jobs.
I used to feel self-conscious about not having a consistent path or being an expert in any one thing,
and I found it hard to talk about myself.

But looking back, I realize the root of it all was “connecting people, culture, and creating.”
Lately, I’ve been feeling, “Oh, well, that’s okay.”

Best of all, I’m so grateful that many of the colleagues and clients I’ve met along the way,
are still part of my life, whether we’re working together as a team or hanging out as families,
our connections continue, just in new forms—

I think that’s what makes my winding, meandering path “me.”

The beginning of tiny hands lab (and what’s next)

I grew up surrounded by rice fields and mountains, with no parks or shops nearby,
so as a kid, it was natural to “make our own fun out of what we didn’t have.”
The secret base we built in the woods behind my house, bringing all sorts of things…
looking back, maybe that was my very first “tiny lab.”

The excitement of making original stationery sets with my friends
and playing “store.”

The thrill of traveling to different countries by myself,
trying to speak the local language and experiencing daily life.

The joy I feel as an adult, fascinated by children’s ideas,
as we create things together with our hands.

Remembering all those feelings,
I started “tiny hands lab” as a little place for experiments.

By repeating and connecting these small experiments,
I hope to one day create a place, somewhere other than home or school,
where local children can freely create, think, and connect.

What made me “me”

“Kyou wa Nanno Hi?” (What Day is Today?)
It’s a story about a little girl who secretly hides many letters all over the house for her parents’ wedding anniversary,
and her mother follows them one by one.
When all the letters are connected, they lead to a special, sweet present at the end.
This picture book taught me the joy and fun
of making something for someone else. It’s very precious to me.