瓦奇菲爾德 (Wachifield) 是由日本知名插畫家池田晶子所創造的奇幻繪本世界，主角達洋 (Dayan) 是一隻生活在地球上的普通家貓，在某個下雪天，透過雪之魔法意外闖入了神祕的國度，這個國度就是瓦奇菲爾德，在瓦奇菲爾德的世界裡，時間流逝得非常緩慢，這裡的動物們都可以像人類一樣雙腳站立、行走、說話，且處處充滿了魔法、妖精和慶典，達洋在當地定居後，結識了聰明神秘的吉坦貓、溫柔擅長裁縫的「瑪西兔」、以及稍微古怪的鱷魚依凡等，並展開一系列的冒險故事。
最近幾年在韓國流行文化盛行之前，日本才是華人地區的文化輸出大國，不用我多說，日本的遊戲、動漫、戲劇、美食和觀光等，都曾經紅遍全球，直至今日，影響力仍然不減，在我小時候，就曾經在親戚家中，看見他展示自日本帶回來的瓦奇菲爾德戰利品，融合可愛的繪本風及匠人工藝質感的商品，令人把玩許久，只是我那時候，並不知道這個品牌叫做瓦奇菲爾德。
多年之後，在這家快閃店仔細觀察五花八門的瓦奇菲爾德週邊商品之後，發現不論是小到從手機吊飾，大到家居雜貨，都非常有質感，那種如透明水彩的層次暈染、粉彩、彩色鉛筆的細緻筆觸，其中的故事主角達洋貓的身影，出現在日式桌燈上，立刻把商品提升了一個檔次，不像是最近出現的很多速食的文創品牌，很多的商品多是千篇一律，而且做工粗糙，沒有對比時，覺得品質還可以，但是和瓦奇菲爾德這品牌一比較之後，高下互見。
話說，在日本的河口湖，有一座以插畫家池田晶子創作的瓦奇菲爾德國度為主題的美術館，叫做木の花美術館 ，將她所創作的繪本中的塔西爾愛尼特博物館的樣貌，以真實夢幻的姿態呈現出來，館內的紀念品更是精細及細膩，很多粉絲都會過去朝聖。
而河口湖命案正是這幾天最熱門的新聞之一，一名台籍女子在跟團旅遊期間，在日本河口湖的飯店內，被發現遭人割頸身亡，而案情指向她的丈夫指使小三殺妻，打算詐領三千萬台幣的保險費，警方還在釐清案情，不過，就已經揭露出來的案情，已經是駭人聽聞了，我猜想，這個日本旅行團停留在河口湖，不知道，是否有規劃去木の花美術館參觀，可能有吧，因為那麼冷門的地點，可以去的地方應該不多吧。
Wachifield is a fantasy picture-book world created by Akiko Ikeda, a well-known Japanese illustrator. The main character, Dayan, is an ordinary house cat living on Earth. One snowy day, he accidentally enters a mysterious land through the magic of snow. That land is Wachifield. Time passes very slowly in this magical world, where animals can stand on two legs, walk around, and talk just like humans. The place is filled with magic, fairies, and festivals. After settling down there, Dayan meets a clever and mysterious cat named Jitan, a gentle rabbit named Marcy who is good at sewing, and a rather quirky crocodile named Ivan. Together, they embark on all kinds of adventures.
Before Korean pop culture took off in recent years, Japan was one of the biggest cultural exporters to Chinese-speaking regions. There's no need for me to explain how Japanese video games, anime, TV dramas, food, and tourism once took the world by storm. Even today, Japan's cultural influence remains strong. When I was a kid, I once visited a relative's home and saw some Wachifield souvenirs they had brought back from Japan. The products combined the cuteness of picture-book illustrations with the quality and craftsmanship of finely made goods. They were so interesting that I spent quite a while playing with them. Back then, though, I had no idea the brand was called Wachifield.
Many years later, I stopped by a Wachifield pop-up store and took a closer look at its wide range of merchandise. I was impressed by the quality of everything, from small phone charms to home accessories. The artwork features beautiful layers of watercolor-like washes, pastel colors, and delicate colored-pencil strokes. Dayan the cat, the main character in these stories, even appears on a Japanese-style table lamp, instantly giving the product a more sophisticated look. This is quite different from many trendy creative brands that have popped up recently. Their products often look pretty much the same, and the workmanship can be rather rough. When you don't have anything to compare them with, the quality might seem perfectly fine. But once you put them side by side with Wachifield products, the difference in quality becomes pretty obvious.
Speaking of Wachifield, there's an art museum near Lake Kawaguchi in Japan dedicated to the magical world created by Akiko Ikeda. It's called the Konohana Museum. The museum brings the fictional Tashil Enit Museum from her picture books to life, making it feel both real and dreamlike. The souvenirs sold there are also beautifully crafted, with plenty of fine details. It's a popular destination for fans who want to make a special trip to see the place for themselves.
Meanwhile, a murder case near Lake Kawaguchi has been one of the biggest news stories in recent days. A woman traveling with a tour group was found dead at a hotel near the lake, with her throat cut. The investigation has pointed toward suspicions that her husband arranged for his mistress to kill his wife in an attempt to collect NT$30 million in insurance money. The police are still investigating the case, but the details revealed so far are already horrifying. I can't help wondering whether the Japanese tour group visiting Lake Kawaguchi had planned to stop by the Konohana Museum. Maybe they did. After all, it's a rather off-the-beaten-path destination, so there probably aren't that many places nearby for a tour group to visit. Then again, I guess we'll never know unless someone from that group happens to share their itinerary.