Arigato Magic Archives - NorikoArt

Event, YouTube & Freebies! – September Newsletter 2025

nori — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 21:54:33 +0000

Welcome to my latest newsletter!
If you missed any past issues, feel free to browse them all here.

Celebration of Imagination in Newcastle

I had a surprisingly sunny summer here in the UK, and now I’m back in full swing!

This week, I’m so excited to join Ann English’s Celebration of Imagination in Newcastle as a guest panelist.

The Dream Maker Panel (co-hosted by Tricia Scott, Founder of The Female CEO) includes:

Ashleigh King – Podcast Producer
Lauren McWilliams – Brand Photographer & Strategist
Jennifer Gane – Web Developer & Fundraiser
Samantha Osmond – Storyteller, crochet designer, & journal-maker
…and me!

When: Tuesday 16th Sept, 5:30–8:30pm
Where: Brinkburn St Brewery, Newcastle, UK

What to expect:
Spark your imagination with creative activities, practical strategies and inspirational stories
Connect with visionary founders, dreamers and doers
The launch of the Celebration Edition of The Clarity Quest IdeasBook

New Video

My new Arigato Magic video is live on YouTube!

Learn how to say “Thank you, river!” in Japanese—a fun and simple way to introduce children (and grown-ups!) to the joy of everyday gratitude.

Our latest Arigato Magic video was filmed by our neighbour, the River Derwent! I feel so lucky to live near this peaceful, beautiful spot.

Hope you enjoy it!

A Message That Touched My Heart

“Thank you for the work you have done.”

I recently received an order for my picture books from Danny, for his daughter Claire. He shared this message with me:

“Claire has autism and loves watching videos on YouTube. She discovered your videos and has been practicing the Japanese sentences you teach every day. This is a big deal because she used to be non-verbal. Seeing her motivation to speak and even learn a second language is amazing—thank you for the work you have done.”

I was deeply moved. I never imagined my videos could be part of someone’s language journey like this.

To Claire, Danny, and everyone quietly cheering from the other side of the screen—thank you. You inspire me to keep creating with love and gratitude.

Special Gift: FREE Colouring Sheets

Last year, my very first novelty picture book was published in Japan—and it quickly went into multiple printings!

To thank all my wonderful readers, I’ve created a special set of colouring sheets!

Download them for free from Iwasaki Publishing’s website.
They have a bit of Japanese text, but I hope you have fun with them anyway!

If the website appears in Japanese, you can translate it into English by right-clicking anywhere on the page in Google Chrome and selecting “Translate to English.”

Buy My Books (from me!)

My picture books (signed & personalised) are available here!

Enjoyed this post? Share it with your friends on social media!

Missed any of my past newsletters? Browse them all here.

Join my mailing list

Would you like to learn about upcoming events, see my latest artwork, and receive insight into the process of making art?

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The post Event, YouTube & Freebies! – September Newsletter 2025 appeared first on NorikoArt.

🧦 Bocchi & Pocchi + Arigato Magic 🌸 – June Newsletter 2025

nori — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 08:22:10 +0000

Welcome to my latest newsletter!
If you missed any past issues, feel free to browse them all here.

Bocchi & Pocchi on the move!

Originally published in English by Troika Books, the Bocchi & Pocchi series has been translated into six languages—bringing these cosy sock adventures to children around the world.

I’m delighted to share that foreign rights (excluding existing contracts) are now represented by Japan Uni Agency.

If you’re a publisher—or know someone who is—interested in sharing Bocchi & Pocchi with young readers in your country, we’d love to hear from you!

Contact details for my agent are below.

Literary Agent

For foreign rights inquiries related to the “Bocchi & Pocchi” series, please contact my literary agent:

Michiko Urata
Japan UNI Agency (JUA)
michiko.urata@japanuni.co.jp

New Video

My new Arigato Magic video is live on YouTube!

Learn how to say “Thank you, teeth!” in Japanese—a fun and simple way to introduce children (and grown-ups!) to the joy of everyday gratitude.

Just after I uploaded the video, another one of my daughter’s baby teeth fell out—looks like the Tooth Fairy has been extra busy at our house!

Hope you enjoy it!

Bocchi & Pocchi Featured in Kodomo Challenge!

Bocchi & Pocchi: A Tale of Two Socks is featured in the June issue of Kodomo Challenge (こどもちゃれんじ) by Benesse — one of Japan’s most beloved early childhood education programmes, with 1.8 million members in Japan and beyond!

If you’re a “Kodomo Challenge” subscriber, you can download the digital version until June 24!

And if you and your little ones enjoyed the book, I’d be truly grateful for a short Amazon review — even a few words can go a long way in helping more families discover Bocchi & Pocchi.

Beginner’s Japanese Online Course

Here’s a special review for my Udemy course, Learn Japanese with Bocchi & Pocchi’s Creator — from none other than my wonderful mother-in-law!

“I thoroughly enjoyed this course, although it’s been some time since I’ve done any studying (I’m 75). It is an excellent introduction to Japanese, and will be particularly useful to anyone visiting Japan for the first time. Being able to go at my own pace was especially helpful as I found some of the words difficult to pronounce: I had to keep going back until I got it more or less right. I concentrated on the spoken aspect of the course, but will be revising it to think more about the written aspect. All in all the course was practical, interesting and fun.” – K. Brilus

Not only did she enrol, but she completed the entire course and even spotted a few typos along the way (thank you!! ).

If her experience inspires you, why not start your own Japanese learning journey today?

Buy My Books (from me!)

My picture books (signed & personalised) are available here!

Enjoyed this post? Share it with your friends on social media!

Missed any of my past newsletters? Browse them all here.

Join my mailing list

Would you like to learn about upcoming events, see my latest artwork, and receive insight into the process of making art?

Sign up my mailing list below to receive my newsletters.

The post 🧦 Bocchi & Pocchi + Arigato Magic 🌸 – June Newsletter 2025 appeared first on NorikoArt.

Arigato Magic & Easter Fun – April Newsletter 2025

nori — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 23:59:11 +0000

Happy Easter!

Spring Fun at Japanese Club!

Look at these adorable rabbit egg holders we made!

To wrap up the spring term, we had a special Easter-themed session at the Japanese Club at Shotley Bridge Primary School. The children folded origami bunny egg holders—such a fun and creative way to finish before the holidays!

Watch the video tutorial: How to fold a Rabbit Egg Stand

The Japanese Club is part of Newcastle University’s outreach programme and is supported by the Japan Foundation Sakura Network.

I’ll be taking a little break from the club to focus on some exciting new projects—but I’ll be hopping back to Shotley Bridge in September! ( Photos from our Japanese Club sessions )

If you’d like me to visit your local school, feel free to share my school workshop package with them!

New Video

My new Arigato Magic video is live on YouTube!

In this video, you’ll learn how to say “Thank you, snow” in Japanese.

I had originally planned to share it during the winter, but spring arrived before I could hit publish! Sorry for the delay—hope you’ll still enjoy a little snowy magic this spring!

Japanese Art, Culture & Language Workshops

For the past 12 weeks, I’ve been running fun, hands-on Japanese workshops for 8–12-year-olds at Leadgate Youth Club.

Each session explored a different theme—language, food, anime, ninja, and more—through activities like calligraphy, origami, and chigiri-e (torn paper collage).

Big thanks to Building Self-Belief CIO, Newcastle University’s community outreach, and the Japan Foundation for making this meaningful project possible. It’s been a joy to share Japanese culture and spark curiosity in such a vibrant group of kids!

Beginner’s Japanese Online Course

118 students have enrolled in my Udemy course: Learn Japanese with Bocchi & Pocchi’s Creator! Here’s what one student had to say:

“Amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the lessons. Noriko’s teaching is so engaging and interactive. Her English is excellent, and she uses many cute pictures to help me remember the words. The lessons are easy to follow, even for someone with no background in the Japanese language. Thanks to her vivid illustrations, I was able to retain most of what I learned. These lessons include many useful daily dialogues in Japanese. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to learn Japanese from scratch or is planning their first trip to Japan. Definitely 5 stars class!” – W Nicholson

Ready to start your Japanese learning journey? Join me today!

Buy My Books (from me!)

My picture books (signed & personalised) are available here!

Enjoyed this post? Share it with your friends on social media!

Join my mailing list

Would you like to learn about upcoming events, see my latest artwork, and receive insight into the process of making art?

Sign up my mailing list below to receive my newsletters.

The post Arigato Magic & Easter Fun – April Newsletter 2025 appeared first on NorikoArt.