Shikoku seems very far from many things in Japan. Kagawa seems very far from many things too. Takamatsu also seems very far from many things. When people think about Shikoku, or Kagawa, or Takamatsu I wonder what they think. All of my friends in Canada do not know where Kagawa is. They know Tokyo. They know Osaka. They know Hokkaido and Okinawa, but Kagawa? No, not really.

But my friends in Canada do not know how beautiful Kagawa is. They don’t know about the Art Festival in Kagawa, the art galleries on Naoshima, Teshima, Megijima, and in Takamatsu. They don’t know about the natural beauty of Ritsurin Garden and the 88 Temple Pilgrimage. It seems that art and beauty are all around us here in Kagawa.

This month is especially interesting for art in Kagawa. There is a wonderful Picasso exhibit and Escher exhibit too. It is a wonderful time to go to the art galleries and see some incredible things. I hope that all of you will go soon to see the art.

Art is in pictures, photos, paintings, sculptures, and in many things we can touch and make shapes. Art is in nature. Art is in water and wind. Art is in the mountain and in the sea. We see the beauty of art in natural things all around us.

Art is also in music. Maybe you are a fan of Mozart. Maybe you are a fan of Arashi. Maybe you are a fan of a kind of music that only you like. That is great. Art is for many people, and art is sometimes private and only for one.

Art is something that is very important for life. Art teaches us how to express an idea. Art teaches us that we are okay, that we are important, and that we have our own ideas and voice. Art can help you understand yourself. Art can help you understand the world around you.

You do not have to be an artist to love art. You do not have to understand art every time you see it. Sometimes art is a mystery. Sometimes we need a long time to see art to understand it better. Art moves in its own time.

Some schools in America want to cut their Art program. They think that art is not important because it does not help you get a job. That is true maybe. To be an artist is to have a hard life. Maybe art is not good for business. But art is good for life. And art is good for the human mind. And art is good for the human spirit. Art makes life interesting. Art can give us hope when we feel dark. Art can save human life.

Sometimes art is life. Sometimes life is art.

Otemae is a place where art has a place in your studies. This is great. Art class is good for your mind. And we find art in many things around us. There is art in traditional arts. There is art in iaido. There is art in tea. I hope you find something artistic today in your everyday life.

Art is good for life.