"OTO" means "sound" in Japanese, and "HOTARU" means "firefly." "OTO-HOTARU" responds to the sounds around you in real time by brighten and dimmer. It looks like a luminous organism synchronizing the light with the sound.

It doesn't make any sound itself. However, by glowing in real time, it makes you aware of the "sound that is here and now". And it brings you into vivid encounters with everyday sounds, awakening the sensitivity of your ears.In addition, I designed it to be inserted into an empty bottle that you have, so the way it lights up changes depending on the bottle, for example the color, shape, surface, etc. That is a "chance operation."

The source of this idea comes from the "Umi-Tsukushi" (Reference) that I have installed on the pier. They are big stethoscopes pointed at the ocean,which transmit the sound of tidal waves from beneath the wharf to the promenade above. At night, each device is lit up to brighten and to dim, reacting real-time to the wave sound.This project received an award from the Illumination Engineering Society of North America.

I have created various sound installations with "OTO-HOTARU", not only in museums but also in various everyday locations such as cafes, parks, and forests.I have collaborated with various instruments such as piano, cello, various percussion instruments, and other original instruments, as well as with dance performances.In addition, I have done workshops with children and collaborations with Japanese tea ceremony.

Recently, my collaboration with Mayumi Miyata was impressive. Miyata collaborated with "OTO-HOTARU" performing "One 9", composed by John Cage for Miyata, by the Sho (a Japanese court flute).

In 2025, I collaborated with Koichi Makigami, a 2024 grant artist of the Foundation for Contemporary Art, in Tokyo and New York.On August 24th this year, I will hold a collaboration with Makigami at the " Koumi Art Museum" designed by Tadao Ando.