2026.02

• Shot a photoshoot for a Rome-based collective with two friends (Thank you Kaiki and Rana!).
• Started a family documentation project: bought two Konica Big Mini F film cameras—one for me, one for my partner—to shoot daily life on 35mm. Made custom canister stickers and camera labels. Targeting 80–100 rolls per year.
• Walked the Tama River banks from Futako-Tamagawa to Tamagawa during a snowstorm. Tokyo got about 5cm of snow the next day.
• Did an 11km river walk from Mitaka to Hamadayama along the Tamagawa Josui and Kanda River. Found a stretch of seaweed beds that reminded me of the underwater scene in Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979). Discovered OU, a nice café/workspace near Hamadayama.
• Hiked 8km in Chichibu with friends—403m elevation gain.
• Finished a book restoration with slipcase at bookbinding class. Also learned western-style paper marbling.
• Designed and 3D-printed a corner cutting jig for bookbinding—published with free STL downloads.
• Had a productive session with Greg Girard on the book project—positive momentum on the direction.
• Improved Arrowhead CLI performance using the new Codex model.
• Workshopped and published the initial spec for the Universal Content Bundle—a self-describing file format for packaging any type of content, readable by humans, software, and AI agents alike.
• Set up a pop-up for Jinny Street Gallery at NININI’s anniversary event.
• Secured a 40m² studio space in Monteverde Nuovo, Rome.
• Finally received my Japanese visa renewal—ending the cycle that started back in November 2024.
• Launched an app at work after a sprint to close out the last complex items.

I’ve had this belief—shared by many people around me—that every seven years you need to reinvent yourself, or at least introduce a big change in your life. I had a massive shift in 2020, and I suppose a year here or there doesn’t make much difference in the count. 2026 will be my last year in Japan as a resident.

I have mixed feelings about it. There are still so many people and places I love here, and parting with that will be hard. But I’ll keep coming back for the same reasons. After twelve years, I feel like there are other things I need to try—especially around my homeland. Starting in 2027, I’ll be splitting my time between Rome and Tbilisi.

Ludo (my partner) and I have already secured a studio space in Rome, so the tinkering headquarters—along with some new projects we both have in mind—will be taking shape there. I’ll be announcing more within the year. This move opens the door to design and photography projects I’ve wanted to explore since I was much younger, and I’m genuinely excited about that part, even as I feel a quiet sadness about leaving Japan behind.

Onward, forward.