Art Culture Street – Finding Connection Through Creatures and Stories

I returned to Tokyo from Berlin just before the summer of 2024.

After about a year working at the 3D software company Marvelous Designer, I naturally shifted back to freelance life — I wanted more time to focus on my own creations.

After my first pop-up event in April 2025, I wanted to keep the momentum going — to join more art events and markets, to meet people face to face, and to see where my work might take me. (I’ll write another post soon about how a random trip to the Taipei Art Book Fair 2024 totally changed my direction.)

Discovering Art Culture Street

One night, while scrolling through Instagram looking for open calls, I found a post about Art Culture Street, an event curated by YUUKI, a former member of CHAI. It instantly caught my attention — a mix of art, culture, and music, moving around different locations in Tokyo.

The next one was happening in Shimokitazawa ADRIFT in September 2025 — one of the fun areas in Tokyo, full of color, small shops, and slightly chaotic creativity. I love events that feel playful and experimental, so I applied right away.

A while later, I opened my inbox and saw the word “Congratulations.” I was accepted. I always love these happy moments!

The Experience

These two days ended up becoming one of those experiences that stay with you for a while.

Here are a few things that stood out to me:

🌍 A Global Flow of Visitors

Shimokitazawa is already such a lively mix of locals and travelers. I met people from Europe, Australia, North and South America — some were on long Asia trips, some just came from Tokyo Game Show, and a few were even on honeymoon.

Surprisingly, most of the people who bought my main merch were travelers. Maybe there’s something in my creatures that connects to people who are also on a journey — people between places, searching for a memory.

🌊 Ocean Souls Find Each Other

I realized people who are connected to the ocean or water somehow always find their way to my booth.

In the morning, I met a marine biologist from California, and we had this fun chat about nudibranchs and sea creatures along the coast. I always get weirdly happy when I meet people like that — because in another life, I'm sure I had a marine-related profession too.

Later, a musician stopped by, and we talked about water and dreams, which are both big themes in my AO world. Little conversations like that always feel like small, magical signals from the universe.

👾 Sticker Kaiju Took Over

I honestly didn’t expect it — Sticker Kaiju became the star of my booth.

I’ve always thought my idea of “cute” was a bit off from the mainstream, so hearing people go “Kawaiiiiii!” over my creatures was such a surprise.

All the tiny Sticker Kaijus sold out on the first day, so I had to run home and bring more on the second. My very first 3D-printed figure — the big one — was bought by a kind woman from China who said she’d give it to her friend as a gift. She and her kid came back later in the day because they “couldn’t stop thinking about the Kaiju.” They bought a bunch of them, and even though the big one wasn’t for sale, I decided to let it go. It just felt right — like the Kaiju wanted to travel, to keep its adventure going somewhere else.

↑This one traveled to China. Hope you have fun!!!↑

💬 The Story Behind the Creatures

A lot of people were curious about the world behind the creatures.

When I explained that they’re all part of my universe called AO, they were surprised that there’s a full story behind it.

When I asked if they’d like to see it as a manga or animation, almost everyone said animation. Hearing that honestly made me so happy — it reminded me why I started this whole thing in the first place. Many visitor said, “I’ll be waiting for it,” and that small sentence gave me a push for my next actions.

🧩 Talking With Other Artists

I also had a great time talking with other artists and vendors.

Most of them were graduates from art universities in Tokyo, showing everything from paintings to fashion to figures. It was so inspiring to peek into their worlds and see how they approach

creation.

👽What I Took From It

More than anything, this event reminded me of what I really want to do —

to keep improving my 3D figure skills, to bring more of my story to life, and maybe start turning it into a manga first (as a kind of storyboard) before creating animations of the most important scenes.

And knowing that people from abroad connected with my creatures made me feel like maybe I should start joining art markets overseas too — to let my little beings keep traveling, and see where they take me next.