The Akai series each have an element in red (akai) capturing the red objects in scenes of stone, and wood at sacred sites across Japan. Finkenbiner illustrates these urban and rural landscapes primarily using Japanese sumi ink on sustainable paper made from bamboo and recycled washi. Sumi ink sticks are created from soot giving a range of blacks and grey and are used for traditional Japanese calligraphy and ink painting (sumi-e).