Takuya Komaba flew over the earth from Japan to find me, with his wife Caroline Bagot, and his only son. In the silence, his body begins to move, slowly, harmoniously, facing the dawn and the crackling fireplace. He smiles at me.

What is your morning routine?

The sun does not seem to move during the day, but the movement of the sun can be clearly seen when there is an object called the horizon at dusk. Precisely at this time, the speed of the rotation of the earth can be felt. This is the lesson I’ve learned from Mr. Egami, who lives in Abiko, where the countryside spreads out; and he enjoys the sunrise every day. 

I wake up early in the morning and enjoy the time when the day starts to brighten and I can feel the quiet and dynamic earth.

Then, I make a fire and brew coffee and can start playing the piano. 

What is your Ikigai?

My family. Be me. 

Can you please describe to me your creative process?

I didn’t learn art in school. I almost didn’t go to school. Through painting and playing music in my own way, I have gained universal insights into life.

The sounds, lights, darknesses, colors, plants, flowers, people, and animals… Everyone is like a teacher.

Microorganisms and fungi gather on fallen trees, birds peck at insects, and animals drink spring water. Diverse species harmonize and circulate to create a forest. Being part of it and living within it is what I have been trying to do for the past few years. Here, I can learn the wisdom of our ancestors.

And I can hear the sounds that are born from daily life, colors, and shapes that change day by day and phenomena.

I am fascinated by the sight of children digging holes. I remember when I was a child, not digging a hole for a purpose, just purely digging a hole. Adults often think about showing off and profit. Children just keep digging holes.

I think that our ancestors dug a hole in the same way and ate animals that happened to fall into the hole. And I can imagine that such accidental learning accumulates and lives have been passed down to us today.

Takuya only works on demand. Just send him an email, share a memory, a word, for him to start creating. He also organizes workshops for children which he calls: “Painting melodies, Listening to paintings“.

For him, the piano is a way to meet nature, its colors, its winds, and its waves.
Painting, on the other hand, is like a breath through the branches, a birdsong at the top.