Last weekend my friend Julia and I went down to Tokyo to check out the annual Tokyo Art Book Fair (thought not before stopping for Black Burgers at Burger King. My video’s now up to 26,000+ views, how bonkers is that?).

The event was held at the Kyoto University of Art and Design, Tohoku University of Art and Design GAIEN CAMPUS (you’ll notice neither Kyoto nor Tohoku are in Tokyo, so google maps was very confused at first!)

Like any great art event in Tokyo, it was overwhelmingly packed and seemingly endless. I could only get through the first floor before having to head out to another event, and was glad that I had gone in with a game plan.

I wanted to see some of the artists I’ve been following on Instagram lately–namely Doodles and Stuff in Japan, Midnight Gracie and Mariya Suzuki. It was really great to get a chance to talk to some of these artists whose work I enjoy, as well as meet a number of new artists I wouldn’t have found otherwise, such as Luis Mendo and Nesse Lee.

The highlight of my haul was a zine that caught my eye called “Shit the Bed.” Normally something with such a rude title wouldn’t really be my thing, but the cover was eye catching. The artist turned out to be the lovely and talented Denise Kehoe, as charming as you’d expect a young Irish woman to be. She’s been making these illustrated journals for a while now, and I picked up her two most recent issues that follow her move here to the land of the rising sun. Clever, funny, and just the right balance of insightful and self-deprecating. I’m looking forward to future installments!

I left the Art Book Fair exhausted and in full sensory overload, but happy and inspired as well. I’ve even been working on my own series of illustrations for putting together my own zine/exhibition! It’s been a dream of mine for a long time, and it feels good to finally be working toward this goal. I’ve been enjoying working on it so far, and I can’t wait to share it with you all!