After I entered my competition piece, I received some exciting news that I won and my piece was sold. If you're curious about my winning piece, please check it out here.

The day before yesterday, I went to Kyoto to attend the award ceremony, which was held at Hyatt Regency Hotel. The hotel is very close to the university I graduated from, so I felt nostalgic. Although the hotel name was different back then, I had passed through there almost every day for four years. Now, I went back to the place to make one of my dreams come true.

When I entered the venue, there were six round tables.

I sat Table F and had small talk with both my next seats. My right side was one of my favorite artists, and I was delighted to meet her in person. While chatting, we recognized that we were the same age.

The competition I attended belongs to a professional porcelain artisans' association of Kiyomizu tableware and is considered as a gateway to success to join the group. I tried three times and finally made it, so when I heard the news, I first couldn't believe it.

I was the only participant who wasn't the member of the association yet, and the ceremony began with awards for the members.. I realized that there were many important people for the porcelain industry in Kyoto such as the CEO of Tachikichi, the Kyoto mayor, the CEO of Asahido who boutht three of my competition pieces, the representative from Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and much more and thought it was such a serious competition once again.

My name was called the last, and I received a certificate and the award money. When I gave a short speech, so many things flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern.

One of the award recipients was wearing a kimono and looked very elegant.

After the ceremony, the reception began. I've attended many award ceremonies for porcelain even out of Japan, but I'd never attended such a formal one for professional artisans before. People there were graduated from ceramic schools and trained as a craftsman, and then built their careers as independent artists selling their own works. When I started painting again, I'd never thought I would end up being a porcelain artist at all. Life is fascinating, isn't it?

During the course dinner, I talked to some artists. It was fascinating to listen to their stories. I'll join the association and begin a new chapter as an artist. I'm so happy that I finally achieved one of my goals. I believe that hard work always pay off.

The picture shows the award money I received.

The next picture shows my certificate.

The last two pictures show a gift from one of my painting friends. In Japan, there is a tradition of wrapping celebratory gifts with a special paper called noshi. I appreciate her thoughtful friendship.

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