Elderly painter was filmed painting alone by a river. 2 years later, the stranger returned to show him why
The artist shared that he has found his 'ikigai' and prefers to be surrounded by nature and create art.
Reed Smith (@reedsmithtv), a travel content creator, once stumbled upon a 71-year-old artist painting by a river. Impressed, he recorded him and posted his video online. In no time, the painter went viral. Two years later, when Smith returned to Japan, he followed the same path to reunite with him. Fortunately, he found the painter seemingly immersed in his work. Beaming with pride, Smith walked up to the painter, showed him the video, and broke the news: you're famous! The reunion shared on October 6, 2026, has been viewed over 3 million times.
A viral artist
Two years ago, Smith was in Japan, hunting for wasabi in the forests, when he stumbled upon an elderly man painting by the river. He thought it was “super cool” and immediately started recording him on his camera. Soon, Smith posted the video online and received millions of views on Instagram. However, the man was old, and he believed the painter might not have social media. So two years later, when Smith visited Japan again, he decided to meet him again. He took a train from Tokyo to Okutama, rented a bike, and went to the same spot where he first found him. Unfortunately, the man wasn’t there.
Full circle moment
Just as they were about to leave, Smith and his friend noticed a truck. The travel content creator was sure it was the same artist’s truck. Eventually, their eyes caught him in a corner of the forest. They walked to him and used a translator to tell him about his viral video. “Your talent reached the hearts of many people,” Smith told him, whose name turned out to be Katsumi Ohashi-san.
In a YouTube video, Smith shared details about the artist. Every morning, he explained, 71-year-old Ohashi-san comes to the river to paint, surrounded by nature. “I love creating art here, immersed in the atmosphere and capturing the essence of the place I paint. That’s the kind of work and creative process I am aiming for,” Ohashi-san told Smith. He added that instead of being surrounded by city buildings, he belongs to a place like this. “I will die eventually. Before that I want to express myself as much as I can,” said Ohashi-san, adding that his goal is to serve human society by making them see the beauty of nature.
Finding the ikigai
As Smith pointed out, Ohashi-san has found his “ikigai.” According to the Government of Japan, Ikigai is a Japanese concept that refers to the intersection of “what you love,” “what the world needs,” “what you can be paid for,” and “what you are good at.” Researchers analyzed the effects of ikigai in 43,391 people. In the study published in BMJ Open, they documented that ikigai, or a high life purpose, is associated with better physical and mental health. In fact, researchers found that it lowers all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events by 17%.
Viewers were enchanted to learn about the painter. Many of them suggested different ideas to promote his art. @claudiamurrin commented, "Oh, to be old and paint the day away in a lush green forest with the sound of the river and the birds!” @snail_usa remarked, “Vibes that AI could never recreate.”
You can follow Reed Smith (@reedsmithtv) on Instagram for more stories from his travels and adventures.
More on Scoop Upworthy
Artist is out to find exact spots of his grandma's 6,000 field sketches. He’s found 20; 5980 to go
Share on Facebook
