Introduction
I couldn't really say that it had been six years
since I had had a vacation, as our family had made trips up to
grandad's old farm during some of the those summers, but as I had
always taken my woodcarving work with me during those outings, they
were more of a 'change of scene' than a vacation. It's not that I
don't enjoy the woodcarving and the ten-year project I have taken on,
but I would be less than truthful if I didn't admit that the monthly
deadlines do sometimes impose strains. My daily routine is quite
relaxed, and I'm certainly not overworked, but after seventy-five
repetitions, the monthly routine sometimes seems a bit trying. No
sooner is one print finished and sitting on the table in front of me
for inspection, than the thought arises "Time to get going on the
next one. The collectors are waiting ..."
So I was ready for a little break. I put in
'extra' hours during the month preceding the trip, to get a
head-start on the following print and ensure that I could spend a
couple of weeks on holiday in Western Canada without concern as to
how far I might be falling behind, and then Sadako and I headed for
the airport, tickets to Vancouver in hand, accommodations reserved,
and no woodblock packed in my bag.
Of course the time passed very quickly indeed, and
before we knew it, we were sitting on an airplane again, heading back
to Japan. I have never really liked the traditional idea of being
forced to bring back an o-miyage, a souvenir, for every
single person in the community back home, so rather than bring back
silly presents that nobody really wants anyway, now that I'm back
here in my little room in Tokyo, it seems like it might be a better
idea to sit down at my word processor and put down some impressions
of a few of the things that we saw and did. Our Japanese friends
might find them entertaining, and who knows, perhaps they might be
encouraged to visit that beautiful place themselves.
I hope you enjoy this collection of little
Vancouver o-miyage.