18/365 - Mai Ishikawa - The Botanic Gardens

Dublin

18 Jan

Mai has a really interesting job as a theatre maker and translator, working on incredible productions like Waiting for Godot in Japan, but it’s not this that fascinates me today on our walk.

Mai has a truly gentle and beauifully curious character. She introduces me to the birds in the gardens that she has named. They’re her friends and confidants, visiting almost daily, a ritual that began in the pandemic. Mai moved to Ireland from Japan 6 years ago (after falling in love with an Irish man, a story we’ll probably hear quite a few times in this project). As we walk around spotting birds, Mai explains to me some of the cultural differences between her home in Japan and how we do things here.