INTRODUCTION
My McDonald's Hamburgers Invading Japan and 31 Flavors Invading Japan Series in the 1970's and AIDS Series in the 1980's reflect my cultural heritage from Japan. The Ukiyo-e or wood block print tradition represents my cultural identity. Geisha and samurai images I use are a way to depict traditional-thinking Japanese people.

After the 1980's financial bubble burst, decades of Japanese affluence took a nosedive. In the early 1990's, Japanese culture declined along with the economy. It was as if the country lost all of her momentum. This became a major impetus for me to shift my focus from Japan to the United States. I realized that Japanese were going back to their rigid traditional molds- such as young girls serving tea at the office- rather than the blossoming I'd seen where young women were able to work freelance jobs to support traveling around the world on vacation. READ MORE