Yukiko Leitch

Occupation:
Illustrator
Time in Japan:
Twenty-eight years


You' seen her work in TC, from cover to rant. Here's the voice behind the pen:

What do you do here?
Freelance illustration.

How long have you been illustrating?
For seven years. I've liked to draw since I was a baby. It’s the best way for me to express myself.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Dreams, dancing, candle lit baths, toilet time, carpets, Garam, cream caramels, life!

Where can people see your work besides TC?
TC is the only regular work I do right now. My other jobs are random, like wall paintings in restaurants, CD-ROM picture books, etc.

Any dreams of gallery shows, books... the big time?
I just want to feel the magic every day.

What painters and artists do you admire and draw energy from?
I tend to get energy from ancient works, and the creators are usually unknown.

Where are you from?
Setagaya-ku, in Tokyo.

What brought you to Tokyo?
I was born and raised here so it was more like a homecoming. After living in Australia for ten years, I thought that I wanted to try to become a professional illustrator in Tokyo. But riding the crowded trains and being in crowds like in Shibuya or Shinjuku was just too much so I started freelancing.

What do you miss about Australia most?
Australia helped me maintain a freedom inside myself. I want to be able to keep this all the time, anywhere, but it is much harder to maintain in Japan.

If you went back what would you want to take with you, besides your husband?
Pocket tissues.

Tell us about your commute to work.
I have a flexible schedule so I don’t have a regular commute. I definitely try to avoid rush hour.

What do you like most about Japan?
Definitely the safety. Where else in the world can you leave your front door open and not worry about people breaking in, or leave something on the train and have it returned to you the next day?

What do you find most frustrating about Japan?
Well, in Tokyo, the crowds. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen or experienced in Japan?
I was with my husband near Ueno park and there was a man talking to himself so we decided to give him a listen. At first we just followed him around but after seeing him a few times, we decided to talk to him. He was talking about aliens and he was able to communicate with them through a chip in his teeth. He said that he didn’t want to communicate with aliens but he gets these messages through his mouth. When we asked him a question about a non-existant planet, he answered with such clarity that it was hard not to believe him. When we asked him the same question the second time, he had the same exact answer so we thought that was pretty wild.

What do you sing in the ofuro?
Improvisational melodies and water sound rhythms. I make it up.

Do you have a favorite place to eat or drink in Tokyo?
Ben’s Cafe in Takadanobaba.

Where would you like to be when the big one hits?
Anywhere is ok as long as I’m with my husband Colin, his family and my younger sister.

You have to spend the rest of your life trapped on the Yamanote line. You're allowed to take one book, one CD and one luxury item. What would they be?
The book would be Egyptian hieroglyphics because it would be a lifetime quiz book. The CD would be Moon Shines at Night by Djivan Gasparyan. And the luxury would be my husband and my younger sister.

Yukiko Leitch spoke to Maki Nibayashi.

Do you know an interesting person in Tokyo?
If so, email us at aeve@tokyoclassified.com