An exhibition of German artist Anselm Kiefer is being held at Solaris in Nijo Castle, Kyoto. Nijo Castle is about a 10 minute walk from the studio, and as we headed to the exhibition venue surrounded by the remnants of spring, with the cherry blossom trees still not finished coloring the sky, we felt like we were strolling around the castle.

Immediately upon entering the exhibition hall, visitors are greeted with the breathtaking views of his latest work, “For Octavio Paz,” which depicts Hiroshima after the atomic bombing.

In the center of the work, a burnt human body hangs upside down.

In the same room, there is a work with a baby carriage attached to it, which is also said to have been inspired by the elementary school in Hiroshima that was bombed. It exudes an ominous, frightening and sad atmosphere.

This is what Margarita of Antioch looks like under Kiefer’s artistic touch.

In an almost paradoxical twist, here was Shiozawa gazing at the work of “Here was Anselm”.

After leaving the exhibition, Shiozawa came across a natural stain on a nearby wall that looked like a waterfall. In a moment of excitement, he joked, “I’ve surpassed Keifer in my artistic journey”, though it seems that he has found inspiration for his next work.

Afterwards, we had the chance to view the Honmaru Palace for the first time in a long while, together with a huge number of foreign tourists.