Field Notes
Published one after another. A slow look at place, people, and pace.
Field Notes 01
Welcome to a project I've been thinking about since the moment I first set foot in Hokkaido.
I don't claim to have lived here forever, or to know everything.
This is just what I've seen so far.
The conversations I've had, and the places I've had them.
There is a version of Hokkaido, and Japan more broadly, that you already know.
Deep pow.
Single seat chairlifts.
Vending machines.
Cities.
Shrines.
The one photo everyone takes of Yotei.
It's not wrong.
But most of what I've come to care about here sits somewhere else.
A side of things that doesn't run numbers on Instagram.
A different way of engaging with a place.
Not a checklist to move through,
but something slower.
This will be a mix of stories, people, places, food,
and ways of moving through the landscape.
A way of paying attention
to how people relate to the land,
to each other,
and to themselves.
I am looking forward to see where this goes, and I am excited to have you along for the journey, no matter when that may be.
- Riley