India

India feels like training that's way above my skill level.

Yet the energy of the mountains I see from the window every day feels so sacred.
The way Indian people naturally pray and express gratitude feels beautiful to me, as though the place itself is filled with divinity.

I feel that truly beautiful people gather here.
Simply existing within this atmosphere makes tears begin to fall, and during this journey I felt as though, for the first time, I was finally allowed to affirm only the present moment.

As I cried, remembering all the people who had been kind to me and gently passed kindness on from one person to the next, I remembered the old man who prayed for me.
It felt as though everything had soaked deeply into the softest parts of me.

On the way to the hotel I stayed with an Indian family I had just met, was chased by stray dogs, and nearly hit by a car.
In such a short span of time, my emotions swung intensely up and down.

What feelings do you think I have lived this life with?
The purpose of this journey lies beneath my fear. Even if I am criticised after stepping down these stairs, I cannot stop here.
That is how deeply India continues to fascinate me.

When I saw the block printing with my own eyes, I was overwhelmed by how beautiful it felt.
Then I was taken to the print workshop where everything is handmade.

I never imagined I would say this, but because there was no helmet, I couldn't ride on the back of the motorbike.
Riding on the Back of a Motorbike Without a Helmet, Spring 2025

Even while feeling anxious, I learned that there were people waiting to welcome me warmly in the city where I had once wandered lost.
Now, seeing myself choosing scarves while humming to myself, I felt my own growth so deeply that I nearly cried.
When I naturally reveal my true self, I can feel gentle smiles spreading across people's faces.
The fabric shop owner, my favourite hotel, the café I visited every day —
even in the room filled with bunk beds where we all sat talking together, someone laughed and said, "You're so cute," and I felt that my softness had reached them.

As these moments repeated themselves, I realised there was nothing left to fear.
When I look at everything through the eyes of love, even the greatest problems unfolding before me begin to soften.
Again and again, this world that gently accepts me continued to heal me completely.
I wonder why I used to be so afraid.
As though I had crossed a wall, I began to love this honest version of myself.

When giving tips, I sometimes feel as though I am handing something to the version of myself who once struggled.
To the people using their energy even while carrying the weight of life itself, I want to say:
"I have received you."

To feel the warmth of being accepted just as I am.
For someone like me, who has always feared being disliked, that warmth feels like the greatest comfort.
Thank you for today.
Every day feels blessed.

When I asked the driver who helped me why everyone was so kind, he told me:
"Our slogan is: live, and allow others to live too."

The reason I want to continue creating things in India is simply because I am deeply drawn to Indian aesthetics and the beauty of hand block printing.

And I feel that by engaging in fair trade, I may somehow be able to give back for all the kindness I received while travelling through India for the first time.
For the first time, I felt the boundaries between myself and others gently beginning to disappear.

And by placing myself here, I can feel the boundaries within me — the lines between what I could forgive until now and what I could not forgive beyond that — gradually becoming softer and beginning to disappear.
When I remember that everyone carries their own circumstances and feelings, I find myself able to think, "Well, perhaps it can't be helped."
Even my instinct to constantly defend myself has slowly begun to soften.
Maybe this is how I should be.
After all, I travelled through India alone.

Fabric used in selected products:
Organic cotton that helps prevent child labour in India.

Peace India Project by ACE, a certified non-profit organisation.
Organic cotton that is kind to both people and the earth.

This project aims to protect children from dangerous working environments in cotton-producing regions of India and ensure that they are able to attend school.

Through initiatives such as supporting children's enrolment in public schools, empowering girls, and improving the income of parents in families living in poverty, the project works to break the cycle of poverty and child labour.

https://acejapan.org/cotton/peace-india