It was not my first visit to Japan, but my first residency in Asia so far. Onishi turned out to be in a rural area about one hour north from Tokyo. Soon I fell in love with the neighbourhood and the people living there. I stayed for three month in the summer, which turned out to be tropical hot and wet for some weeks. The residency itself was at a starting point, run by an American born artist Kjiel Hahn and some of his Japanese friends. Getting connected with the local community was an experience beyond everything I’d expected.