Youjee

Wifey and Producer for @iderech

[Youjee @youjeeekim]

@IDerech 日本は本当に活気に溢れていて、その魅力をこんなに素敵に切り取っているのが大好きです！✨

[Youjee @youjeeekim]

So beautiful 😍

[Derech @IDerech]

I found peace in Japan

[Derech @IDerech]

@_viktoh3 Perfectly said, it teaches one to be humble.

Thanks to travelling I've had so many incredible experiences that otherwise would have never happened.

I hope that these small memories I share inspire others to take a chance and explore the world a bit more.

[Derech @IDerech]

art saved me

[Youjee @youjeeekim]

@IDerech 🥹❤️ Anri!!!

[Derech @IDerech]

Stillness in Mt Fuji photogrpahed on expired film, perfectly imperfect

[Youjee @youjeeekim]

@IDerech I love it so much ❤️

[Derech @IDerech]

@youjeeekim This made my day, thank you so much 😍

And I agree more people should che out my Insta, there's so much there!

[Derech @IDerech]

Thoughts about Japan:

I got stuck in Japan during the pandemic for 9 months without being able to fly back home.

At the time, I was staying in a 6-floor hostel in Ryogoku, completely empty except for me.

The staff slowly became my friends since I had no one else in Japan.

After the third month of lockdown, my money ran out.

They noticed the slow decay in my condition. I was eating half a meal a day.

One day, out of nowhere, they called me down to the reception.

There was a big box, surrounded by several smaller ones.

The staff had told their friends and families about me, and together they gathered groceries and essentials to help me get through those difficult months.

There were even handmade face masks someone had sewn because they were impossible to find in stores.

I was so overwhelmed with gratitude that I broke down in tears.

From that day on, more than friends, we became family.

Japan and its people embraced me when I was at my lowest point.

It healed something in me when I needed it the most.

Thank you Japan.

[Derech @IDerech]

Thoughts about Japan:

Sakura Season is known for its overwhelming beauty but, unless you have lived through its entire process a few times it’s hard to grasp its true meaning.

The flowers only last two weeks at the most in full bloom, likely even less.

The rest of the year the tree is either covered with leafs or it’s completely bare.

Sakura flowers are a reminder to appreciate things while they last, and how transient life is.

As a foreigner in Japan learning about how Japanese culture understands life has changed my own perspective.

Thank you Japan.

[Derech @IDerech]

富士山

[Derech @IDerech]

Thoughts about Japan:

Many people ask me why most of my art is about Japan.

I got caught in Tokyo for 9 months during the pandemic.

At some point, I ran out of money, food, and a place to stay.

Japanese people started to donate me food, face masks, medicine, and even let me stay in a hostel for whatever I could pay.

They didn't know me or my past; they were just kind.

They taught me Japanese and how to get around. They became my family, which helped me not feel alone.

Later on, I met a girl whom I ended up marrying, and because of who I moved to Japan.

I never imagined living here, but as a way to give back to the country that gave me this new, amazing life, I swore to dedicate my art to capture its endless beauty and share it with the world.

Thank you Japan.

[Youjee @youjeeekim]

@IDerech Gm! It’s sakura season 🌸

[Derech @IDerech]

gm japan 💐

[Derech @IDerech]

gm art world

[Derech @IDerech]

70's Tokyo, Japan

[Youjee @youjeeekim]

@IDerech Gm! Cant wait for summer 💙

[Derech @IDerech]

gm art world