I wanted to stay here forever

To think that such a vast world could overflow from such a small body.
The day I visited Yota's solo exhibition, I had to face that fact head-on.

From the moment I stepped into the venue, the air felt different.
Paintings, illustrations, sculptures, and photographs.

From every single piece, like a wave,
or perhaps like light,
an overwhelming "world" comes rushing toward me.

Words like "skillful"
just don't do it justice.

Something more fundamental.
Something so pure you shouldn't touch it,
yet it is definitely there.

My heart was quietly,
and surely, being stirred.

Words were hung on the wall.
They resonated in my heart as strongly as the artwork itself, or perhaps,
maybe even more so.

In an instant, I was moved to tears.
Unadorned, unpolished,
words just as they are.
That is exactly why they pierce straight through.

They say these are things that Yota-san's mom,mika🌼-sanhas carefully written down.

Each one of them,
sometimes as intense as a waterfall,
or as quiet as bubbles,
slowly permeates the depths of my heart.

While looking at the artwork, I suddenly realized.
This isn't some kind of 'expression'.
It's something that exists even before that.
It is life itself.
Taking what you feel and putting it out there just as it is.

To think that just doing that could move people's hearts so much.

☕🍀

I usually brew coffee.
Hand-dripped, carefully, one cup at a time.
Through the aroma and the taste,
I hope to touch someone's heart.

But what I saw here today
was an impulse that exists 'long before' that.
An unadulterated, pristine source.

To be honest, I felt a little frustrated.
And at the same time,
I was helplessly happy.
To have been able to touch a world like this.
I was truly moved, and surprised,
and for a while, I couldn't find the words.

The youngest artist in the back alley.
Yota-san is already so dazzling that
those words aren't enough to contain him.
But I'm sure this radiance
will never change from here on out.

Because it's something that will keep shining forever,
on a different axis than getting better or being evaluated.

The world born here is starting to move.
I will surely never forget
being there at that moment.

A butterfly lands on your fingertip
As if sipping nectar from a flower
I can feel your heartbeat
Thump, thump, thump, it is pulsing
I can tell that your heart is trembling

I am not your mother
But I feel like a mother
And I want to watch over you

Just as my heart was stirred
The day will come when the world will tremble
Until the moment you take flight
I want to feel your warmth

Like the Earth slowly spinning
I will watch over you with gentle feelings

Even after you fly away
I will look up at the sky beyond and think

We are living in the same world
We are companions
The world you see
Is our world too

I want to cherish it
This world
For the sake of your future

Even if they don't look that different on the outside
Children are growing, aren't they
Just like trees firmly rooting themselves beneath the ground

I wonder how far they will grow

I'm looking forward to it!

mika🌼-san,
thank you so much for all your hard work.✨
It was such a wonderful space that I wanted to keep watching,
and I wanted to stay here forever.

And Yota-san,
thank you for the soul-stirring experience.😌
I will always be cheering for you.♪

🍀🍀

At the same time, in the same space,
Miwa Yutani-sanand I met.
I was so overwhelmed with emotion, haha.
I've only been able to introduce a small part of the work, but you can see the entire Yota world from Miwa-san's article!

☕🍀

I'm running a coffee shop♪
Yota's illustrations
are now on coffee packages.
The reason I've been able to keep
this coffee shop going is all thanks to you.😌