Written on May 30, 1991 [Permalink]

May 29

So how did it go? Last week a million newspapers and one call. Today, a multi-million viewers and .... five calls. I guess they must have phoned the network to get our number. One simply asked for our address, and one wanted to let me know that he knew a way to get the carving done with a laser ("You could get the whole thing done in a couple of months, not ten years!"). We got names and addresses for the other three, and will send out sample paks with this year's four prints, newsletters, pamphlet, etc ... Will we also be getting letters forwarded from people who wrote to the program?

The program itself sounded quite interesting. They must have had the 24 prints that Imaki-san had borrowed hanging up in the studio for the guests to see, and the viewers were able to get some idea of the size of the prints, and their real appearance. They also mentioned quite plainly that I sell the prints anywhere in Japan. Couldn't really ask for more! What will this lead to, I wonder? Step by step ...

May 30

A good laugh at the pool this morning. One of the regulars, a 'jii-chan' type, was watching the program yesterday, and I guess just about fell out of his chair when he saw me come on. Now he's bowing to the floor, and apologizing for not knowing that I was such a 'yume na sensei' ... Come off it!

Sent the sample paks to yesterday's respondents, and started in on the kimono patterns. These are a bunch of branches and leaves, and are going to take a long time.

May 31

Another TV day. TV Tokyo here filming for 'Yume Creator', which is set to broadcast on the 13th next month. I don't expect any reaction at all from this one, as it's a late evening program targeted at the 'young', according to the director. The crew wasn't particularly adept in comparison to the others who have been here, and as this was their second assignment of the day, they just wanted to get things wrapped up and get out of here. It took a good four hours in any case, and we had to call Sayaka and Yoko and ask them to put off their English class till tomorrow ...

An interesting call from Margaret Price at the Mainichi Daily News. This time she wants me to go with her to visit a famous elderly printmaker called Saito Kiyoshi, who lives off in Fukushima somewhere. She wants to do a feature on him, and suggested that I think about writing it for her. I'm not sure about this. My knowledge of the modern print scene is zero, my empathy for it is less, and that combination probably wouldn't make for a very 'heartful' story. She didn't seem too worried about that, and said she'd call back later in the month when she had more details. Looks like my next career is really going to be pushing keys on this word processor after all!