Hitomi Okada made her debut in an audition program on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting in 1998. During a year of relaxation, she began to create miniature foods made of clay in her own way.
In 2002, Hitomi declared herself the first “Nendol” in history, taking the title from the fusion of “nendo” (meaning clay) and “idol”. She exhibited her clay creations at a gallery in Omotesando, in Tokyo, breaking visitor records in the process.

While studying education, Hitomi conducted clay classes for parents and children, reaching 20,000 participants by the summer of 2010.

In 2011, she did volunteer work at disaster-stricken areas and hospitals in Japan.
She has held clay workshops in Cambodia, USA, Singapore, Sweden, Kenya, and Switzerland.
When she travels, she challenges herself to propagate the pleasure of creation.

Hitomi established September 1 as “the day of clay” (in Japanese, saying the numbers “901” sounds like the word for “clay”) and applied to the Japan Anniversary Association.
However, her activities are not exclusive to clay. She is also featured in a tea ceremony book and DVD.

Hitomi hosted Nendol’s 10th anniversary exhibition in 2012.
Her work appeared in a leaflet about the world’s beloved and renowned “Play Doh” clay, which is
available at Toys”R”Us in Japan.

In 2013, Hitomi appears in an educational program that is broadcast on NHK’s (Japan Broadcasting Corporation’s) “Nyanchu World Hosokyoku” .
The original clay products that she created are now available at specific stores as well as online.

In 2014, The Chinese version of her book “Magical Clay World” was published in Taiwan.

In 2015, Hitomi started to write articles regularly for the magazines, KADOKAWA “Chara Parfeit” and “Chara Petit”.
She visited New York to observe art education programs and held clay workshops in English.
In November, she made an appearance at Indonesia Comic Con in Jakarta as a special guest.
“Onendo Onesan’s Sekai Nendo Isan (World Heritage made with clay) Calendar 2016” was released.

In 2016, Hitomi designed 4 mascot characters including Mikeneko Nyah and Year of the Rooster for 2017 kagami-mochi series collaboration with Echigoseika, Co., Ltd.
Onesan’s Sekai Nendo Isan (World Heritage made with clay) Calendar 2017” was released.

In 2017, Hitomi appeared on NHK special stage – Wanwan to Issho! Yume no Character Dai Shugo Center wo Toru no wa, Dare da!?. The stage DVD & Blu-ray come out.
She joined TEAM LOFT which supports and offers events at Ginza Loft.
During the summer, her 5 clay works were shown at the “Arcimboldo” exhibition in National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. It was quite unusual for the museum to exhibit works by a living artist.
The clay work “giant squid” was shown at the “Shinkai 2017 (Deep Ocean)” exhibition in National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo.
In October, a clay picture book “Nendol Cat Hitomy’s Magic Restaurant (Gakken) was published through the first collaboration with Satoshi Iriyama who is well known as the author of Piyochan series.
She designed 4 mascot characters including Mikeneko Nyah and Year of the Dog for 2018 kagami-mochi series collaboration with Echigoseika, Co., Ltd.
Onesan’s Sekai Nendo Isan (World Heritage made with clay) Calendar 2018” was released.
In November, Hitomi had her 10th exhibition in commemoration of Nendol’s 15th anniversary.
She was given the tea ceremony master name ‘Sodo’.

To help children develop a sense of creativity and imagination, Hitomi has held over 150 clay workshops for more than 10,000 people a year, writes books on artwork, miniatures, and dioramas, all while making appearances on children’s TV programs.

Hitomi Okada Related Items(Japanese)