With the love and support of countless individuals and organizations, we transformed an old auditorium into a pure white Arctic space. Please check out our 15-minute "Making of White Gift in Ishinomaki" DVD, too.
At the Kurashi-no-Denshogo in Iwaki, Fukushima, many people came not only to see the White GIft exhibition but also to celebrate traditional Japanese culture at the same facility.
Courtesy of Shumei, our beloved polar bear enjoyed playing with many youngsters and youngsters-at-heart members of the community in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture.
Despite all the devastation in this area, the children wore smiles. We were shown around the once-thriving city. With respect and prayers we treaded lightly.
This cafe is run by the nicest couple in all of Sendai. Their warm hearts and love melt everyone who visits. It was an honor to be at Mon St. Lou on March 11th.
Our beloved shirokuma-kun experienced snow for the very first time! The Urabandai Kogen Hotel has a lot of history. The public bath was absolutely superb! We did events in the daytime and at night.
Perhaps one of the most famous cafes in the Tohoku region. Such taste, literally and figuratively is rare indeed. The children shouted "This polar bear is for real!" When asked why they thought so, they replied, "There's no zipper!".
Thanks to Fuji Film gallery, the digital photos of the Arctic were reprinted in the traditional way, as "ginen" prints. The deep colors and analog feel is definitely different from modern memory-based photographs.
On the 49th floor of the Roppongi Hills Complex is Roppongi Academy Hills. Usually reserved for somewhat "serious" and business-related seminars, on this day our polar bear was a smash hit injecting a completely different aura to the premises.
Ryo Sakamoto of the Coco-chan fame introduced me to Greeting Life Company who makes splendid stationery and goods. They made diaries, pen cases, calendars and the like. It was a nice collaboration.
WIth stores throughout Japan, it was great fun seeing penguin and polar bear merchandise all over the country. T-shirts, mug cups, stuffed toys, memo pads, cookies... you name it!
Getting the polar bear figure perfect took multiple times. The polar bear is not shaped like a teddy bear after all. Along with the chinstrap penguin, the items became a sell-out hit.
What a fun challenge it was to set up a small container vessel in Hibiya, steps from the Imperial Hotel and Chanter Buildings. There were many people who loved this space and spent hours and hours there taking in the mini-Arctic feel.
Who would have imaged that polar bears and office furniture would be a perfect match! Meeting rooms with huge polar bear panels on the wall and acrylic cubes on the desks increase productivity and creativity, no doubt!
Thousands and thousands of people came to see this White Gift event. There were poster bear art contests and more. It was two days of ultimate fun and rewarding programs.
Our polar bear in the Big Apple! Shirokuma-kun blended in with the diverse population of the city. Students from a nearby school visited us and we held a workshop.
What a delightful corner Tsutaya in Roppongi Hills set up! Books, bags, postcards and other merchandise were sold in addition to books. The children's event brought multicultural children from around the area to Tsutaya's kiddy book corner.
An awesomely beautiful exhibition at the Takenaka corporate gallery, A-Quad in Toyocho, Tokyo. The polar bear visited the "serious" offices and was a big hit with the staff who got the unexpected visitor from the Arctic.
A big event at Shinjuku Station called the "Tomoiki no Kokoro Ten" was held. Dignitaries from the government and private sector came and there was a big ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A bookstore event in Sapporo, Kinokuniya. Many people came and hugged Shirokuma-kun. He even sold books!
Yokohama LalaPort
The first polar bear event was held at Yokohama LalaPort for children. Photos were exhibited at children's eye level in a space reserved only for kiddies.
Our Shirokuma-kun is born! A wooden kindergarten desk and chair was bought from a school that closed down in the countryside and we painted white to use in our future events.
A long-running exhibit/event in Okazaki, Aichi from Oct to Dec, with cooperation from Dr. Yukichiro Nakaya's Yuki-no-Kagaku-kan. This event was part of the ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) / UNESCO project.
