A video look at the daily life of calligrapher Kanazawa Shōko, who has moved out of the family home and now lives by herself in a residential section of Tokyo.

When Kanazawa Shōko moved into her own small apartment in 2015 at the age of 30, her mother Yasuko thought that she would return to the family home within a week. The talented calligrapher has Down syndrome, and living by herself was a big step. But with the support of her neighbors, she is enjoying her new independence.

Shōko does her own cooking, washing, and cleaning. She enjoys practicing dancing to videos on her computer or iPad. The freedom to eat as she pleases, though, appears to have caused her to gain weight.

A five-minute walk away is the family home, where she focuses on her calligraphy. With the encouragement and guidance of her mother, she is now making preparations for a September exhibition at Ueno Royal Museum. We filmed a slice of her life in Tokyo.

Production and copyright: Nippon.com
Direction: Sugiyama Sachiko
Filming: Yoshida Hideo
Technical support: Nakata Ryōhei
Video editing: Mochizuki Hirofumi
Sound editing: Tanaka Keiko

(Originally published in Japanese on April 21, 2017. Banner photo: Shōko’s three vows, taped to a wall, are to keep her apartment clean, not to stay up too late, and to lose weight. Photograph by Nagasaka Yoshiki.)