Author: Liane Wakabayashi

I remember when the realtor took us to see this house almost ten years ago I had this strong mixed reaction to renting it. The house had quirks like frosted glass on the kitchen and bedroom windows so you can’t look out, and what could have been a nice plot of backyard had been covered…

One of the happiest moments after moving to Setagaya was the discovery that a brand new Starbucks was opening on the promenade of Zelkova trees not far from our new home. That was nearly ten years ago, and with gratitude and inspiration for all the warm cups of tea on cold days, and cool drinks…

One day this week, I received letters from two students about their Genesis Art experiences with the same card. I thought this was an interesting coincidence as they didn’t know each other and had never met at my classes. They both randomly chose the Heart Princess card, which is one of the strongest cards in…

These artists began by randomly choosing from the 44 Genesis Cards and placing a card unseen under drawing paper. They received envelopes stocked with Neocolor Crayons and wrote down a word associated with these colors on the back of their sketchpaper. Then they began to draw. Afterwards they turned over their cards to discover not…

At a recent Genesis Art Workshop, I told the story about my relationship to Keith Haring, the artist who decorated the New York subway stations and trains I used to ride daily from Brooklyn to my job at Columbia University. That was nearly 30 years ago. A few years before Keith Haring tragically died of…

Sunday September 6th, 5:30-830 pm Sun and Moon Yoga Studio, Gotanda Join Liane for a stretch of your creativity using the Genesis Cards. This is an introductory workshop focusing on what the Genesis Cards can do to make your thinking more flexible, your creativity expansive, and your higher wisdom more apparent through the art you…

What are the chances? The new cafe in our cafe-less neighborhood is — to be expected — a smash success. A bright spot on a defunct shopping street that has been taken over by a chain of daycare centers for the aged, the first time I saw the welcoming woody storefront I thought it was…

Are you feeling soft and mushy from taking endless photos of the sakura here in beautiful Tokyo? If so, let me teach you how to transform your photos into beautiful paintings full of spirit at  Genesis Art Studio on  Monday 4/20. Two hours of painting and learning about the intuitive world of painting the world both…

In a few weeks my son graduates from Wako elementary school. You can see his school bag here. For the last 11 years our family has had a continuous affiliation with this school, so different from my own education back in New York. Not better or worse, just different. And it confused me at times.…

Maya Moore, the author of The Rose Garden of Fukushima seems to think roses have special effects. Amazing coincidences keep coming up for her ever since she committed to writing a book in loving tribute to a world-class rose garden in Fukushima that no longer exists–owing to the nuclear disaster that occurred 8 kilometers away.…