Good morning from Denver. I’ve got my ticket to Oaxaca for Day of the Dead, arriving on October 21 and staying for three weeks. Like many of you, I like to be home with my family for the winter holidays. I plan to participate in the Teotitlan del Valle photography workshop led by Luvia Lazo. She is an award-winning photographer, recognized in The New Yorker Magazine and Vogue for her interpretation of village life. I’m excited because I’ve known Luvia since she was a very young woman who was just getting started. She has a keen eye that notices the juxtapositions of composition and I’m confident that she will teach us how to see people and place in different and innovative ways. BTW, you don’t have to be a photographer to participate. Our only requirement is curiosity!
Today is my last appointment with my surgeon who performed the spinal fusion surgery. I’m hoping for a clean bill of health on the road to recovery. I’ll keep you posted about the outcomes. This is one reason I haven’t been writing much. The surgery and related recuperation was much more intense than I ever expected and I’ve been completely focused on the process of getting better in time for my departure to Japan for two weeks on Friday, September 6.
I’m excited. Japan has become one of my favorite countries and this will be my second visit. I’m traveling with friends who have been there nine times! As I write, they are on a six-day hike through geological formations along the southern coast. They are covering ten miles a day. I can now manage two miles walking at a slow pace with two hiking poles for support!
This is going to be a research trip for me. Eric and I are planning Japanese Folk Art and Textile Tour for Oaxaca Cultural Navigator in late October 2025, if all things align. We will focus on pottery, indigo dyeing, temple markets, sashiko embroidery stitching, and exploring food and culture. We are working with our friend Nancy Craft, Conde-Nast Japan Travel Expert, to assist us in building an itinerary and securing all the logistics to make a trip like this possible.
My Question: Would you like me to report on what I discovered on this Japan trip that starts Friday with intermittent blog posts? Would you be interested in this?
As ever, thanks for reading. All my best, Norma
This is a Sashiko embroidered hat made by Keiku in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, in the Hida region of central Japan. She works on indigo dyed cloth, much of which is vintage. I will visit her with the hope that we can include a hands-on experience for our October 2025 tour. I’m meeting her on the east side of the Red Bridge and she will take us to her home in the historic district, where she has her studio. It’s been a back-and-forth arranging this private visit. Keiku doesn’t speak English and I’ve been communicating with her son Atsushi, who lives in the USA with the help of my friend Svetlana, a textile installation artist.
If you want to join this tour, we will notify you with more details when we have them. Please send me an email to let me know you are interested.
