YUJI YOSHIDA, POET OF THE EVERYDAY

mastic lifestyle
Sep 5
6 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Yuji Yoshida opens the doors to a universe that is both intimate and universal, where art, craftsmanship, and agriculture meet and interact. Born in Alaska, raised in Japan, and then trained in the United States, his career has been marked by travel, cultural mixing, and the quest for a balance between tradition and modernity. It was across the Pacific that he gradually discovered his artistic sensibility, developing a taste for antique and vintage objects, guided by the writings of Furudogu Sakata. Today, based on the coast of Kagoshima, he cultivates the land with the same delicacy that he creates his works. Through "Shizen Nōen Yoshida," his natural farm specializing in citrus fruits such as Hetsuka daidai, he is shaping a space where agriculture becomes an art form in its own right. At the same time, his creations—objects and paintings—reflect this attention to detail, this listening to chance and the invisible forces that inhabit nature. For him, observation becomes poetry, and everyday life becomes philosophical. Each season, each fruit, each imperfection becomes a source of inspiration, revealing a vision of the world where beauty emerges from the ordinary. His career illustrates a rare encounter between cultures and disciplines, and reminds us how sensitivity, wonder, and contemplation can nourish creativity.

Interview

Yuji, can you tell us about your background?

"I was born in 1982 in Alaska, where my father worked, but our family returned to Japan when I was six months old. That's where I grew up. Later, I felt the desire to live in the United States, particularly in California, to immerse myself in both the local Japanese community and American society. I started by working for several Japanese companies: a year in Hawaii, then about two years in California, in the food business and at a temp agency. But my limited English quickly presented me with great difficulties.

To truly integrate, I decided to learn the language. While working for a fresh fish company, I took English classes at a community college in the evenings. My days were long: I worked from dawn until 2 or 3 p.m., then my classes started around 5 p.m. These classes were a revelation. There, I met inspiring students, including Mexicans who, while working hard, were looking to build a future for themselves in California. Their determination left a deep impression on me.

I was also fortunate to have a passionate professor who encouraged me to persevere and consider college. One day, she asked me what I planned to do after community college. I told her I would attend the nearest university. She then advised me to aim higher: she believed that if I worked hard, I had a real chance of getting into the University of California, Berkeley. At that point, I had never really put in any sustained effort. I thought Berkeley wasn't for me. But I chose to trust her... and I ended up getting a scholarship."

What made you come back to Japan?

"I decided to quit my job because it was becoming increasingly difficult to balance work and studies due to lack of sleep. To better manage my time and support myself, I started my own online business, exporting various American products to Japan. This business went well and allowed me to continue my studies while working. During my last years at Berkeley, I began thinking about my post-graduation career, as I wanted to leave the online business, which I had created out of necessity. One of my ideas was to import Japanese crafts and antiques to the United States to sell. To prepare, I traveled throughout Japan during the summer and winter breaks to study and learn more. These experiences were enriching and brought me new emotions. Over time, I realized that living in Japan better suited my personal comfort, whether in terms of safety, language, or food. So I decided not to return to California and to carry out my project: I returned to Japan.

After choosing to leave California to return to Japan, I settled in the Tokyo area, where I renovated a room in an old apartment. There, I collected objects that touched me with their beauty, regardless of their category: antiques, old and contemporary crafts from around the world, designer pieces, outsider art, contemporary art… I simply wanted to live surrounded by what I love. It was during this period that I met the artist Yu Kobayashi, at her solo exhibition in Tokyo. Her lifestyle deeply inspired me: she creates the objects she needs every day."

Now you live on the Pacific coast. Why did you leave Tokyo for the seaside?

"As a child, in elementary school, I confided to my parents my desire to live near the sea. I don't remember the reason, but they still do. This desire remained deeply rooted in me. I shaped it little by little, until I decided to settle in a place surrounded by greenery, over a hundred meters above sea level, with no obstacles on the horizon, so I could admire the sunrise all year round. This daily spectacle resonates deep within me. I'm a person of the heart, and I'm convinced that starting each day facing the rising sun enriches my life. I traveled the Pacific coast, from Chiba to Kagoshima, for nearly ten months before finally finding the place where I live today."

How did you become a farmer?

"After moving to Kagoshima, I accidentally discovered the orchard of a citrus grower who cultivated natural citrus fruits. He gave me a grapefruit whose balance between acidity and sweetness was absolutely perfect. I felt as if its acidity penetrated to the deepest cells of my being. I was amazed! I confessed to him that I had never tasted a grapefruit like it. He thanked me with a smile, proud to be able to produce it himself. This encounter and our discussions gave me the impetus to start growing citrus fruits naturally.

Almost simultaneously, I discovered that a citrus fruit native to Kagoshima, still little-known, was growing in my city and in the neighboring municipalities of Kimotsuki and Minamiosumi: the Hetsuka daidai. With the aging population and the scarcity of young growers, I feared that it would be neglected, even doomed to disappear. I then felt the responsibility—and the desire—to take on the challenge: to promote this unique fruit and pass on its culture to future generations."

And how did the craft and artistic activities emerge?

"Buying things I loved and living surrounded by them gave me pleasure, but after meeting Yu Kobayashi, I realized it was even more rewarding to make the things I needed myself and then live with them. It was an idea that had never crossed my mind before. At that time, I had never created anything with my hands, but I decided to go for it, without school or apprenticeship, somewhere on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, in Japan. I had already decided to create with my own hands in this new place, but I hadn't yet found the material that would bring this desire to fruition. One day, I came across a large felled tree near my home. I bought a chainsaw and began working with the wood."

How do you manage to reconcile these three activities today?

"I intentionally leave a blank space in my mind, conducive to the emergence of ideas. Often, it's the randomness of my environment that inspires me the most, much more than what I deliberately seek. In Japan, the four seasons and their changing climate constantly reveal new details in a single citrus grove. The birds, insects, or light vary, and I sometimes discover things I had never noticed before. This cycle of nature nourishes my vision and creates a harmony essential to my work.

While mowing a field, I sometimes come across an unexpected plant or stone shape that inspires a work. While picking fruit, it's deformed citrus fruits, leaves marked by insects, or reddened by the sun that catch my eye. Even the scent of wild camellia flowers I encounter by chance soothes my mind and influences my mood. All these details become clues, almost "accidental" sources of inspiration.

When I immerse myself in agriculture, I let my artistic ideas ferment. This inner emptiness helps me refine them and prepare for their emergence. The citrus harvest, from September to February, takes up a lot of my time, but it doesn't prevent me from practicing crafts and art. On the contrary: this agricultural immersion nourishes my creativity and enriches my works."

Before that, were you interested in Japanese crafts and techniques?

"Yes, at first, I was interested in traditional Japanese crafts. After spending time with the artisans, I was able to fully understand and appreciate them. However, my interest gradually turned to contemporary, non-traditional art. As for the techniques, they attract me, but they're not what I'm most passionate about."

What are your influences in crafts? And in furniture design?

"For both, my main inspiration comes from the nature that surrounds me."

Have you ever exhibited in the West?

"I would like to organize a solo exhibition in the West soon. However, I haven't received any proposals yet. Other national and international galleries are also present. If you have good contacts with contemporary galleries, please do not hesitate to introduce them to me! "