Belly blessings

Artist Tomoka Tome, left, paints a belly at her studio in Suginami Ward, Tokyo. (KOJI ITO/The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Artist paints hopes on mothers-to-be.

A FEW brushstrokes on the round, swollen skin-tone canvas, and soon a colourful painting appears. As a precious memory of their pregnancy, mothers-to-be are lifting their shirts for artists to paint a cute picture on their bellies, as a blessing for safe delivery and the healthy growth of their baby.