Photo by: Karin Shikata
→日本語
KiKi
Illustrator / Sustainable Columnist
From Japan and based in Berlin ・Germany since the summer of 2016. I studied character design – Illustration & Animation at Kyoto University of Art and Design. After graduating, I worked for 3 years as an assistant to the manga department of Kyoto University of Art and Design. Currently, I am working as an illustrator in magazines and books, I have also a series of columns on sustainability and vegetarianism in several media.
My story
We don’t have any transportation, one hour drive to the nearest store by my father’s car. Anyway, my home town is a really small village with really beautiful nature. When I was a child, it was great entertainment to play endlessly with paper, color pens, and the fantasy world of my head.
Since there was no high school closeby, I left my home to go to the one in another city. I had to be independent of 15 years old and drawing illustrations with the fantasy world of my head became mental support for me.
Children who lives in a small village like me, grow up and are just about to start their life journey. Through illustration and writing, I would like to show them how big the world is and that there are many paths they can take.
Clients
Embassy of Germany -Tokyo, Japan / Süddeutsche Zeitung Familie – Munich, Germany / Tandem APP – Berlin, Germany / SUBARU Corporation – Tokyo, Japan / veggy magazine -Tokyo, Japan / ELEMINIST magazine – Tokyo, Japan / SAGOJO Inc. – Tokyo, Japan / NTT Resonant Inc. – Tokyo, Japan / NORITZ CORPORATION – Kobe, Japan / etc…
Awards
World Web Article Award 2019 / writes publisher prize
– Tokyo, Japan. As a supplementary prize, my essay joined a book and published in 2020
Kyoto University of Art and Design Graduation show 2012 / Character design department Outstanding Student Award
– Kyoto, Japan
Press
TANDEM TALES: FROM LANGUAGE EXCHANGE TO ART EXHIBITION
Current column series
Young Germany / Client: Embassy of Germany -Tokyo, Japan
Official web magazine of Embassy of Germany in Tokyo.
Currently my column: “Sustainable Life in Berlin”
ELEMINIST / Client :trustridge Inc. – Tokyo,Japan
ELEMINIST is a guide for a sustainable lifestyle. ELEMINIST means “Enjoy Lifestyle & Minimal”, it’s coined word.
Currently my column: With the theme of a sustainable lifestyle,
I’ll write about my experience living in the city of Berlin
how this common with my experience growing up in a small village in Japan.