Yo Makino

Born in Kyoto in 1986. Lived in Bologna, Italy, from 2003–2004 and 2011–2012. Since 2016, has been based in Asahi Town, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

Creates drawings and texts based on emotional responses to and observations of the natural world.

During adolescence, experiences of living abroad as a “gaijin” (“foreigner”) led to a profound awareness of 

  how easily the “meanings” of things considered natural within one community can shift when place or context changes,

  and how fragile one’s sense of human stability can become.

Since then, a strong interest has remained in the interpretation, transformation, and re-reading of "meaning".

In 2024, began working professionally as an illustrator.

→ Blog:

“Tokai Tokoro Kara” (Japanese only)

A personal research blog exploring the question:

“What does ‘tokai’ — a local word meaning ‘far away’ — signify to me?”

Through life in a mountain village of six thousand people, reflects on daily life and place from the perspectives of a migrant resident, parent, and worker.