In the picture book あお (Aoi), blue is not just a color; it is something happening. It is the wind flowing through the valleys, the light quietly climbing up the window sill in the morning, the water in which you once softly floated, and the tiny blue dot you once were. The entire book reads like a delicate yet unhurried long poem, telling the story of how life is caught in the world and how it gradually unfolds into its own shape.
For this 19th edition of the Bananafish Summer Reading Club, we will open this picture book made of wind and water together, reading the poetic lines within. Like the book itself, we will “breathe, move our fingers, and slowly walk into the night.” We are also very honored to have the book’s editor, designer, and the author’s husband, Isamu Hazama, with us to share the behind-the-scenes process of making this picture book and the life stories that inspired it.
About the Guest
Isamu Hazama
Isamu Hazama is a designer who established a design studio in the rich, natural surroundings of the rural area in Wakayama, Japan. He works on product and visual design while also exploring local materials, using whatever is available in the studio’s surroundings. He creates art using abandoned, discarded items, things given by others, and objects found from living in the mountains. Rather than actively “searching” or “collecting” materials, he adopts the mindset of “slightly altering the materials that appear before him, offering new perspectives”—this is how he conducts his artistic work in the mountains.
Event Date: Saturday, July 19,2025
Time: 19:30-21:00
About the book あお (Aoi)
