Travelogue of Art Purchasing in India

This time, I went all the way to India to buy goods.

First of all, as soon as I arrived at Fukuoka Airport, I heard an announcement that the flight to Shanghai was significantly delayed (the cause was dense fog caused by PM2.5, etc.).

The transit time from Shanghai to Delhi is approximately 4 hours.

The plane left Fukuoka about three hours later than scheduled, so at this point I was pretty much out of luck when it came to making the connection.

We had to wait quite a while in Shanghai to arrange our next connecting flight, and as a result, we were stuck in Shanghai for two days as there were no flights from Shanghai to Delhi the next day.

The airline said that they would provide the hotel and meals, but since I had a packed schedule for two weeks this time I was a little taken aback by this suddenness; however, perhaps it meant I had some time to rest, and I spent my time reading a book and walking around Shanghai.

Another good thing about China is that social networking sites like Instagram, Facebook, Google, and Twitter are not available, so I was able to distance myself from the internet.

Now we are finally in India. The past two days will be reflected in even greater detail.

But when I arrived at Shanghai airport, I was told that the flight was overbooked and I had to wait. After being passed around for a long time, I was finally able to board the flight. (I was so relieved.)

I smiled and high-fived several other Indians who were in the same situation!

This journey included accidents like this.

We reached Delhi at around 4am.

Drive to Paharganj and take a nap at the hotel.

My flight plans were messed up and I couldn't reserve a train ticket, so I decided to take a late-night bus to Jodhpur.

The trip that was supposed to take about 12 hours ended up taking about 16 hours. (This is India.)

By the end I was exhausted.

It was four months ago that I returned to Jodhpur.

After checking into the hotel and having a light lunch, we began our hunt for antiques.

Although I was pretty exhausted from all the traveling, I forgot about my fatigue while searching for treasure among the piles of antiques.

You just keep walking through the many warehouses and choose the item that suits your taste.

It's such a fun time that I feel like I could stay forever.

For some it's a pile of junk, but for those who love it it's a treasure trove.

I truly believe that I started this shop because I wanted to convey to people what I love to the best of my ability.

I spent the whole evening packing.

The next morning, we moved to the holy city of Pushkar by bus. (It was a pretty fast paced trip.)

This was my second visit to Pushkar and I wanted to see the view of Lake Pushkar again, and I had heard that there was a collector of my favorite antique fabric (Banjara embroidery) so I decided to return.

This is a place where prayer is part of everyday life.

The act of praying is spiritually rich and beautiful to watch.

I feel like I have the capacity to care about others.

When you're busy, you can only think about yourself.

And yet we live our lives with the ability to care about others, even just a little.

I think about such things.

Pray in the smallest moments of your daily life.

As for Banjara embroidery, there is a museum-quality collection of embroidery on display, making it a great learning experience and a feast for the eyes.

When I think about the people who made this back then, I can only say it's amazing.

India has the fertile soil for the development of such technology and culture.

I am reminded of that every time.

Our stay in Pushkar came to an end as we headed to Jaipur the next morning.

I've been on the move every day, but from now on I can finally focus on my work.

Every single day I visit many shops and workshops.

I am truly grateful for each and every encounter.

Everyone treats me like family even though I'm from a foreign country.

I really can't hold my head up.

While polishing the rough stone this time, I came across an incredibly beautiful expression.

The diversity and quality of the stones is impeccable and I really like them.

It even feels like he was somehow drawn to this expression.

Every day is spent working and checking.

Since your time in India is limited, you can be busier than when you're in Japan.

The process of creating something.

The importance of the process is easily overlooked when you only focus on the finished product.

Just by experiencing this, you start to see things from different angles.

And then the night before the final day.

This time we went to the infamous Indian wedding for the Ishiya family's wedding.

It was even more amazing than I had imagined. The whole family took part in the festival.

There are a lot of people gathered and it is very lively.

I'm happy to be able to participate in such an event.

India is a country that becomes more fascinating with each visit.

Every time I come here I'm reminded of what's inside rather than what's outside.

When you're in Japan, you're unconsciously aware of the eyes of those around you, even if you're not consciously aware of it.

No matter how well you dress on the outside, your attractiveness as a person is enhanced by your inner beauty.

In a good way, he doesn't care about his surroundings.

One thing I learned from this trip was the importance of harmony between the inside and the outside.

My luggage didn't arrive for the next morning, so I had to leave just in time and took a taxi to Delhi Airport.

India is a country where something always happens until the very end.

I wonder when I'll next visit this fascinating country.

In the next blog I will introduce the bags I made on this trip.

"Indigo gypsy bag"