My host and I had been expending considerable energy trying to communicate with each other for almost a week now. It was a relief to forget Japanese and English for a period of time. We were now in an art studio and could communicate in the universal language of art. Machiko Kitayama has a highly respected professional history. In her atelier were exquisitely crafted scrolls and panels retrieved from storage specially for my visit. At one point Machiko made coffee for us and we sat down on the carpet to look at her more recent art. She leaned a large multiple panel piece against her work table, each panel lying on its side as portrayed in this image. My eyes went from area to area and my thoughts wandered as they do in meditation. Later in the week I overheard Machiko telling a friend that the peak moment for her in the week was "when Virginia meditated by my art." That was my peak moment also.