What does it mean to write? Writing is a very simple task one can do with only a pen and paper. And yet, there’s an incredible amount of power to it, such as expressing your feelings to someone, gathering your thoughts into one place, leaving behind a record of present events to look back on in the future . . .

We’ll be using the Hobonichi Techo 2019 release to take another look at the action of writing, pondering and discussing what makes it so fun and what makes it so mysterious.

In this special article, we’ve taken a closer look at 10 people who draw and write in their professional or personal lives, checking out their favorite writing tools and hearing all about their writing process. We hope you enjoy reading all about the wide variety of approaches to writing.

What does it mean to write?

vol.7

Ryoji Arai

“Relax your hands, empty your mind, and draw what comes to you.”

Ryoji Arai has provided us with the artwork for an amazing cover in our 2019 techo lineup. He came to visit us at Hobonichi with his art supplies.

ProfileRyoji Arai

Ryoji Arai was born in 1956 in Yamagata Prefecture. His children’s books are widely acclaimed in Japan and across the world. He won the JBBY (Japanese Board on Books for Young People) award for Sound of Taiyo Organ; the grand prize for the Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award for It’s Morning, So I’ll Open the Window; the grand prize for the Japan Picture Book Award for the book Tonight’s Full Moon; and in 2005 became the first Japanese author to win the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children’s literature. Arai created the illustrations in the opening for the NHK drama television series Jun to Ai and served as the artistic director of the Yamagata Biennale Art Festival.

ーー: Thank you for visiting us today. There are so many different art supplies here!

Arai: This is actually only a small portion of what I use. I have lots more in my studio.

ーー: What did you bring with you today?

Arai: Colored markers, permanent markers, ballpoint pens, and calligraphy pens. I’ve also got paint, sumi ink, gauche, colored pencils, inks, crayons... I think that’s it. I would choose one thing to bring, and then it just seemed like I had to bring something else, too, and it snowballed from there. (Laughs)

ーー: So these are the tools that bring your pictures to life. How do you decide which art supplies to use?

Arai: I’ve got my own personal fads I go through. If there’s a new ballpoint pen released, I’ll buy it and give that one a try. I draw things with a thick magic marker, even, so there’s really a broad variety of things I use.(Draws in his sketchbook while talking)

ーー: Wow, you’re just kind of waving your hand around and there’s already a cute cat there!

Arai: I’ve been drawing the lines in black and indigo blue a lot lately. And when I’m not sure what to do, I’ll default to using these thick lines. If I use a pen with thin lines when I’m not sure what to draw, I’ll end up using too much detail, and my uncertainty will affect my work.

ーー: I see. So when you’re unsure, you’ve got to just go for it.

Arai: Yeah. Thick magic markers are so bold; thinner-tipped ones take up much more time and lead you to draw out unnecessary details.

ーー: You mentioned you’ve got your own fads when it comes to art supplies, but is there anything you always use?

Arai: There is. The colored pencil I just used to draw this cat is one of them. It’s called Karismacolor, and their indigo color is great.

ーー: You used that colored pencil in the rough sketch for this year’s I forgot when it was, but we sure had fun cover.

Arai: That’s right! The pencil lead is softer than European pencils like Staedtler. I press down pretty hard when I write, so it’s easy for colored pencils to break on me. That’s why I try to control my hand and draw lightly, and this lead is great for that.

ーー: It looks like you’ve got the lead really sharp.

Arai: I can’t stand using a dull pencil. But the lead often breaks on me when I’m drawing, so I save the broken tip and use my fingers to draw with that. It’s actually quite nice.

ーー: Wow, using broken pencil lead by hand! That’s interesting.

Arai: I’d rather use up the entire pencil and not waste any of it.

ーー: By the way, do you always stand up when you’re making your art?

Arai: Yes, I do. I almost never use a chair. I could stand like this and draw for hours.

ーー: I’m impressed.

Arai: My mind clears up when I draw with a light hand. If I strain my hand too much when I’m drawing, I become too conscious of what I’m drawing, and it messes me up. So I find it’s better to relax your muscles and clear your mind, and just draw free-flowing like this.

ーー: So it’s important to clear your mind.

Arai: Yeah. If you have your hands strained unnaturally, and you’re concerned about whether you’ll be able to draw well or not, it’ll block all the ideas from your mind. If I get paint on my hand, I’ll put my hand down on the paper on purpose. I make sure to keep any thoughts out of my mind when I think. It’s like I’m thinking, but I’m not.

ーー: You named this year’s techo cover “I forgot when it was, but we sure had fun,” but you had other titles in mind, right? There were various titles written on the rough draft, and it felt a little like we were able to see your thought process.

Arai: With this year’s cover, I wanted a name that I associated with the nature of cats. I brainstormed a bunch of ideas and wrote them down.

ーー: Where do you usually write down your ideas when they come up?

Arai: I don’t actually write them down. I used to keep a planner, but I never looked back on it. (Laughs)

ーー: What about when you’re coming up with titles and things for your children’s books?

Arai: It’s basically how I did it with the rough sketch for this cover. I’ve got scrap paper of all sizes on my desk, sometimes just a flyer with a blank back, and I write on those. I’ll even write in newspapers, and lately on paper bags that came from Amazon.

ーー: Even on paper bags... (Laughs) Wow, and you’ve already got the cat colored in! Thank you so much for coming to see us today.

Arai: Thank you for having me! I’m getting ready for a Yamagata Biennale 2018 event, and I hope you’ll come.

(Next time we’ll be talking to Zenta Nishida.)

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The interviews in this article are edited versions of those on display at the “Write!” event hosted at the Ginza Loft in September 2018. You can read more about the event here.