(The following is translation of the e-mail which was sent to Japanese customers.)

This is Kanako Yoshida from YOUYOUANG.
How are you doing?

Today, the rainy season finally arrived in Maebashi, and the air is moist and heavy. Well, it was "dangerously hot" from the end of June to last week, wasn't it?

Driving in winter in Hokkaido is scary, and in spring there is the Gift Show, so it has become customary for me to go on business trips to Hokkaido during the rainy season. The scenery in Hokkaido is always magnificent and captivating, but even when I went to Sapporo, Otaru, Shiraoi, and Saroma, the temperature was not like Hokkaido at all. I felt the same as I did in Maebashi. (lol)

Hokkaido is so large that traveling around is like a short trip, but the nature is really beautiful. The schedule was hard again this time, with a race, three business meetings, and a visit to Upopoy (National Ainu Museum and Park. Ainu are the indigenous people of northern Japan). Every day was full of excitement.

 This is Lake Saroma at sunrise. It looks like a god is coming down from the orange bridge. This photo was taken by a friend who participated in the 100km race that started at 5am in the morning.

I participated in the 50km race that started at 10am in the scorching heat, and managed to finish the race in 31 degrees heat (I mostly walked the last 10km).

I was only energetic when my picture was being taken (lol). In the second half of the race, I joined up with one of my friends who participated in the 100km race and enjoyed the run.

Here is the main topic.

A visit to Kitaichi Glass in Otaru. The sound of wind chimes in the store is cool.

Kitaichi Glass's original gifts with colorful and transparent incense plates, and Kampo Japanese Medicinal Herb Incense with easy-to-understand handmade POP with illustrations are just a few of the many ways to make it easy for tourists to pick them up without hesitation.

As many of you may know, Kitaichi Glass in Otaru is a long-established glass factory that has been in business since 1901. Now, on the main street, there are many shops with different themes, such as "Building No. 3 Japanese Floor/Western Floor," "Crystal Hall," and "Venetian Museum." Along with the Red Brick Warehouse across the canal, it is the core of the city of Otaru and is loved by tourists. When lined up in this sales area, the YOUYOUANG’s incense also looks cool somehow. This time, I was also told about a new project, and returned home excited.

After the business meetings in Sapporo were completed, I was relieved to visit "Upopoy" in Shiraoi Town, which I had been curious about for a long time. It is a bit far to stop by, but I really wanted to go there. I couldn't miss the opportunity to see the solo exhibition of "Takeki Fujito.

Just look at this mother and cub bear that look like they might start moving at any moment. The expression of the little bear, and the mother bear's posture as if asking "What's wrong?" They are so lively, adorable, and strong.

A bear staring blankly at the sky. Cats also relax and pose like this after finishing their meal.

I wonder what goes on in Takeki Fujito's head when he confronts a piece of wood and carves it without making any sketches at all. I could not buy his works (they were not for sale in the first place), but I did buy two thick catalogs. They were heavy to carry on my way home, but it was a "happy break" for me to look at the catalogs during my lunch break.

If you wear sleeveless clothing thinking it's going to be scorching hot, it might start to drizzle. It's the cold rainy season, so please be careful not to catch a cold.