My daughter studied Japanese-style paintings, or nihonga, at university and, influenced by her, I have recently started to frequent exhibitions of such artworks. I especially like kachō-ga, or “paintings of flowers and birds”. Flowers and small birds representing the four seasons are painted on Japanese paper or silk with pigments made from ground jewels or shells – I never get tired of looking at them. Observing real flowers and birds is equally enjoyable, although I cannot tell whether this affection originates in my love for kachō-ga or vice versa. Sometimes, walking the university grounds, I stop in my tracks, enraptured by the beauty of blooming Viola grypoceras or annual blue-eyed grass. Other times I let my gaze follow the adorable flutter of a wagtail or sparrow. I only ask that you don’t report me as a suspicious person.