Wren

My decision to go on this VAWAA was pretty last-minute. In my personal life, I just had unexpectedly ended a relationship (yep!) and I impulsively booked a trip to Japan. As an artist, I wanted to have a fulfilling and enriching experience, so I started searching for art classes in Japan. I don’t speak Japanese, so most of what I found outside of VAWAA were very short tutorial experiences (i.e. learn how to paint a flower with sumi ink, write your name in calligraphy, draw your favorite anime character, etc.) that didn’t extend beyond a few hours. I stumbled upon VAWAA and it seemed like exactly what I was looking for — an enriching, immersive trip where I left with new artistic skills and a deeper understanding of Japanese life and culture.

My experience was everything I was looking for — and then way more! I’m genuinely excited to continue practicing woodcarving on my own, and in the future I want to continue to center art in my travel plans. Two months ago, I would have had no idea that I was about to get broken up with, and then subsequently fall in love with rural Japan… but now I’m already thinking about when I want to go back! I will definitely look for other VAWAA experiences in the future.