A little more about me

For those who are curious about the life alongside with eyes closed, here is a little more about who I am and what I do.

Born in 1981 in Kochi, Japan.
From 2002 to 2011, I practiced graphic design in Switzerland and graduated from the Berlin University of the Arts with a Meisterschüler degree in Fine Art.

In 2011, I returned to Kochi and co-founded Tosayama Academy, a small nonprofit in a mountainous village called Tosayama.
We pass on local wisdom and ways of living to younger generations.

I established my design studio, Monto Studio, in 2015.
While designing workshops and managing nearby forests, I began Kamino Wallet in 2018 as a simple experiment: could a global, sustainable business be built from a remote village? The answer is yes.

My focus now is to continue shaping Kamino Wallet with care, while pursuing ideas for a more sustainable future.

In parallel, I spend time in the forests and rivers around me, making quiet works of photography and poetry.

This is an ongoing project I call with eyes closed, a way of moving through the world with attention, using words and hands.

Some works are poems and images drawn from fleeting moments.
Others are subtle gestures made in nature, then photographed before they disappear.

Together, these practices form a slow conversation with the place I live, and with the wider world.

Thank you for reading.
I hope this gives a small sense of the life alongside the work.