We are not just enjoying the vacation.
This is the photo of us working...
This is the studio named Kantana in Bangkok‚ Thai.
It is like combining the IMAGICA processing laboratory and studio.
I took his photo. He just looks like the Japanese comedian Okamua-kun. He's the coordinator for the end-title credit.
Thai and Japanese are similar‚ aren't we?

All the staff members speak English
That rarely happens in Japan.
And so‚ the Hollywood crews visit here.
Wong Kawai was working here the day before I arrived.
The crews next to the editing room are speaking French.
This place has an international environment.
Our world is big but small...wanting the careful communication.

I'm working on the final stage of the project.
Day off from the work.
We went to Ayutthaya.
Michuki is happy seeing elephants.

We were excited watching a Muay Thai match.
He gave me punches and kicks.
We took a souvenir picture with the champion of the main event.
He shows a little frown... because of the champion's sweat...

Mr. Kobayashi Masahiro is nominated for the competition at this year's
festival.
The Grand-Prix Award is one hundred thousand euros.
That's about seventeen million yen.
Amazing...
But I think that's just tribute to authors.
Making films needs a lot of money and if we cannot receive reward, it's
difficult to make films... Also it's not good enough just to make salable
commercial movies.
In such a subtle balance, this kind of support encourages us.
Unfortunately his film missed the award, but one member of the jury ran to him saying his work was great. That's a wonderful thing.
The respectful staff and jury made this film festival excellent.

The highest point in this island..., clouds are way below.
In such mountains, we did trekking-like hiking.
So fresh in the mountains in spring.
This forest seems to be called Pygmy's Forest.
[ If we successfully host the international film festival in Nara, I'd like to
take the guests to the old-growth forest there.
Such an experience will give them a reason to be back in the place once
again.

Alvaro-san, doing tuna-fishing business more than 10 years
He escorted us this time.
He's more like true Japanese, taking good care of us, and we became friends soon.

First, I heard his name as "Maguro" instead of "Alvaro" and since then, I
call him Maguro (means "tuna fish" in Japanese).
And the trouble was that his face was increasingly looking like tuna fish to me.
But I guess it is because he lived his life contributing to the tie-up between Spain and Japan through tuna fish business. That's the way it is!
And another difficult thing was that he was getting like a typical middle-aged woman in Kansai area in Japan, instead of tuna fish.
But thanks to Maguro, I really enjoyed my stay in Canarias.
Many thanks to you.

There was a port as if in a picture-book world.
We had broiled sardines with salt and some beer.
So happy.

In the south of this island, there's one resort facility under construction.
Spa with the Atlantic Ocean view in a vast, wild dry land with cactus.

This is Thalassotherapie.
It feels super to float on salt water, making my body loose and relaxed.
Though feels also like I became dumb.

I guess people in ancient times indulged themselves in imagining what they could find beyond this ocean.

So far away... Why isn't there direct flight to Spain?
It's really strange!
Japan and Spain used to have a closer relationship due to tuna fishing.
But then, I wonder what changed such a relationship into this one
preventing us flying directly.

I want to know the secret why nobody tells me what happened about it.

Anyway, I arrived in such a country, Spain, here Canary Islands.
It took me twenty four hours...
On the tiny island, however, there are people who come to watch
Kawase's film.
It's a happy thing.
The man sitting next to me in the picture told me that this time's
retrospective of my works was originally born from his opportunity of
watching Embracing screened in Australia in 1994. It's so impressive to
hear such things.
On this tiny island screening all the works in these two decades, there is a climate of seeing film as a culture, without a shadow of doubt.

After this retrospective, all the films will be delivered to Galicia Province
and so will be held the same retrospective.

We were supposed to go to the Canary Islands on the day.
But Michuki said he wanted to go out for a picnic.
Michuki has his own world, I thought.
And so, I left for the Canary Islands by myself.
I got up early to make box lunch for him and set out on a twenty-four
hour journey.

When I arrived, I called home.
"You already arrived? Did you find camels?"
Michuki has been into a world map these days.
Yes, this Spanish island is closer to the Sahara desert.
"I haven't seen camels yet... I'll come home after I sleep five nights,
alright?" I replied.
"OK. When you come home, take a look at a picture of my shiny lunch
box, will you?"

Thinking of my beloved son.
From the western island, far and far away from Japan.