Open Door
After nearly a month since the last one, the door will be open once more from 3pm on September 24th. As always, feel free to drop by any time after that, even if it’s later in the evening after you finish work. If you have the interest and the energy to rock up after a long day, you’re more than welcome. If it’s your first time and you need the address, get in touch with me by email (emptylott@gmail.com) or by private message.

If you’re not yet familiar with Open Door, it’s simply an open-invite hangout that I’ve been hosting at my place about twice a month since 2023. No rsvp, knocking, entry fee, or invitation required. If you’re reading this, you’re welcome to waltz right in. If you want to bring drinks or food for yourself and/or others, you can definitely do that, but it isn’t required. It’s just a safe, free space to relax, connect, and be ourselves. You’re welcome to look around, play games, jam (I have guitars, a bass, and some electronic instruments), play some vinyl, chill on the rooftop balcony, pass a mic around and share stories, draw, read, or just sit around and talk. I typically leave it up to whoever shows up.

Sketch Party
Also, the next sketch party is happening on next Tuesday (9/22). I imagine a lot of people will be away traveling for Silver Week, but if you’re around and enjoy drawing or watching other people draw, it would be awesome to see you there. There’s no entry fee, and while buying a drink or some food is certainly appreciated by the hosting venue, it’s not compulsory. If you just want to come and draw, welcome! We’ll be at the usual venue, Hopbuds (google maps) from 6pm to last train. Drop by any time in between.

First announcement: My dear friend, Mieko, and her partner are in Japan for a few months (the remainder of her chemotherapy). Whether you know them or not, the door will be open to all this Saturday. Probably from 3pm through late night as usual, but if you want to drop in a little earlier just let me know.

Second announcement: Some of you might be familiar with the Nagoya branch of Sketch Party. It was being co-hosted by Jaime (Hopbuds owner) and Gwyn, an extremely talented artist and a legend of the art community here in Nagoya. Sadly for us, Gwyn recently relocated to the US. There’s no way I can live up to what she did for the artists around here, but I’m going to do my best to help Jaime keep SketchPartyNagoya going. If you love art and/or craft beer and haven’t been to one of these drink & draw style hangouts, I hope you’ll come check it out. The next one is actually tomorrow at Hopbuds. While the venue is a craft beer bar, and there is usually a food truck out front, buying drinks or food isn’t a requisite for being there. They’ve got a very similar ethos to the one Open Door is built on, which is part of why I’m so happy to start co-hosting. If you’re free Tuesday evening, come hang out and draw with us from 18:00 to last train.

Third announcement: To everyone who came to any of our shows and/or supported us in other ways, I want to say a huge thank you on behalf of One Fret Down. Our last gig was our last gig as a band, and thanks to all of you and my bandmates, it was a damn fun experience from start to finish, albeit a relatively brief one. I’m still writing music and trying to record some things, both on my own and with others. If any of the music projects I have going end up being things that are well-suited to live performance, I might see you guys out there again some time. Thanks for bearing with me and my completely negligent stage presence for this past year or so. It’s been fun!

Next Saturday will be one of the rare times that I open the door on a weekend. If you’re thinking of coming but don’t already know the address, just shoot me an email ( emptylott@gmail.com ) and I’ll share it with you. If you’re reading this, it means you’re welcome to join.

As usual, the door will be open from 3pm until late at night, and everyone is welcome to drop in at any point in between.