Japanese artist brings urban fantasy to life with ballpoint pen drawings

Kaoru creates intricate art pieces with ballpoint pens. Photo: Kaoru Hashimoto

Kaoru Hashimoto is right where she belongs: surrounded by her art. Here at Lot 10’s Isetan The Japan Store in Kuala Lumpur, she is seated at a desk and working day and night on her elaborate drawings. Her completed works are framed and on display all around her, a vibrant sight right inside the store entrance.

“This is my fourth time in KL and I love it so much. Japan is such a serious place, people are so serious, but Malaysians are kind and funny. I love the food - the economy rice, bak kuk teh, nasi lemak, nasi kandar. I love the warm weather and how even when it rains, the sun returns soon after the storm, ” she says during a recent chat.