Tujiko Noriko is constantly opening new doors. Some might think this is an overstatement, but the more I listen to Crépuscule I & II, the first solo album she released in three years and nine months, the stronger my conviction becomes. It’s clear that this album is an extension of her previous instrumental work, Kuro, an illustration of the fluctuation of emotions. But with the addition of her vocals, saxophone, and euphonium, she paints a gentle and cinematic soundscape on Crépuscule I & II. The continuum of sounds drifting freely, which could be described as ethereal ambient music, contains an unprecedented degree of human warmth. 22 years have passed since the release of Toshi Shojo in 2001; what lies behind Tujiko Noriko continuing to make music? We were able to talk to her in France via ZOOM.

Looking back on Tujiko Noriko’s previous instrumental album and roots as a singer

–You released Crépuscule I & II on Editions Mego. Your last release on the label was My Ghost Comes Back. When did you start working on your latest album? 

I started recording my vocals around the end of 2019 and finished it in a week or so. I then arranged the music in 2020, and it was basically complete by the beginning of 2021. I intended to mix the album immediately, but some time had passed. Before summer, I sent it to Peter (Rehberg, the founder of Editions Mego), but he passed away suddenly…

–I want to ask you something before discussing Crépuscule I & II. This is your first solo album since the eponymous soundtrack to the film Kuro (2019), which you co-directed with Joji Koyama-san, but you didn’t always make instrumental music. In hindsight, what do you think was good about the album?

It’s surprising that I had almost never made an instrumental piece of work. I was making a film called Kuro then, and my co-director, Joji Koyama-kun, said, “Why don’t you make the music for it too?” I thought it might be overkill for me to write, make, edit, and score the film, but he said it nicely, so I said, “I’ll do it.” When it came time to make the soundtrack, I wasn’t in the mood to sing because the film already had a lot of narration. There was no need for me to come up with a story for the music, so I was like, “I’m just going to follow the film’s story.” I was able to make it with abandon and freedom, and felt relieved because I didn’t have to sing. 

–Are there any film scores or artists who make them you find interesting?

Mica Levi and I come from the same era, and what she does interests me. 

–I had always believed one of the elements that made your music special was your singing, so your instrumental album came as a surprise. What sort of mindset has made you become the singer you are today?

I always have this story or image inside my mind, and I want to translate that into lyrics and sing it. I like small worldbuilding, like telling anecdotes, so I enjoy singing or adding music to depict it. I don’t have a message or anything. It’s not a coincidence that I also make films—I love things with stories. 

–What initially drew you to singing? 

When I was small, we had a cassette deck where you could listen and record sounds. It fascinated me, and my oldest sister and I would record our voices and songs. That was fun. My middle sister complimented me, saying that I was good at singing, which struck a chord with me. I started to feel like singing was fun because of that. 

Crépuscule I & II, made from the idea of hope

–I’d like to ask you about Crépuscule I & II. What was the blueprint for it? 

I made the soundtrack for a film called Surge (SURGE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, released in 2022), and the film was so sad. I had to make music that would fit that, but as I did, I started having more and more fun. I would play sounds that were a bit more sparkly and cheerful, but I knew I couldn’t use them for the film. I had this image of something pretty and optimistic—the word, hope, popped up in my mind.

–How did you write the songs? 

I arranged them a lot, but most of the songs initially started as improvisations. How it sounds to others is a different matter, but I like doing it. I’m shy, but I’m set free whenever I improvise. It’s like I begin feeling unrestrained as I explore things I find beautiful. I listen to the same song over and over again when I arrange my music so I can convey that beautiful moment to the listener. Music is a tool of communication, so I find myself subconsciously looking for a universal place to share with many people. 

–There are some ambient moments in the album. 

I was simultaneously working on a film score, so my approach was to make music that leaned into images. That’s what comes across as ambient-sounding. I like ambient music, but it’s not made with structure at the forefront. 

—Crépuscule I & II is in two parts. Was this intentional?

It was supposed to be three. But when I got Joji Koyama-kun, my dear friend, to listen to it, he said, “Some parts are similar, and it’s a bit too long, no?” (laughs). I tend to add onto things, but Joji-kun helped me reel it in. 

–Joji Koyama-san wrote the lyrics for “Roaming Over Land, Sea and Air.”What idea was this song based on? 

I don’t remember when I made that song, but I used some of the melody from the first song off Shojo Toshi (“Endless End”). This song is like the sibling of “Opening Night” in part one.

Thoughts and feelings that haven’t changed since her debut, and lessons from Peter Rehberg  

–I actually feel like Shojo Toshi and Crépuscule I & II are connected, even if it may not look like it.

You might be right. The equipment, studio, and whatnot differ, but I can’t help being drawn to certain sounds. Yes, I make electronic music, but I like organic sounds that blend into your skin rather than loud ones. Music is always somewhere, and I find and give form to it. 

–It’s been over two decades since your debut. Do you feel as though you’ve changed as a musician? 

It doesn’t feel like I’ve been doing it for a long time. I always feel like I’m a baby. It’s not like I’m stopping myself from growing up; it’s just that I can do so much more. I never run out of ideas and am ready to put out more songs. But I also want to make sure my personal life is okay, too.

–Last question. I heard you decided to release Crépuscule I & II on cassette because you previously sent Peter Rehberg a demo tape. What did you learn from his music as well as working with him? How are the lessons reflected in your life? 

He wasn’t much of a talker. It’s not that he said anything to make me think this, but I felt a warmth from him, one that said I could be free and be myself. That very warmth and attitude encouraged different musicians as well. I also believe the listener could tell, too. He made me feel comfortable doing what I wanted, but that didn’t mean he spoiled me. Also, there’s a slight humor to his music, which made me realize that music with humor that doesn’t fit in a box is important. If it’s just pretty, it’d be boring. I mean, he did have a punk spirit, after all. 

■Tujiko Noriko Japan Tour 2024

・Kyoto
Date: January 9th, 2024 (Tuesday)
Venue: Soto
Venue website: https://soto-kyoto.jp

・Tokyo
Date: January 11th, 2024 (Thursday)
Venue: WWW
Venue website: https://www-shibuya.jp/schedule/017371.php
*The Tokyo show will have live visuals by Berlin-based filmmaker Joji Koyama

・Fukuoka
Date: January 13th, 2024 (Saturday)
Venue: Artist Cafe
Venue website: https://artistcafe.jp

The post The Present and Eternal Sentiment of Tujiko Noriko, an Artist of Otherworldy Sounds appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

Keiko Suyama
Born in Tokyo and has lived in Paris for 20 years. She holds an MBA in Brand Management from INSTITUT FRANCAIS DE LA MODE. In 2010, she established Dessigne, a consulting company specializing in brand strategy, sales and communication, from Japan to the European market. In 2016, she started a conceptual project called “Bijo,” curating J-Beauty and lifestyle brands. She has clients in some 150 stores across 20 countries, from major department stores such as Harrods, Le Bon Marché, Ritz Paris, and Sephora.

“J-Beauty” has been gaining attention in the Western beauty industry. The beauty regimen that symbolizes Japanese beauty, derived from traditionally cultivated aesthetics, concepts and customs, has slowly become a part of the daily lives of people around the world. “J-Beauty report from Europe” introduces the J-Beauty brands which are gaining popularity in Europe while also digging into the ancient methods of Japanese beauty. The series is supervised by Keiko Suyama, who represents the brand Dessigne and has lived in Paris for over 20 years, consulting with Japanese beauty brands looking to expand into the European market. With Suyama, we explore various Japanese aesthetics and the driving forces behind the J-Beauty trend in Europe.

The eleventh installment is about the aging care cosmetics brand “EviDenS de Beauté”, founded by Charles-Edouard Barthes, husband of former Fuji TV announcer Eriko Nakamura. As the name suggests, it means “proof of perfect beauty”, they pursue reliable effects that help you achieve flawlessly beautiful skin that transcends age. Products that perfectly harmonize France’s advanced cosmetics development capabilities and luxury with Japan’s delicate and advanced technology are carried in luxury hotels and boutiques around the world. It all started with the goal of providing the best solution to the founder’s wife who suffers from sensitive skin. We asked him, who deeply sympathizes with Japanese spirituality, about the 17-year journey from its founding to the present.

“Going to Japan is a way to recharge my creative batteries and fuel my energy”

––First of all, please tell us about EviDenS de Beauté.

Charles-Edouard Barthes：The mission is – and has always been – to offer indisputable results and a sensorial journey for all women, even for the most sensitive skins. The initial goal was to propose a solution to my wife who was struggling to find the right products for her skin: she was buying every cream on the market, believing every single promise and being disappointed every time. As her husband, I had to offer a solution for the woman I chose for life! I also thought that if she was struggling with her sensitive skin, she would most probably share this with a multitude of women. This quest turned into Evidens de Beauté’s mission. Getting to express this mission with a double French & Japanese heritage and philosophy is what makes us unique.

––Can you tell us about the bestseller and signature products?

Charles-Edouard：The bestsellers are part of the original products, which is a great pride.The first one is a mask, our Special Mask. It is the perfect get-ready mask, as it lifts and refreshes your skin in only 15 minutes.The second is the Moisturizing Lotion, a pre-serum to be applied for all skins that will boost the results of the product you apply after.Last but not least, our famous Total Shield SPF 50 PA ++++, a barely-there veil of protection that can be used right before makeup.

––What feedback have you received from your customers?

Charles-Edouard：We love receiving feedback from our customers, as it confirms the choices we make every day.  We have always considered our customers as our best ambassadors. We work with a « kaizen » philosophy to always improve on what we do, and I truly believe that women feel this dedication and appreciate it in our products. This is a unique relationship that we want to nurture.

––Despite the fact that each country has its own beauty ritual, why do you think J-Beauty captivates you?

Charles-Edouard：When I first stepped into Japan, I was fascinated by the beauty around me, the refinement. And then I met the most beautiful woman, my wife Eriko. J-Beauty for me will forever be relevant as Japan always strives for more sophistication and precision. It doesn’t care about trends, it only values quality. We strive for perfection through our sahos, and our ceremonies. This is J-Beauty at its finest.

––Besides beauty rituals, what element of Japanese culture inspires you?

Charles-Edouard：Japan is a never-ending source of inspiration for refinement. Be it for table ware, for clothing, for dining… It is the country where you can find a true exert for every single topic and a passionate one at that! Maybe I am not the most objective person, but going to Japan is a way for me to recharge my creative batteries and fuel my energy.

––In the end, please share with us your vision.

Charles-Edouard：My vision for EviDenS de Beauté is to excel in all its endeavors. We are lucky enough to have very promising projects, great partners that will fuel them, like Rosewood, Harrods, S’Young, and a solid team to make it all happen.

My ultimate goal is to make EviDenS de Beauté the #1brand in the world, as I believe its uniqueness can take it there.

The post J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 11:　EviDenS de Beauté offers the best solutions for all women who suffer from sensitive skin. appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

Lamp
Formed in 2000 by Taiyo Someya, Yusuke Nagai, and Kaori Sakakibara, Lamp released their first album Soyokaze Apartment Room 201from the indie label Motel Bleu in 2003. They were featured in Tower Records’ [NO MUSIC, NO LIFE]campaign in 2014. In 2017 and 2018, they went on an independent tour around East Asia respectively. The band released their eighth album, Her Watch, in 2018. Their independent shows at Liquid Room and Kinema Club were sold out. On October 10, 2023, Lamp’s latest album, Dusk to Dawn was released digitally.
https://www.lampweb.jp

On October 10, 2023, Lamp’s latest album, Dusk to Dawn, was released digitally. It is a 75-minute album consisting of 20 songs woven out of various elements such as Brazilian music, soul music, soft rock, folk, and even a touch of “Japanese.” While the album attracts listeners with its usual high quality, meticulous production, and sincere musicianship, it also catches our ears for its ambitious attempts, particularly in mixing, but also in composition and arrangement.

As has already been discussed in various places, Lamp is rapidly gaining popularity among listeners around the world over the past few years. Now, with more than 2.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, they seem to have become one of the most popular Japanese artists among international listeners.

Against this backdrop, Dusk to Dawn was released without any prior publicity. How was this epic work produced? And what are their ambivalent feelings about their ” international popularity”? We interviewed three members, Taiyo Someya, Yusuke Nagai, and Kaori Sakakibara.

A voluminous work comprising twenty songs

–This new album, Dusk to Dawn, is your first new album in five years since your last album, Her Watch, released in 2018, so it seems there has been a bit of time, given how frequently you had released your previous works.

Taiyo Someya (Someya): Emotionally, we would like to release new works as often as before, but the more we have released, the higher the standards that we set for our work have become. Also, after being active as a band for such a long period of time, it has gradually become difficult to keep motivating ourselves. As for my personal life, my first child was born, and my mother had been thrown into a state where she needed nursing care before she eventually passed away while I was working on this project. Also, the biggest problem was that Yusuke Nagai, who was co-composing the music for the band with me, was feeling unwell.

Yusuke Nagai (Nagai): It is not a complicated story, but I just couldn’t motivate myself to make music. Since we are not the band that plays live all the time, I am not really aware that I am a musician except when we are recording. So, it is difficult for me to get into the right frame of mind when it comes time to make music. It’s like, in the midst of my daily life, the priority of making music is lowered.

–How about you, Sakakibara-san?

Kaori Sakakibara (Sakakibara): I have not had so many ups and downs. I was not particularly worried about Nagai. He had always been like that, so I thought it was nothing too serious (laughs).

Nagai: Well, I don’t think it was a slump because I was not necessarily feeling that I couldn’t stand making music anymore. However, there were many times when I wondered if I would ever be able to finish this piece. In fact, I only finished a few songs on this album by myself, but I managed to complete most of the songs with the help of Someya and Kaori.

–How did you end up with an album with a total of 20 songs in that situation?

Someya: I started writing and shaping songs around 2019, and around November of that year, I could see the album’s basic concept. At that point, I told the two of them that I would write seven songs and Nagai would write five, and we had set March 2020 as a tentative deadline. However, as he mentioned earlier, Nagai’s songs didn’t come in, and in the meantime, I wrote a lot more songs than I had planned, so we had a stockpile of songs. I thought that it would be an excellent opportunity to release such voluminous work that could even be released as a double vinyl set. With single-song releases becoming the norm, I thought that releasing a 20-song album would have a significant impact.

–It’s not just that the album contains so many songs. Each song reaches a high degree of perfection so that the album’s content is very rich.

Someya: Thank you very much. I don’t mean to brag, but this is really an album that I took the lead and worked hard on (laughs). That’s why I credited myself as a producer for the first time.

— I can sense the power and passion Sometani had to lead the band through the album’s content. I guessed that you took the lead not only in the creative aspect but also in the administrative aspects involved in the production process.

Nagai: Yeah, you are right. Now that I am older, I truly respect how well-organized and diligent Someya is. I used to tease him a little for being so in the past, though (laughs). Seriously, that’s part of the reason why the band keeps going.

Sakakibara: Yeah, that’s right.

Creating each song carefully

— In this day and age, it is possible to produce music in a smaller team by making full use of DAWs, even if you compose music by layering live instruments in a constructive manner. However, looking at the credits of this work, I was surprised, by the fact that a huge number of musicians actually participated in the session. I thought it would be quite a painstaking task just to coordinate the schedules of these people. You can’t take this kind of approach with independent releases without passion.

Someya: That’s exactly right. I started to feel more energized in this year, and I took care of all the administrative work including schedule coordination. This album is extraordinary in that it needed such administrative hard work and passion for creation, as well as in that we spent a considerable amount of money on it, which is very rare today.

— My impression is that the hybrid nature of Lamp’s music, which draws on Brazilian, soul, and pop music, has been deepened through repeated and careful sessions.

Someya: I wanted to create each song carefully. If I were to create something that could be completed in my home studio, I felt that it would not be something I would be satisfied with.

–In an interview several years ago, you said that you had a complex regarding your singing voice. How was the voice recording session for this album?

Nagai: I still can’t get used to it. It’s not as bad as it used to be, but I still feel stressed when I hear my own voice.

–I think you have a wonderful and prodound voice, which can be described as a “singer/songwriter voice.”

Nagai: I understand what you are mean, but when it comes to my own voice, I can’t take it. But well, I’ve given up on it now (laughs).

–How about you, Sakakibara-san? What do you think about your own singing in this work?

Sakakibara: It may sound like I’m very insensitive, but almost nothing, including how I sing and how I feel about my voice, has changed (laughs). However, my hay fever gets worse every year. Although others may not notice it, I took special care of my voice for some of my songs.

Someya: This is the first time Kaori had to go through so many takes when recording her voice, isn’t it? In that sense, you could say she had more difficulties than usual.

–I felt that the overall impression of the album, including the way you sing, is more subdued than in the past. Of course, each song was very well arranged, but they seem somewhat more introverted than previous works.

Someya: When I was younger, I was determined to create something great, which was reflected in the songs and sound. However, as time went by, I became increasingly aware that music played casually in a corner of the world would resonate more honestly with me as a listener. That is precisely how I felt when I created this album, which is why it gives the impression you just described. I worked with this feeling in composition, recording, and editing. I thought it would be better if the song deeply affected one person, rather than somehow affecting everyone who listened to it. Well, I have always had that sense of awareness, though.

–Your methodology for mixing has changed a lot, hasn’t it? I felt that it has become more private and intimate. The sound image localization and EQ seem to be noticeably more ambitious.

Someya: I have been self-taught in composing, arranging, and mixing. A few years ago, I co-produced a mini album by Kaede of Negicco, Stardust in Blue, with Hirohide Kadoya of Uwanosora. And since then, I have fiddled with Pro Tools by myself. As for that album, I mixed it up to the middle, and then I handed it over to the engineer. This time, however, I mixed everything from beginning to end, with the exception of “Night Drizzle,” which was done by Nagai. That is the most significant difference between Lamp’s past works and this one.

Regarding sound localization, I once tried the traditional method of placing the sounds like vocals, kicks, and bass in the center. But then I realized that it was just a way of creating a sound that was powerful, acoustically clean, and easy-to-listen-to, or even marketing-friendly. In other words, it was often used to meet a short-term goal for consumption. In fact, if you look back at pop music from the 1960s onward, you will find that it has gradually become more and more aligned with the current mixing method. I came up with my own hypothesis about what kind of music would be listened to over the long term, and as a result, I ended up with a mix that deviated from the mainstream one.

Nagai: I had a good feeling about Someya’s mixing methodology from the beginning and agreed with it. So I basically left it up to Someya. Personally, what I was not sure about until the very end was whether or not to get the mixed sound data on the analog tape. When I tried it, I found that some of them sounded better, while others did not. So, in the end, we decided on a song-by-song basis whether to do it or not.

Sakakibara: At first, I felt a little uncomfortable with the localization of the vocals, but in the end, I was convinced by the way he mixed the sounds.

Someya: I hope people listening to it will feel like it is a “very intimate work.

Popularity among international listeners and streaming services

–I think you have consciously avoided “sounds for short-term consumption,” but in the past few years, your music has gained explosive popularity on streaming services, which in a sense can be seen as a symbol of “short-term consumption.” When did you first become aware of such a trend?

Someya: Around June of 2021, I clearly recognized our music had gone viral. On the other hand, apart from a series of movements on the Internet over the past few years, we had been receiving inquiries from overseas for quite some time; in the mid-2000s, we received offers from Korean labels to release our music, and when we were invited to perform live there, the audience was very excited. Another trigger might be when our music was illegally uploaded in the late 2000s and slowly started to be heard overseas. At the time, we were just happy that people were listening to our music. Since then, I had been thinking that if things went well, many people outside of Japan would listen to our music. 

Sakakibara：When we went to China and Korea, songs from For Lovers and “Hatachi no Koi (二十歳の恋; literally: Love at 20) ” were particularly popular. At the time, we had no idea why those songs were so popular.

Nagai: Yeah. It was interesting to find the fact that songs that didn’t have a strong presence within our own group were so popular. I thought there must be a particular taste that people outside of Japan like.

Someya: Maybe there is some kind of power in the works that we are not aware of.

–It seems that for the new generation of listeners, a sense of “melancholy” and “nostalgia” are key, which however is not limited to Lamp’s music.

Someya: As a listener, I have been moved by music that evokes such sensations, so perhaps these elements naturally appear in our own work.

–Then you had songs posted to Reddit in the mid-2010s, and after your music became available digitally, you got a significant number of plays on Spotify.

Someya: Exactly.

— So, as a result, it led to going viral and views on TikTok in 2021 and beyond.

Someya: To be honest, I was extremely upset when subscription-based streaming services were first introduced. As a music producer, I was like, “Are you sure you are okay with lowering the value of music this much? It’s insane.” That is why we were initially negative about releasing our work on subscription services. On the other hand, people overseas could not easily buy CDs, and even authorized downloads were not allowed in some countries. After much deliberation, taking into account that there were many people who actually wanted to listen to our music, we decided to release many of our songs on these services in 2018. Right around that time, some people advised us that Lamp has quality contents and that just having the internet infrastructure in place would make things work better, so I changed my mind.

— Again, Lamp’s stance and the phenomenon of going viral on SNS and streaming services seem to contradict each other in a sense. How do you feel about the fact that your songs are gaining support under those circumstances?

Someya: There are roughly two points that I would like to make on it. One is that we have always believed that we are making music that will be listened to by many people for a long time, so in that sense, I am not really surprised, or I even feel that it is “natural.”

It may sound contradictory, but on the other hand, I also have a sense of surprise. As you mentioned, I have always thought that TikTok and YouTube were incompatible with our values, aesthetics, and way of thinking. I feel strange seeing our music spreading in such spaces. However, going back to the first point, I believe this phenomenon is happening precisely because we have made quality music.

Sakakibara: Well, but we had no idea about what was going on at first.

Someya: Kaori, you still feel uncomfortable, don’t you?

Sakakibara Due to articles introducing how our music went viral and was heard abroad, I felt as if that was all those who had never heard of us before were paying their attention to. I know it is contradictory, but I strongly feel that I want to keep Lamp a secret. Also, fan-art versions of the For Lovers jacket have been circulating, haven’t they?

–It became kind of a “meme.”

Sakakibara: Yeah. At first, I thought our work was being teased since I was unfamiliar with such culture (laughs). Now I kind of understand it, though.

Releasing newest work without prior publicity

— You have released your new album amid such a big wave. If you follow the conventional wisdom of the music industry, you would take advantage of this momentum and aggressively promote this new release. But instead, you have released it digitally without notice, without advertising, without a press release, and even without distributing any samples. Why was that?

Someya: I did this entirely on my own initiative, not only without announcing it to the industry but also without consulting either of the members about it. I was also dissatisfied with the fact that it was common practice for those involved to be able to listen to the music before others. Also, related to what I wrote on Twitter, I may just be a bit of a twisted person (laughs). I also wanted to enjoy the release itself by doing this.

Sakakibara: With the previous album, we had to make a press release by ourselves, which was a lot of work, so when Taiyo said we didn’t have to do anything like that this time, I was just delighted (laughs).

— If you release your work physically through a label, you would have to make adjustments in terms of profits, and you would also have to work around the schedule in various ways. So, for artists who want to stick to a DIY style, there are substantially more restrictions on them.

Someya: That’s right. For me, that is the most nerve-wracking work of all. It is simply very hard.

–That’s why you decided to release it digitally out of the blue, right?

Someya: Going back to what we have discussed, the fact that our music has become popular overseas is not always a good thing. Initially, I was happy that Japanese listeners were enthusiastic about our music, and I enjoyed searching and reading online comments and criticisms.

However, as our music spread overseas and the number of so-called “light listeners” increased, I began to receive a tremendous amount of comments and DMs from these people, but they all contained similar copy-and-paste kinds of words. It is a little sad to say, but I have recently stopped reading any DMs or comments.

We decided to make a 20-song album this time because we wanted to target people who genuinely like our music. We also felt that for those who only listen to the top songs on Spotify and still call themselves fans, “Well, you probably won’t listen to all of them anyway.” I hate to say this because they all love and listen to our music, though.

–Oh, that sounds radical. 

Someya: To be honest, I’d rather it not be popular than to promote it to such “fans.” It is more important for us to make something we are satisfied with. We released the album without any regard for how many times it would be played on subscription services.

Of course, I have no intention of denying that you will get a lot of listeners and increase your income in the short term. However, from a long-term perspective, it is much more important to do what you like and what you are satisfied with. It is more detrimental to us to put out something preoccupied with the immediate future.

Also, after making music for so long, I feel once again that I am ultimately attracted to the parts of music that cannot be expressed in words. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the only thing I am pursuing. That is one of the reasons why I did not create press materials that explain this album in words. We have always had the same attitude. Anyway, we will be happy as long as people listen to our music as it is as music.

–Lastly, what are your plans for the future?

Someya: Right now, we have zero concrete plans (laughs). If we were to follow “common sense,” I think we would release a CD and a record, and have a live concert to celebrate the launch, but nothing has been decided yet. We are just now discussing the possibility of touring not only in Japan, but also overseas.

■Lamp Dusk to Dawn
Released on October 10, 2023 
1. Dusk
2. The Last Dance
3. As Times Goes By
4. Cold Way Home
5. Misty Town
6. Around the Corner
7. August Calendar
8. Late Night Train
9. Her Watch
10. Weekend
11. Autumn Letter
12. Summer Triangle
13. Bedroom Afternoon
14. A Winter’s Day
15. Moon Ride
16. Old Notebook
17. Amidst the Morning Mist
18. Alone in My Room
19. Night Drizzle
20. Dawn 
Lamp : Taiyo Someya, Yusuke Nagai, Kaori Sakakibara
Produced and Directed by Taiyo Someya 
Mixed by Taiyo Someya (except “Night Drizzle ” by Yusuke Nagai)
All arrangement by Lamp (except strings arrangement on “Alone in My Room” by Shin Rizumu) 
Recorded and Mastered by Shigeki Nakamura
https://linkco.re/gQtY1r1s

Translation Shinichiro Sato

The post Interview with Lamp, On Their Latest Album “Dusk to Dawn” and Unchanging Attitudes towards Music appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

Satoshi Suzuki
Born in Tokyo in July 1958, Suzuki Satoshi has been an active live house musician since 1977. He plays jazz piano, but his favorite music is soul music. Thus, the sound he produces is AOR.  
http://litera.in.coocan.jp/tealive.htm

Satoshi Suzuki is a “city pop artist” who has been creating solo music since the 1980s and has released several albums. He is an urban musician who is still an active performer and consistently performs live. However, even if we introduce him in this way, a very limited number of readers will be able to link this information to the right face. And it’s no wonder because Satoshi Suzuki is an amateur musician who has never had a hit or made his mark on the major music scene in his career but continues to play music in his own way.

In recent years, however, an LP records he released 35 years ago has suddenly gained attention from a bunch of music fans in Japan and abroad. Satoshi Suzuki’s music has fascinated edgy DJs, “diggers,” and a particular type of listeners enjoying the music in venues and nightclubs in Tokyo. They were exposed to his music as if they unexpectedly encountered something that had been stored in a time capsule without being seen by anyone, and have listened to it cherishingly.

The intimate home-recorded sound has a warm and delicate charm that is reminiscent of the DIY soul and AOR that has been discovered in the last decade or so, such as Jeff Phelps, Dwight Sykes, Chuck Senrick, and Joe Tossini. Well, no, it may not make much sense to try to appeal to the “music geek” crowds by putting together seemingly plausible nouns like these and trying to sound clever. Suzuki’s music is different from the type of music that will be enthusiastically supported by the majority, but is something that is sure to capture the hearts of a particular type of people.

This time, the sound sources produced in the past have been compiled and released as a compilation record entitled, “Distant Travel Companion,” by the Portland, OR-based label, Incidental Music. The release of this album is a particularly joyous occasion among a series of such events, as various Japanese music produced in the past has recently been reevaluated across oceans.

On the occasion of the release, we had the pleasure to sit down and talk to Suzuki about his career, the evolution of his musical practices, and the impetus for this release.

From a precocious listener to a musician

— First of all, can you tell us your birth year and where you were born?

Satoshi Suzuki (Suzuki): I was born in Tokyo in July 1958. I have lived all my life in Ikebukuro.

–Have you always loved music since you were a child?

Suzuki: Yes, I have. From the time I was in junior high school, I loved to listen to a kind of music that can be said to be the forerunner of what is now called “city pop,” like HAPPY END, Caramel Mama, Tin Pan Alley. At the time, I often listened to radio personality Baba Kozue’s radio programs, such as the Thursday episode of TBS Radio’s Pack in Music and こずえの深夜営業(Kozue’s Late Night Business), and she often played kinds of music I just mentioned. I first heard Yumi Arai and Minako Yoshida’s debut album, Haruomi Hosono’s Hosono House, and Eiichi Otaki’s first solo, Eiichi Otaki  all through the radio.

–So you were a very precocious listener.

Suzuki: Yes, perhaps I was, because until the mid-1970s, the mainstream was kayo kyoku (Japanese pop music) and a new form of folk music called new music.

For today’s interview, I brought audio cassette tapes that I edited myself in 1977. I bought all the singles I could get and dubbed them. (Looking at the index card) It contains Taeko Onuki’s Wander Lust, Ashita kara drama (明日から、ドラマ; literally: From tomorrow, there will be a drama), Yoshitaka Minami’s Korede Jyunbi Okay (これで準備OK; literally: We are ready with this), Sobakasu no Aru Shojo (そばかすのある少女; literally: Girl with Freckles), Minako Yoshida’s Shooting Star of Love part2,” Ami Ozaki’s Tabi (旅; literally: Journey) Hi-Fi Set’s Kaze no Machi (風の街; literally: The Town of Wind), Ginji Ito’s Kaze ni Narerunara (風になれるなら; literally: If I could be the wind), Yumi Matsutoya’s Torn by the sea Breeze, Hiroshi Kamayatsu’s A Seventeen in Satin Dress, and Makoto Kubota’s Bye Bye Baby. 

–(Looking at the index card) You also wrote the credits for the musicians yourself, didn’t you?

Suzuki: From that time on, I was checking personnel lists in liner notes and got every single sound source that Tin Pan Alley was involved as a backing band. After I left high school, I started working part-time at a record store in Ekoda, so I ordered and bought everything I wanted myself (laughs).

–When did you start playing music by yourself?

Suzuki：I started a band with my classmates when I was in high school, and after graduation I started playing at music venues in 1977. We played quite a few times at Red House in Koenji, The Loft in Ogikubo, Yamaha in Shibuya, and other music venues in Tokyo.

I was playing keyboards and taking vocals, and two other members were playing acoustic guitar and singing, so we were a trio. I tried my best to buy a Fender Rhodes early on and used it for live performances. In terms of band composition, it was simple, but I was a big fan of Carole King and James Taylor, so I was aiming for something more sophisticated than cheesy folk music. The chorus of the three of us was also an essential element. I had the two guitarists study the performances of James Taylor and Tadahide Yoshikawa.

–Did you have original songs in your repertoire at that time?

Suzuki: Yeah. After graduating high school, I went to Shobi Music Academy (now Shobi Music College), where I studied composition. The course was meant to be classical composition, but I was composing pop music (laughs). I was in a relatively free environment, where I was allowed to interact with students in the jazz department. I spent my days studying classical music theory and the Berklee method of jazz. After studying jazz theory, I became able to use chords for bossa nova, and my experience there became a great source of inspiration for my later music compositions.

–Did you also listen to soul music?

Suzuki：I did listen to soul music. Quincy Jones’ A&M era albums were released all at once as Japanese editions, and I bought them, which was how I was first exposed to soul-kind of music. After the 1980s, I started listening to what is called “black contemporary” music.

–What about AOR?

Suzuki：Of course, I love it. From Michael Franks to Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs, I used to buy their records a lot.

— You described your own music on the obi of the album Shumatsu no Hikari to Kaze(週末の光と風; litereally: Weekend Light and Wind), which was released later, as “40% jazz, 30% soul, 20% Brazilian, 10% kayo kyoku.” So that was a true reflection of your musical experiences at that time, right?

Suzuki：Yes, exactly.

–What happened to your band after that?

Suzuki：We were active for about eight years from 1977 until about 1985. However, we all started working and got busy, and naturally disbanded.

— Did you make any recordings with the band?

Suzuki：We recorded our songs in one take. The songs used to be on the Internet a long time ago.

Starting home recording in the 1980s

–When did you start home recording by yourself?

Suzuki：I started it in 1983, when I got a multitrack recorder TEAC 244. Until then, overdubbing was a very time-consuming process for amateurs. Like, you had to set up two decks and do ping-pong recording, so the MTR was a real breakthrough.

— How did you make strings parts?

Suzuki：I mainly used the YAMAHA CS01, which I have with me today. I also used the YAMAHA DX-7, which had just been released, and a Casio synthesizer. The DX-7 was such a revolutionary instrument. Until then, polyphonic synthesizers had limitations in many aspects.

–Have you ever thought of trying the techno-pop or New Wave music that was popular back then?

Suzuki: No. I wanted to stick to sophisticated music. After peaking in the early 1980s, the city pop sound stagnated, but I think that was largely due to the rise of New Wave music. New Wave music is derived from punk, and its underlying philosophy is to destroy existing music, which was different from what I liked.

But I naturally heard about it. I had a colleague who loved New Wave at the company I worked at in 1983. On the other hand, my boss liked Cassiopeia and AB’s and played their records at work. And I was rather attracted to them. I was working at the software development department of Rittor Music, so obviously, everyone in the workplace was a music lover.

–Wait, you worked at Rittor Music?

Suzuki: Just a short period, though (laughs). After that, I worked at synthesizer player Shigenori Kamiya’s studio.

–-Was that so?

Suzuki: Kamiya’s father was a painter, and he had converted his father’s studio into a music studio. Before I joined the company, various musicians, such as Akira Sakata and Shuichi “Ponta” Murakami, used that studio. There were a lot of magnificent instruments, including a real Mellotron. However, my job was not directly related to studio work but software development, just as during my time at Rittor.

— So, while doing this kind of work for a living, you recorded your music on a daily basis and released them in the form of LPs in the late 1980s?

Suzuki: Yeah, exactly. 

–Since the Internet became commonplace, self-releasing has not been so unusual, but there must have been many challenges to independently releasing a record back then.

Suzuki: Surprisingly, in my opinion, it was not so difficult. There were many New Wave indie labels, such as Nagom Records, and many people in that genre were independently producing their own records. Those examples made me want to make a record myself. Then I looked into how to release it, and it turned out that a company called Athene Record Ind. Co., Ltd. (Now known as Athene Corporation) could serve as a contact for production.

–Athene Record is now well known among enthusiasts as a prestigious independent record manufacturer.

Suzuki: It was a company that manufactured records mainly for educational purposes. I remember going to a meeting and being addressed by a serious-looking employee in a suit (laughs). I brought the master I had made to the Athene Record and had it converted into a master tape for cutting.

–You have released a total of three LPs. In what order were they released?

Suzuki：I don’t remember exactly when I released them. But I probably released Mandheling Street in 1987, followed by Shumatsu no Hikari to Kaze in 1988, and then Natsu ga Miseru Yume (夏が見せる夢; literally: The Dream Summer Shows). The songs in Mandheling Street and Natsu ga Miseru Yume were produced in parallel at the same time since 1983, and are mainly made up of rearranged versions of songs that I originally played in the band and recorded by myself. In my mind, Natsu ga Miseru Yume was considered the first album, but Mandheling Street had more cheerful songs, so I released it first (laughs). Shumatsu no Hikari to Kaze contains new songs that I wrote after 1987.

–You also directed the production of the sleeve, didn’t you?

Suzuki: Yes, I did.

–It may be rude to put it this way, but considering that it is an independently released record, the quality of the printing is incredibly high.

I worked for an advertising agency after working at Mr. Kamiya’s studio. The company is called Real Creative Agency, which is credited as the name of the label. The company created pretty much everything, so they had expertise in design and printing direction. The design was done by a designer at the company. He was happy to take on work for my record, saying, “I’ve always wanted to design a record.” (Laughs.) Younger people might not be able to imagine this, but those were the days when we were still submitting physical drafts for printing.

–The cover photo of Shumatsu no Hikari to Kaze, which is also used for the jacket of this compilation, is particularly wonderful.

Suzuki: My wife took this photo. It is a composition looking out over the outer moat from the platform of Ichigaya Station. The advertising agency where I worked was located in Ichigaya, so I used to pass by here every day (laughs).

— How did you distribute the finished recordings?

Suzuki: I did all the sales and delivery myself. However, since each title has only 100 copies, I only wholesaled it to some selected stores like “Yamano Gakki” and “Otomushi” in Ekoda. I also sent them to music magazines. Keyboard Magazine and Sinpu Journal introduced it. I also remember receiving orders from people living in other parts of the country, and I sent them out.

A compilation released by a Portland-based label in U.S.A.

–So the LPs you released about 35 years ago have been passed on to a later generation of listeners, and finally a compilation has been released by the Portland, OR-based label INCIDENTAL MUSIC, How do you feel about this development?

Suzuki：It feels surreal. To be honest, there were a lot of gaps in the sound back then. Compared to the sound I am making now, I think I could have done more (laughs); people probably find this sparse sound interesting, though.

— It is filled with a kind of intimacy and sense of romanticism that only music produced by an amateur musician in his everyday life can have. I think this delicate and private texture, which is not present in “products” released by major labels, captures the ears and hearts of younger listeners.

Suzuki：Nowadays, everything can be programmed on DAW. In that sense, the texture of these songs is entirely different from today’s sound. The drum sounds were also made with the rhythm machines of that time. Among others, the extensive use of the Rhodes Piano is what creates this texture. Today, we add long notes of synthesizers instead, but the fact that songs have actual sounds of the piano played by a human gives them a more handmade feel.

— The lyrics are also very nice and feel like some kind of literatures. They have a slightly fragile air of that era of Tokyo, or some sense of loneliness. 

Suzuki: Thank you very much. I put stories into the lyrics, but I write everything as fiction.

— This compilation also includes three songs from a later CD album, “Kokoro Kanawanai Natsu soshite Fuyu (心適わない夏、そして秋; literally; Heart Incongruous Summer and Autumn), also self-produced in 1993, which shows a change in sound compared to each of the songs on the LPs.

Suzuki: I used a different drum machine and a different Casio synthesizer. It may also feature funk-like songs written in a minor key.

–Can you tell us how the release of this compilation happened? 

Suzuki：Austin Tretwold of INCIDENTAL MUSIC accidentally found some of my songs uploaded on SoundCloud. So, one day, I received a message from him, and while exchanging messages, I introduced and sent some of the songs from the previous LPs. And he said, “These are great, so why don’t you make a compilation?”

At that time, I already knew Kunitomo of pianola record (where the interview took place), so I asked him, “I received an inquiry like this. What do you think?” Then I found out that Kunitomo’s label (conatala) and INCIDENTAL MUSIC had already worked together to release a reissue of Pale Cocoon’s Mayu (繭; literally: cocoon) several years ago.

–Oh, so Kunitomo was not the person who introduced you to Mr. Austin, was he?

Suzuki：No, he wasn’t. The release was decided as a result of a series of coincidences.

–Did Austin selected songs for the record?

Suzuki：Yes. I gave him all the past sound sources and asked him to choose as he liked. It was an eye-opening experience. He chose many bossa-nova-kind of songs, which I found interesting. The sound sources themselves were all re-mixed in a DAW this time.

Austin initially suggested the idea of mixing in some of the more recent songs to make a compilation, but I wanted to distinguish them from older ones. Obviously, the sound I am working on now is different from what is included in this record, and what is collected here is only “Satoshi Suzuki’s work from the 1980s to the early 1990s.”

— You are still actively performing live, and I have seen your shows several times. But when I saw your live performance for the first time, I was surprised by your unique setup. While playing rhythms recorded on cassette tape, you sing and use a YAMAHA CS01 with a strap attached as a shoulder keyboard.

Suzuki: My performance is based on that style. It has always been that style since 1983, when I started performing solo. It all started when I noticed that YMO used cassette tapes on their last national tour. So I thought it must be “okay” for me to use them in a live show just because the legends were doing them (laughs).

–It’s fascinating that you are actually playing cassette tapes, instead of using a rhythm machine or a laptop. The way you switch the cassette tapes after performing each song looks wonderful, like a bluesman switching blues harps depending on the key.

Suzuki: First and foremost, I want the audience to see how the cassette tapes are arranged on stage and how I replace them one after another (laughs). The sound of those cassettes is output with line from the synths I play, not from the PA, which also creates a unique sound texture.

–I would love for everyone reading this interview to see your live performance.

Suzuki：Yeah, please come and visit. I have my recent songs uploaded on various websites, so I would like people reading this to listen to them as well.

Translation Shinichiro Sato
Photography Mayumi Hosokura

■Satoshi Suzuki Distant Travel Companion (LP)
Price: ¥4,200

Distant Travel Companion is a compilation of songs selected from the rare tracks of Satoshi Suzuki, a singer-songwriter still active today, released from the 1980s to the 1990s.

JP
https://pianola-records.com/collections/distro/products/satoshi-suzuki-distant-travel-companion

EN
https://incidental-music.com/shop-releases/satoshi-suzuki-distant-travel-companion-lp-pre-order

The post DIY City Pop Artist Satoshi Suzuki Looks Back on His Musical Practices Since the 1980s appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

STUTS
STUTS is a producer and beatmaker born in 1989. In April 2021, he released “Presence,” the theme song for the TV drama Omameda Towako and Her Three Ex-Husbands. In October of the same year, he successfully did his solo live performance in STUDIO COAST. In October 2022, he released his third album, Orbit, and in December 2022, he released an album, Mirage, under the name Mirage Collective. In June 2023, he successfully held his first Nippon Budokan concert.
https://stutsbeats.com/
Twitter：@STUTS_atik
Instagram：＠stuts_atik
YouTube：@stuts0623

YONLAPA
YONLAPA is a four-piece indie pop band from Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second-largest city. Vocalist Noi Naa started her musical career as a singer-songwriter, then the other members joined to form the band. Their song “Let Me Go” released in November 2019, went viral and received 2 million views on YouTube. In 2020, they released their debut EP “FIRST TRIP”. After the pandemic, they experienced their first Japan tour in 2022 and performed with Japanese bands such as never young beach and DYGL, which were enormously well-received by Japanese audiences. In 2023, they released their first full-length album LINGERING GLOAMING.
Twitter：@yonlapaband
Instagram：@yonlapa
Facebook：@yonlapaband
YouTube：@YONLAPA

On September 30 and October 1, the festival called “EPOCHS – Music & Art Collective” was held for the first time in Karuizawa, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its town government. In conjunction with this event, a collaboration song “Two Kites” had been produced by STUTS, a Japanese producer/composer who performed at the event, in collaboration with Noi Naa, a vocalist of YONLAPA, an indie rock band based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We spoke with both artists about various topics, including stories around the song’s production, the Thai music scene, and the possibilities for exchange in the field of indie music.

–Could you tell us about what made this collaboration happen?

STUTS: The festival asked me to create a theme song for “EPOCHS ~Music & Art Collective~.” At first, I was working on an instrumental piece, but then we came up with the idea of featuring one of the vocalists who would perform at the festival. I was told about YONLAPA, and when I listened to it, it was so wonderful that I was like, “Let’s make it together with them! ” 

I was immediately drawn to YONLAPA’s music by her voice and melodies. Although it has a soft and organic atmosphere, there are some unusual elements here and there, such as odd meters, which I found very interesting in a good way. I thought they were a fantastic band.

Noi Naa: I have been listening to STUTS’ music for a long time, including the collaboration tune with Phum Viphurit, “Dream Away” (2018), which I thought was wonderful. So, I was delighted to hear about this project. At the same time, putting my vocals on the track was something I had never done before, and I thought it would be a challenging collaboration.

–How did you work on it?

STUTS: I made the track, had my band members add a bit of guitar and clarinet sounds, and Noi Naa added the melody. Since the original version was intended to be an instrumental, there were a few more synthesizer notes than in the finished version. Noi Naa wrote a melody that made the most of those synthesizer phrases. It turned out to be a great collaboration.

–Noi Naa, you wrote the lyrics as well, right?

Noi Naa: Yes, I did. It was a totally different feeling from putting words on a band ensemble, so I rewrote the lyrics many times, adding and subtracting words.

–As exemplified by the word “kite” in the title, the image of “transcending borders,” which is encapsulated by the song, leaves a striking impression on us.

Noi Naa: I heard the keywords like “borderless” and “freedom” when I got an offer for this collaboration, and I thought about them a lot. However, when I listened to STUTS’ track, such an image immediately unfolded inside me. Attracted to the sense of being able to go anywhere and the idea of a world without walls, I started to put what was on my mind into words.

Sharing sensibilities through music

–What, if anything, is interesting about the experience of collaborating with artists from different regions/cultures?

STUTS: It was interesting to feel in the production process that we could share our sensibilities through music, even without detailed communication in language. In addition to a few themes that Noi Naa has just mentioned, I had a vague image associated with the song, which I conveyed to her. The lyrics she wrote were so incredible that made me feel that my inner mental landscape was richly expressed through the music.

The title of the song, “Two Kites,” refers to a piece by Antonio Carlos Jobim, whom I like very much, and that idea came to me when I read Noi Naa’s lyrics.

–Looking back, how was the project for you, Noi Naa? 

Noi Naa: I was very nervous (laughs). I had always thought that collaborating with artists from outside my country would surely result in new music, so this was an excellent opportunity for my future musical practices.

–Looking at the music scene over the past ten years or so, collaborations are increasing, and the sense of distance between artists from different parts of Asia is becoming much closer. Do you feel the same way?

STUTS: I think so. The environment that allows us to listen to various kinds of music without barriers, such as YouTube and streaming, has become the base of our practices.

Noi Naa：I agree. When I was a student, it was not easy to collaborate with other artists, whether in Thailand or abroad. It took a lot of negotiations and coordination to make it happen. As music streaming became more widespread, the world of music expanded, and information barriers disappeared. As STUTS has just mentioned, I feel that music has become a substitute for language, with which we can now communicate. I think that the number of connections and opportunities has increased, and as a result, artists in Asia have been able to build good relationships with each other.

–While technology is advancing, I feel that the importance of the community connected through “people” is also increasing. From the perspective of exchange between artists in Asia, the presence of Mr. Budda Terao of BIG ROMANTIC RECORDS, who has also organized YONLAPA’s Japan tour in 2022, is particularly important.

STUTS: Yeah, absolutely true. When I performed in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Mr. Terao was a great help to me.

Noi Naa：I have always wanted to perform overseas with the band. And when I asked the members which country they wanted to visit, they all answered “Japan.” Then Mr. Terao gave us an offer for a tour in Japan. We can’t thank him enough (laughs).

The real situation of Thailand’s indie music scene

–What is Thai indie music scene is like now?

Noi Naa: The indie scene is thriving now. Major music used to be more exciting, but now the situation is reversed. More teenagers are starting bands, and some bands from the older generation that have been on hiatus for a while are starting up again.

As I mentioned earlier, with the spread of streaming, it has become possible to create and distribute music without labels or auditions freely, and it has become easier for indie musicians to be active compared to the past. Exchanges are taking place in various places, and the scene as a whole is getting bigger and bigger.

–STUTS, have you ever been to Thailand?

STUTS: Yes, I have. I went there to shoot the music video for “Dream Away,” a collaboration piece with Phum Viphurit. I wasn’t able to visit any music venues or clubs then, but I have been familiar with the music of Thai artists since then, such as the band H 3 F from Bangkok.

–I understand that the members of YONLAPA are based in your hometown of Chiang Mai, but is there a different atmosphere from that of the Bangkok scene?

Noi Naa: This is just my personal impression, but the city’s environment and atmosphere are different in the first place. Bangkok, the capital, is a crowded city full of vehicles and buildings, but Chiang Mai is a city in the north surrounded by mountains, so there is a lot of nature and a peaceful atmosphere. It is kind of a free atmosphere where you can drive to the mountains to climb as soon as you feel like it.

This atmosphere is reflected in the sounds and lyrics of Chiang Mai artists. The atmosphere in Chiang Mai has nothing to do with a strong ambition to make a name for oneself or to be commercially successful. In contrast, in the music industry in Bangkok, everyone is focused on how they can sell their music and what kind of needs there are. But again, that’s just my impression (laughs).

STUTS: Are there many bands in the Chiang Mai scene?

Noi Naa: There are a lot of bands, but many of them are not very well known. The challenge in the scene is how to get them to be widely heard. In Chiang Mai, there are almost no labels or backstage staff, and no music venue exists. Everyone plays in music bars. But this situation does not necessarily motivate musicians to go to Bangkok to make a big name for themselves. They all simply love Chiang Mai. The landscape will change once the management system in Chiang Mai is established.

What I want to say is that …we just happened to be approached, and we were really lucky! (laughs)

— Do you want your music to be widely heard globally, without being bound by community or geographical region?

STUTS: I am not particularly focused on a global market, but I have always felt strongly that I would like my music to be heard not only in Japan but also across various borders.

Noi Naa: I am not particularly conscious of “being global” either. Rather, I strongly desire to give form to the music that flows through my head as it is, so that I may be intentionally distancing myself from such ideas.

Of course, I love global music in the first place, and that taste is surely reflected in our music. Objectively speaking, I am sure that the music of Thai artists besides ours will also be accepted in the global field.

— On the other hand, I feel that your music has some elements that are unique to Tokyo and Chiang Mai, where you are based.

STUTS: I am not conscious of this either, but when I write songs while traveling, for example, the air and environment of the place can change my sound on a subconscious level, so the fact that I usually live and work in Tokyo may have an unintentional influence on my songs. Maybe some sort of regionality or some kind of local atmosphere. 

–Noi Naa, how do you feel about this?

Noi Naa: This goes along with what I said earlier, but I feel that if I focus on “how I, as a person living in Chiang Mai, can incorporate the regional character into the music,” I will not be able to express what is genuinely on mind adequately. However, as STUTS said, if I lived in a different place, I would be able to reflect the elements of that place. Also, as I subconsciously feel the land where I am standing now, what I make may naturally reflect the elements of that land. However, my priority is to “express what I am feeling right now.”

–Lastly, the collaboration song “Two Kites” will be performed on stage at “EPOCHS – Music & Art Collective” on September 30. How do you feel now?

STUTS: I am really looking forward to it. We will be performing with a band, so I think people will be able to enjoy the original sounds with a more live music twist.

Noi Naa: I am very nervous (laughs)! I usually sing on stage while holding a guitar, but for Two Kites” I only sing, so I was wondering where I should hold my hands (laughs). But I’m sure it will be a great stage, so I’m really looking forward to it. I hope everyone will come and see it.

Photography Tameki Oshiro
Translation Shinichito Sato

■STUTS, Noi Naa (YONLAPA / from Thailand)　 Digital Single 「Two Kites」
https://stuts.lnk.to/TwoKites

The post STUTS and YONLAPA’s Vocalist Noi Naa, On “Music Beyond Borders”–Asian Collaboration on the Rise appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

REMIO
Graffiti writer based in Paris. A HUF ambassador who receives support not only from the art scene but from the street fashion world as well. He has made his mark far and wide, working in the underground scene and around the world. 
Instagram：@rrremio

The art exhibition held at THE PLUG on July 28th was a unique event that only HUF SET NFT holders could attend. As a HUF ambassador, REMIO was invited as the main guest. There, he exhibited his work, sold HUF collaboration items, and even painted live. We asked world-renowned graffiti artist REMIO about his fascination with graffiti and the artwork he creates. 

People who see the art can think about it
That’s the fun of graffiti art

– You collaborated with HUF for this exhibition. Can you remind us what your relationship is with the brand?

REMIO: To me, HUF = Keith (Keith Hufnagel, HUF’s founder). I’ve worked with him for close to twenty years, including when I did my first Japanese project. When I hear HUF, I’m reminded of him. I was also thinking of him when working on the exhibited pieces for this event.

– Can you share an anecdote about you and Keith?

REMIO: I remember when he called me up out of the blue one day saying, “Hey, do you need a studio? I have some space left here if you want to use it”, and prepared a huge space in the HUF office for me. I’ve been doing the same thing, graffiti art, since I was eighteen, but Keith was the one who got me to where I am now. I don’t think I could be standing here, where people can evaluate my art like this, if I had never met him. He’s always looked after me and provided me with big opportunities. 

– HUF SET is HUF’s first NFT event. How do you feel about NFTs?

REMIO: I think they’re genuinely interesting. I’ve done NFT projects and events with friends before. The possibilities that can be derived from NFTs are infinite.

– You also made NFT art for this event. Is there a difference between that art and the graffiti you usually create?

REMIO: No, what I make on the street and digitally are the same. Graffiti is the same wherever you choose to express it, whether it’s on a sticker, a canvas, on some sort of label, or an NFT. It doesn’t matter. Everything’s exactly the same. 

– Then what is the appeal of graffiti art to you?

REMIO: When you see a “REMIO” tag on the street, you might think, “What is this?” I find it interesting that the people who see it then think about what “REMIO” is. One time, I overheard an older woman on the train who saw my tag talking on the phone saying, “I wonder what REMIO is?” (laughs). I like when things like that happen. When I’m tagging in town, I have to do it quickly in about three minutes before someone catches me. That tension is captured well in graffiti, which is another thing that’s appealing about the artform. 

– I feel like your displayed works convey that well.

REMIO: I was able to work on the pieces you see in the exhibition for two days, which is much longer than usual! The “R” in my graffiti is unique, character-like, and usually immediately recognizable. But for this collaboration, I used HUF SET as a concept and created a character out of the letter “H” instead, drawing some variations of that. I drew the HUF SET graffiti on the canvas displayed in the entrance, but the “E” you see here is drawn with just two curves. This is partly due to the influence of single-stroke calligraphy, but these are also naturally occurring lines that have been ingrained in me from trying to draw quickly. I think this is also a reflection of graffiti culture.

– As you mentioned earlier, the cartoon-like character you drew in “H” is fun and impactful. It’s very characteristic of your style. How did this character come about?

REMIO: Other writers had already drawn characters in their work before. The reason I started incorporating it in my work was because I had drawn the “R” of my writer name, REMIO, like an icon. The bent bottom of the “R” had started to look like feet and a mouth, which is why I added eyes and sunglasses and began to draw it like a character. But what’s important is the bottom of the “R”, because you see it and immediately recognize it as my work. So when I collaborate with someone, I make it special by changing the top of the face.

– Where did you get the inspiration for this character’s facial expressions?

REMIO: I’ve liked Disney animation since I was a kid, and I also draw inspiration from the characters on the packaging of snacks and drinks sold at Japanese convenience stores. I’ve come to Japan over ten times now, but it’s fascinating because I discover something new every time.

– What are your roots in terms of drawing characters?

REMIO: I’m from Norway, so I think my roots are in the books that I had as a kid and in the characters on the Eastern European children’s cartoons I was allowed to watch once a week. With that as my background, I’ve been drawing ever since I was a child, which has led me to where I am today.

Constantly drawing something as if meditating

REMIO: I’ve always been close with the TOKYO ZOMBIE crew. Also with MINT, who helped me with this exhibition. There are many other Japanese graffiti artists who are successful abroad, and there are a lot of youth participating, so it feels like the scene is firmly rooted in the culture. I think Japanese graffiti, not just an imitation of other graffiti, exists on its own, 

– Thank you. Lastly, please tell us about your future endeavors.

REMIO: I’m doing a pop-up event at Isetan in March of next year. I’m hoping to unveil the brand that I’m launching with my friends there. I might also work on a project with MINT, who I mentioned earlier. I’d like you to check that out. I’ve also been getting requests to exhibit my work outside of Tokyo recently, like in Yamaguchi prefecture, the Kyushu region, and all around Japan. It would be fun to do a pop-up tour kind of thing. I’m going to keep working in Japan, so I’ll see you around.

Photography Kohei Omachi（W）
Translation Mimiko Goldstein

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Kim Seung-bok
Kim is the CEO of Cuon. She majored in contemporary poetry in the Department of Creative Writing at Seoul Institute of the Arts. After graduating in 1991, she moved to Japan and enrolled in the Department of Literary Arts at Nihon University College of Art. Having been a voracious reader of Korean poetry and novels from South Korea and her love of literature led her to launch the publishing company Cuon in 2007. In 2015, when she relocated the office, she took the opportunity to open a bookstore with a café called Chekccori, which specializes in South Korean books in Jimbocho, an area known for bookstores.

South Korea is considered both geographically the closest and yet one of the most distant countries from Japan due to its historical conflicts and divergent political views. On the other hand, there are many Japanese who enjoy visiting the country on vacation.  The younger Japanese generation is drawn to the Korean lifestyles and values through their exposure to K-pop, K-dramas, and movies. It is not surprising to encounter Japanese students, who diligently follow South Korean culture with enthusiasm and actually consider it as their dream country. In recent years, Cho Nam-joo’s novel Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (2020), sold 1.3 million copies in South Korea and was translated and published in 16 countries around the world. It was also made into a movie. The novel’s success sparked interest in South Korean literature among avid fans of K-pop, K-dramas, and films. The novel, which is regarded as a South Korean feminist novel, engendered deep sympathies among women around the world, with some saying that it gave them hope for the coming future era.

Why are Japanese people attracted to novels from South Korea? Makiko Saito, the translator of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, noted in her book,『韓国文学の中心にあるもの』(2022), about the strength of South Korean literature, that the popularity of South Korean literature is bolstered by the broad and enthusiastic support of readers. She wrote that the readership is so diverse and cannot be summed up in a single reason or thought. Upon reviewing their feedback, she realized that many people enjoyed reading the books, but more importantly, they provided sensible support in a world filled with absurdity, violence, and perplexity.

The place to find and enjoy South Korean literature in Japan is Checkkori, a bookstore located in Jimbocho, Tokyo. The bookstore’s name is taken from Korean and means “a place for children who finished studying a book at a Korean terakoya (a small private school) to celebrate and express their gratitude for the teacher’s guidance.” The store is a magnet for readers, researchers, and Japanese publishing professionals. It is managed by Cuon, a publishing company specializing in South Korean publications, which was started by the owner, Kim Seung-bok, 16 years ago. At that time, only about 20 translations of South Korean literature were published per year. She spoke of the days going around bookstores tirelessly to get the books placed. She carried on believing in the origin of the store name, which means: “All good things are loved by all and live a long life.” Today, many bookstores have a section dedicated to South Korean literature translated into Japanese, but Kim’s eyes gleamed with passion as she said, “There are still many excellent South Korean books yet to be published in Japanese.”

The world of South Korean literature in Japan relies on connections built by curiosity, passion, and solidarity of interests and ideas.

–-The books published by Cuon cover a range of fields and are usually offered in the form of a series. There are books by South Korean and Japanese intellectuals that evolve around their dialogue and delve into the differences as well as the similarities between the two countries. There are also books on humanities and society that offer insight into the history and psyche of South Korea from different perspectives. I heard that the book series of South Korean literature is highly acclaimed for the book design and the first book that came out was The Vegetarian (2016) by Han Kang, who was the first South Korean author to receive the Man Booker International Prize.  

Kim Seung-bok: On the cover of The Vegetarian, I put the number “01” since it was the first book of the series. I was once asked by a bookstore staff, “I see ‘01’ on the cover. How many books are you planning to publish? I need to make space on the shelves.” On the spot, I replied, “24 books.” The plan was to start with six books and then use the profit to publish additional six books. It was not easy to get to where we are today, but we managed to publish 23 books so far. After The Vegetarian was published, I heard someone saying, “My worldview on South Korean literature has changed.” This made me happy. We have to go to bookstores directly to pitch the books and ask to carry them. Otherwise, the readers will never come across the books we published. We have to keep on trying.

–It’s been 12 years since the first book. What are the projects that you are currently focusing on?

Kim: In addition to running the bookstore, publishing books, and connecting Japanese publishers to South Korean publishers, we organize book events and South Korean literature festivals as well as Korean translation competitions to discover and nurture translators. We also published a series of books under the name of “South Korean Literature Short Short,” targeting customers, who are not big readers but are interested in learning Korean. In this series, we featured a short story in Korean along with a Japanese translation so it’s accessible to any readers. In addition to that, we made readings in Korean available on YouTube.

When we find something interesting, we involve other people, who want to be part of the project. We are always looking for something new. If we meet someone that we want to work with, we are persistent about pursuing that person. I think these efforts have led to who we are today. It’s not just me, but it’s thanks to the passion of everyone involved.

–I attended an online event organized by Chekccori the other day. I heard that you hold about 100 events a year, which I believe is a lot of work. How are you managing the projects? And have you noticed any change in your readership? 　

Kim: We organize events to nurture a sense of solidarity in the community. It’s not only the readers, but we are also close to our translators and editors, who are on the production side. With them, we often discuss the concept of our next book and how to market it. Over the years, we have built mutual relationships with people who are involved in publishing to expand the market of South Korean literature. Nowadays we can find the South Korean literature section at bookstores in town.

It has been eight years since we started Chekccori, and I feel that the age range of our readers has dropped dramatically with the recent Hallyu boom. Teenagers who are fascinated by South Korea have a sparkle in their eyes from the moment they enter the store, and many readers are looking for books recommended by BTS and Hallyu stars as their favorite reading material. On the other hand, the number of customers interested in history and politics has also increased. Since the start of video streaming services, South Korean movies, and dramas have become readily available, so people seem to feel more cultural familiarity with South Korea. More and more people are saying, “South Korean literature is interesting,” and readers want to pick up different books. Not all books are easy to read, but they are gradually becoming known.

Brave words transcend borders and have the power to make society better

–I saw that there is a collection of poems published by Cuon. I sensed that literature and essays strongly appeal to the readers’ societal awareness. When it comes to poetry, how is it positioned in South Korean literature?

Kim: South Korea is a country that follows the tradition of Confucianism. In that context, reading books, composing poems, and reciting them are considered something very important. Literary figures are still respected today. So far, we published two books of South Korean poetry from Cuon as part of our poetry series, “Selection Korean Poetry.” The first one is Han Kang’s Put The Evening In The Drawer (2013). On the book band, it says, “Words of poems lead you to recover.” South Korean novels in Japanese are published in Japan nowadays, but there are very few contemporary South Korean poems in Japanese. We hope to introduce more of them. If our poetry books do well, I am sure Japanese publishers will be interested and that could lead to having more of them published.

In Japan and South Korea, the ways people express joy and sadness are slightly different. In Japan, tanka and haiku are popular. I saw that tanka is still popular among the younger generation, especially on social media. However, in South Korea, it’s poetry. People post short poem-like sentences with sleek backgrounds online. It almost feels as if this format is a staple of contemporary poetry in South Korea. Many people call themselves poets. (laughs) In other words, people of all ages are writing poems daily.

–Many South Korean feminist books, such as Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, have been translated into Japanese. Readers commented that they were encouraged or started to think about feminism and history in Japan after reading the works. It feels that South Korean literature created an opportunity to catalyze solidarity among women. Do you think Japanese readers feel a sense of affinity with the works of contemporary Korean authors? Conversely, did Japanese literature have any influence in South Korea?

Kim: The reason why so many essays by contemporary writers are read in Japan is that South Koreans and Japanese have similar sensibilities and can easily empathize with each other. In addition, the number of Japanese books translated and published in Korean is more than 10 times greater than the number of Korean books translated into Japanese, indicating that young South Koreans identify with Japanese literature. Although we speak different languages, I feel that we are in the same cultural sphere.

There is a well-known episode of Kim Yeon-su, one of the most famous novelists in South Korea today. He decided to become a novelist because he learned a new way of writing novels by reading Haruki Murakami. He was born in the 1970s and the novels he had read until then were mostly weighty works about North and South Korea, the Korean War, ideological battles, and so on. This naturally left an imprint on him on how novels were written. Therefore, when he encountered Murakami’s works, he felt that he could write novels with a sensibility that readers may understand his feelings without touching on complex themes. 

Murakami’s works, written in the first person, have had a major impact on Kim Yeon-su to the extent that they completely changed his concept of what a novel is. It’s not only Kim Yeon-su, but also Han Kang, Kim Jung-hyuk, and Kim Young-ha, who are now writers in their mid-50s, have written superb novels, which are greatly appreciated all over the world. One of the most appealing features of South Korean literature is that their works depict personal stories while at the same time cleverly incorporating the history and social issues of the country.

Japanese people seem to feel that heavy and painful South Korean novels express their thoughts. On the other hand, South Koreans are drawn to Japanese novels that depict soothing moments in daily life and happiness. It is the same with movies. While most South Korean movies are intense and have a strong message, Japanese movies are also very popular, and some get fixated on the leading male characters. It’s interesting as they are complementary.

“Good books prompt people to act after finishing reading them”

–In addition to Cuon, you also serve as an intermediary between Japanese and South Korean publishers. At the end of last year, three books by Kim Won-young, translated into Japanese were published around the same time. The first book, Desire Instead of Hope: Why Desire Should be Equal (2022) was published by Cuon, followed by The Case for ‘Wrongful Life’ (2022). If the first book was about the power of freedom and solidarity, the second one was about defending the disabled, the poor, and the sexual minorities. The third book, Becoming a Cyborg (2022), was co-authored with Kim Cho-yeop, the rising star of the new generation of South Korean science fiction writers. It presents a stimulating dialogue on examining technology not as a treatment to reach perfection but to live better with imperfection. What prompted you to introduce these books to Japanese publishers?

Kim: I came across Desire Instead of Hope as I was looking for a book written in Korean by an author with disabilities.  This was after I read『家族だから愛したんじゃなくて、愛したのが家族だった』(2020) by Nami Kishida, a delightful account of the author’s daily life with her brother with intellectual disabilities.

All of Kim Won-young’s books were deeply thought-provoking, unlike Kishida’s book, which was enjoyable to read. After I read them, several Japanese editors came to my mind who might be interested in the topic or see them as a way to expand the distribution channels. I immediately sent a proposal and asked them to read the book to which they responded promptly. They decided to publish the books right away. Good books prompt people to act. In my case, if I think it’s fun, I will take action instantly. If it’s not fun, I quit right away and start something else right away. (laughs)

We are planning to move to a larger store in the near future. The plan is to feature books from different countries every month and organize events. In 2019, we organized an event with book critics and translators titled, “Invitation to Asian Literature @ Chekccori” to introduce works from Thailand, Tibet, and China. This led to our involvement in the publication of 『絶縁』(2022), an anthology of popular authors from nine cities in Asia. Thanks to the book, it generated interest in Tibetan literature, which led to having the novel being nominated in the translation category of the Japan Booksellers’ Award and eventually to the publication of a book. These are good trends. I heard that South Korean literature is a model case for how to draw attention to Asian literature in Japan. I would like to collaborate with those who are involved in Asian literature in Japan to build momentum. The people who will benefit the most are the Japanese-speaking readers who can read Asian literature in their language.

Earlier this year, I introduced a North Korean novel, Friend: A Novel from North Korea (2020) by Paek Nam-nyong to a Japanese publisher and the book came out. Since Korean is spoken in North Korea and Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in China, I would like to introduce a variety of works written in places other than South Korea to readers in Japan in the future.

*Kim Won-young was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta at a young age and went through a number of hospitalization and operations while growing up. He lived only in the hospital and at home until age 14. When he was 15, he entered the middle school of a special needs school. After attending a general high school, college, and graduate school, he went on to become a lawyer. He is also a writer and performer.

Photography Seiji Kondo
Translation Fumiko.M

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Keiko Suyama
Born in Tokyo and has lived in Paris for 20 years. She holds an MBA in Brand Management from INSTITUT FRANCAIS DE LA MODE. In 2010, she established Dessigne, a consulting company specializing in brand strategy, sales and communication, from Japan to the European market. In 2016, she started a conceptual project called “Bijo,” curating J-Beauty and lifestyle brands. She has clients in some 150 stores across 20 countries, from major department stores such as Harrods, Le Bon Marché, Ritz Paris, and Sephora.

“J-Beauty” has been gaining attention in the Western beauty industry. The beauty regimen that symbolizes Japanese beauty, derived from traditionally cultivated aesthetics, concepts and customs, has slowly become a part of the daily lives of people around the world. “J-Beauty report from Europe” introduces the J-Beauty brands which are gaining popularity in Europe while also digging into the ancient methods of Japanese beauty. The series is supervised by Keiko Suyama, who represents the brand Dessigne and has lived in Paris for over 20 years, consulting with Japanese beauty brands looking to expand into the European market. With Suyama, we explore various Japanese aesthetics and the driving forces behind the J-Beauty trend in Europe.

The tenth installment is the Swiss-based perfume brand Floraïku Paris, which combines haiku and scent. The starting point is a trip to Japan by literature-loving co-founder Clara Molloy with her husband. She was fascinated by Japan’s unique aesthetic sense and literature, especially haiku, and embodying the idea of perfume that spins a story through the sense of smell. Ms. Suyama is also one of the people who was captivated by Floraïku Paris’s universe which evokes all kinds of emotions. We asked Clara, who is well versed not only in haiku but also in Japanese traditions, about the poetic Japanese aesthetic that is the source of the brand.

Branding based on traditions such as Japanese kōdō, o-cha, and ikebana

––First of all, please tell us about Floraïku Paris.

Clara Molloy：The whole approach lies in this attention to the sense of beauty linked to a sublimation of everyday gestures and awareness, at the heart of Asian culture and literature. Our collections are based on traditional ceremonies: kōdō (incense ceremony), o-cha (tea ceremony) and ikebana (floral art), and the boutique experience aims to take the time, over a tea, to discover each fragrance according to one’s desire. To “listen” to them and to welcome what they guide us towards sweetness, impetus, memory… Then, the work of detail carried out on each bottle, by the patterns and the double use of the stopper which becomes a travel case, the importance of the naturalness of the compositions in homage to the richness of mother earth…, everything contributes to living the perfume as an art of living in itself.

––What motivated you to start  Floraïku Paris?

Clara：It all started with a trip we took with my husband John, to Japan in 2008. We went to Naoshima, the island known for being dedicated to art with many museums that had just been built. We were practically alone to enjoy the place. We then visited Tokyo and Kyoto, this unique atmosphere surrounded us captivating our hearts with its beautiful contrasts and shadows. This is how our desire was born, carried by a sense of culture, refinement and rituals related to time, which we strongly felt there. It made us think of an olfactory ceremony to celebrate nature, arts and beauty. It took time, as we had just launched our first perfume brand Memo Paris, but the seed was planted! And in 2017, we create Floraïku Paris.

––How did you get to know about haiku in the first place?

Clara：As I said, I’m passionate about literature and a writer, so I read a lot, and I’m deeply moved by haiku, that very short form in three lines, traditional and typical of Japanese poetry. Its intensity and delicacy, in such a brief moment, echo my own imagination, and the fact that it’s often linked to the seasons, to natural movement, made me wonder; when I read a haiku, I can imagine it, it an intense visual and emotional sensation. But could I also smell it? I had the idea that such a short, powerful olfactory poem might be possible. Floraïku Paris is the result of this vision, linking Flora, flowers and nature, to haiku and poetry.

––Can you tell us about the bestseller and signature products?

Clara：All over the world, I know our fans love “One Umbrella For Two.” I can relate, it’s a composition that combines a sweet, fruity, gourmand blackcurrant absolute with Genmaicha tea extract and cedarwood oil. The inspiration comes from a traditional Japanese umbrella named wagasa, and the haiku tells: Our eyes raise to the sky / No rain / One umbrella for two.

In terms of iconic fragrances, I’m thinking of our Shadowing collection, which consists of two scents: “Sleeping On The Roof” and “Between Two Trees.” This duo is really special for me, because we’re introducing a new way of wearing perfume. You’re familiar with layering, but shadowing is different: the idea is to reveal your favorite Floraïku Paris fragrance with a light (Sleeping on the roof) or dark (Between two trees) shadow, as you wish, by applying your fragrance and a shadow side by side. The image of the shadow, its presence and design, inspires me, and I know that Ikebana, as the art of arranging flowers, the forms they create through light, is as important as the bouquet itself. I wanted to develop this beautiful idea for the perfume.

Last, our Asian clients love the romantic citrusy sensuality of “Juste A Rose,” the intense woody notes of “Golden Eyes”, “I Am Coming Home” a fresh spicy composition of White Tea and Cardamom Oil, “In The Dark” for its aromatic floral heart and “In The Rain” a beautiful water lily opening a fruity woody fragrance.

Staying as close as possible to our intuitions and convictions

––What feedback have you received from your customers?

Clara：They can feel and appreciate all the work behind the perfume. The balance of the notes and accords, the design of the bottle… I think their emotion comes from the multitude of small attentions as if the magic was operating by discovering little by little the puzzle to be formed and the image to appear progressively: revealing a precious perfume. The haiku engraved on the back of the bottle, the inspiring, colorful and contemporary design of the caps, all different, the delicacy of the purse spray, participate, I hope, to the satisfaction of our customers.

––Finally, please share with us your vision of the future.

Clara：Staying as close as possible to our intuitions and convictions, without trying to follow the moment or the trend. Continue to be secretly sensual and discreetly audacious, both grounded and ethereal, with roots and clouds, body and soul. And with love, because it’s all about love. And we hope that more and more fragrance lovers in Japan will enjoy Floraïku Paris.

The post J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 10: a poetic story of Floraïku Paris spun with haiku and scent appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

Mieko Kawakami 
Mieko Kawakami was born in Osaka. In 2018, she received the Akutagawa Prize for Breasts and Eggs (the novella version). She was awarded the Chuya Nakahara Prize for her poetry collection, Sentan de sasu wa sasareru wa sora ee wa, in 2009. In 2010, Kawakami was awarded the culture minister’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists and the Murasaki Shibu Prize for Heaven. She won the Takami Jun Prize for her poetry collection, Water Vessel, and the Tanizaki Prize for Dreams of Love, etc. in 2013, the Watanabe Junichiro Prize for Akogare in 2016, and the Mainichi Publishing Cultural Award for Breasts and Eggs in 2019. Her other books include Ashes of Spring. Breasts and Eggs will be published in over 40 countries, and the English version of Heaven was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022. In February 2023, All the Lovers in the Night was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Awards. 
Twitter：@mieko_kawakami
https://www.mieko.jp/books

In this installment, we spoke to author Mieko Kawakami, whose latest novel, Sisters in Yellow (in Japanese), was published by Chuo Koron Shinsha in February. Her popularity abroad has skyrocketed over the past few years, exemplified by Heaven being shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and All the Lovers in the Night being shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Awards.  

In Sisters in Yellow, the protagonist, 15-year-old Hana Ito, meets Kimiko, a friend of her mother who works at a Japanese snack bar and starts living with her for several years until she reaches her 20s. With no place of belonging, Hana is at the mercy of money and a place to live. Her life with her pseudo-family, including two people around her age, changes shape as the novel progresses. Sisters in Yellow first made waves as a serialized story in a newspaper, and though some time has passed since its release, you can still find stacks of copies at bookstores across Japan. What did Kawakami put into the novel, which speaks to the times we live in today, and what is her role as an author?  

Find the right moment to strike and go for it

—Some time has passed since the publication of Sisters in Yellow. How has the reception been so far? 

Mieko Kawakami: I received many responses that stuck out to me, but I was happy to see that many people grew attached to the protagonist, Hana Ito, and wanted to see her through to the end.  

—I read your novel as a coming-of-age story. In hindsight, a part of me manufactured my memories to fit my adolescence into society’s romanticized idea of youth. As I read it, the shiny façade of my manufactured youth started fading away, and I realized I didn’t have to glamorize my teenagehood. It was a massive discovery for me to want to face my performative teenage self. 

Kawakami: That makes me happy. Thank you.  

—You said in a different interview that you were interested in the 90s because that was when you were in your youth.  

Kawakami: All I did was work in the 90s, so nothing extraordinary happened to me. What’s interesting is despite where I lived and the culture there, the zeitgeist of the time reached where I was. The works of Kyoko Okazaki and Kenji Ozawa would find their way to hostesses in Kitashinchi. Even if you don’t want to consume them, trends have the power to influence an entire era; it’s also violent, and no one gets to choose [what becomes trendy]. In the 90s, Aum Shinrikyo emerged, and the Great Hanshin Earthquake happened. There was also a prominent youth culture representative of young people then. It’s strange how we all have shared memories, even if we live different lives every day.  

—In Sisters in Yellow, you explore cultural phenomena associated with high school girls, like paid dating, slouch socks, Tamagotchi, and more.

Kawakami: Now that around 25 years have passed, we’re finally able to examine the essence of the cultural accumulation of that era. Rather than writing about youth with rose-tinted glasses, there’s a way to come to terms with the 90s as a means to think about the present. 

The problems of the Unification Church are being looked into again, as though it were Aum Shinrikyo’s twin. Akin to writing about the 90s and connecting that time to the present, the phenomenon of something from over two decades ago surfacing again will continue in the future. 

—This is just my opinion, but it seems like what you wrote in the book was partially based on your youth.

Kawakami: I grew up in Osaka, so the vibe was different. Many people I knew bought Christian Riese Lassen’s works (laughs). But I didn’t write the book to dissect that era or talk about societal issues. The driving force behind it was wanting to witness and document so many things about being human, like the helplessness, hardships, beauty, and energy that comes with it. 

No one can determine someone else’s happiness or unhappiness. No one should. We must urgently tackle issues like poverty and young caregivers because they’re systemic and societal. Still, I don’t think anyone has the right to judge those who live in the elusive present with desperation and choose a life of their own from the choices they were given. The world is full of people like Hana: students studying for entrance exams, people fighting hard to raise funds to start a company, and people pushing themselves too hard in any given situation. Taking the initiative is important, but that could change depending on the setting. Also, I don’t think there’s such a thing as a convenient word that can be used in every single situation. 

—There may be many people, similar to Hana, whose voices aren’t being heard.

Kawakami: I agree. The world isn’t just comprised of those who write or read. We all live differently. Keeping a healthy distance between positive, popular words and yourself is ideal. Sayings like, “You’re perfect just the way you are” and “Love yourself” might help some people, but the more earnest you are, the more you’d take these words to heart and suffer because you can’t be the way you are. You don’t have to give it your all at all times. You’ll have your “It’s crunch time” moment, so that’s when you should go for it.  

—Hana is the type of person to push through with all her might. 

Kawakami: Yeah. She feels a strong sense of responsibility and tries very hard. But Hana is young; maybe everyone’s like that when they’re young. I don’t think we should worry about that too much because we become more reasonable as we age. So, I’m happy some people read my book as a coming-of-age novel.  

Asking yourself how you want to live your life no matter how old you become 

—I was personally drawn to Kimiko. The scene that demonstrates what makes her character special is when she fills the refrigerator with food before leaving Hana. I felt her kindness in this seemingly casual scene. I heard you wrote the book without developing a plot beforehand, as though you were singing a karaoke song in whatever key you were presented with. Did you not come up with the characters’ backgrounds?  

Kawakami: Until this novel, I’d develop the characters meticulously, but I didn’t do that this time. I wouldn’t say my fingers moved on their own accord, but I only decided on the chapter titles from the first one to the 13th and felt my way through the rest. I initially thought Kimiko would conspire with Hana to do bad things, but no matter how long I waited, I couldn’t get her to speak about that.

—Did you intentionally choose to write differently than before?

Kawakami: It was an inevitable change because Sisters in Yellow was initially serialized in a newspaper. I did create a plot, to a certain extent, but it felt like I was writing about the people I met and their stories, experiences, and what they witnessed.  

—In today’s society, some people are considered disposable while others aren’t. I sometimes feel worried about how I might become useless to society once I grow older. I want to find my place of belonging and stand firm like Kimiko, as if to say, “I’m still here.”  

Kawakami: Yeah, life is full of uncertainties. It would be nice to live healthily, but that’s not something we can control. Everything, from our physical strength to intelligence, drops once we’re over the age of 40. Fundamentally, living becomes harder and harder. This is the same for everyone. Life is an uphill battle from the day we’re all born. But going through that is life itself. Those who continue to ask themselves how they want to live by facing life head-on instead of tossing it to the side are full of vitality no matter how old they become. Do you want to live a long life?  

—I’ve started being more conscious of my health, but I don’t want to live that long. It seems like it’s tough.  

Kawakami: I see. It seems like young people tend to answer that way. In many cases, when protagonists in novels get a lot of money, they use their money wisely, but Hana becomes obsessed with accumulating a lot of money. I believe it’s her way of preparing herself for unexpected situations. She has no expectations for a world without security or welfare, where you must fend for yourself. 

I spoke about how it’s important to think about how you want to live your life, but the truth is, even if you have an ideal way of living in mind, you’d struggle if you had no money. That shift you have tomorrow is more urgent than you finding your authentic self; I think it’s such a luxury to be able to love yourself for who you are.  

The role of the author 

—The English version of All the Lovers in the Night was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Awards. Heaven was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize for its translation. Further, Breasts and Eggs will be translated and published in over 40 countries. As such, your work is getting critical attention from abroad too. What are your thoughts on the reactions you’ve been getting from readers in different countries? 

Kawakami: The first people who want to read translated literature are critics and book reviewers. The way I grew up was like growing up on the streets, so I feel overjoyed that my books could reach such people. As my readership increases, many young people send me videos and photos. I’m so happy because it genuinely feels like we’re now at a point where people read my books to enjoy them rather than learn about Japanese culture.  

—We’re at a point where regular people read your books out of personal interest instead of experts studying Japanese literature and culture. 

Kawakami: I felt moved when a teenager posted a selfie they took with my book. It makes you choke up when you think about how they must’ve bought your book with the limited allowance they get. It’s simple but very powerful. The first time I felt like someone had truly read my book was when I saw people reading my work with tears rolling down their cheeks.  

—You’ve previously mentioned that novels don’t fix the world, but I’m assuming you’ve had some experiences where your work affected someone. What do you think is your role as an author, and what do you want to convey?  

Kawakami: I’m sure more than half of authors and artists do what they do to feel self-fulfillment. This is especially true for my own work. Some people tell me they were saved by reading my novels, while others feel deeply hurt by what I wrote. I feel like it’s unfair only to read reviews that are in my favor. 

—How do you deal with the reality that your work might hurt others? 

Kawakami: It’s a hard one. But at the same time, such reviews aren’t like advertisements; advertisements enter your eyesight even if you don’t want them to. With reviews, you have to seek them out actively. It does make me feel slightly at peace knowing that the reader has the freedom not to read my books. But someone will feel hurt no matter what; what’s the right thing to do with that knowledge in mind? It’d be nice if there were a way for no one to get hurt and left behind, but it’s difficult dealing with this issue from the perspective of “I’m going to make everyone happy.” You can’t come to one correct answer, so I believe all I can do is explore and contemplate what I can do, knowing I will inevitably hurt someone.  

Translation Lena Grace Suda 
Photography Takahiro Otsuji
Hair & Makeup Mieko Yoshioka

■Sisters in Yellow (Japanese)
Author: Mieko Kawakami 

During the summer of Hana’s 17th, her precarious communal life with other girls inside a “yellow house” unravels after the death of a woman… Why do people commit crimes? The author, making waves across the globe, tackles the noir genre for the first time with Sisters in Yellow.
608 pages
2,090 yen
https://www.chuko.co.jp/special/kiiroiie/

The post 時音 Vol. 22: Author Mieko Kawakami Asks, “How Do You Want to Live?” in Sisters in Yellow   appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

In the second part, we talked to Mike Kubeck and Phil Cashman about the basic philosophy and goals of SupernaturalDeluxe, which has newly formed in Kamogawa.

SupernaturalDeluxe
SuperDeluxe was a one-of-a-kind cultural center that led the underground scene, regrettably closed in 2019 due to demolition of the building. After that, SupernaturalDeluxe opened to the public for the first time in September 2022. This “place for new experiments” had been quietly undergoing preparation in Kamogawa City, Chiba since 2020. SupernaturalDeluxe is a long-term collaboration between Mike Kubeck, Director of SuperDeluxe, and Phil Cashman, Director of Permaculture AWA. Their aim is to revitalize a registered cultural property in the heart of Kamogawa City and its vast grounds as a place offering expression, education, new experiences, research, and contemplation. The restoration is a work in progress and will not be completed for several years. The project will include workshops and other public presentations on the process of achieving sustainable operation and management that places emphasis on community and ecological health. The memorable first concert featured Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O’Rourke.

Establishing SupernaturalDeluxe, an all-encompassing experience

–Was there any other reason aside from the demolition of the building that made you decide to relocate the venue from the Nishi-Azabu?

Mike Kubeck (Mike): Actually, even before news of the demolition, we had been planning for a multi-sited operation, one in Nishi-Azabu and one in some provincial town. When we decided to close SuperDeluxe, we knew that if we were going to reopen, we wanted to do it in a totally different location with a different approach. We wanted to create a place where we could carefully plan and hold events at a slower pace with less economic pressure and stucture. The idea was, “What if artists can stay for a while, eat delicious food, and produce their work, instead of simply stopping by for a day as part of a tour and leaving immediately after doing the show?” With that in mind, we wanted to do something in a rural area that could not be done in Tokyo. So, I started looking at places in Minami-Boso, Fukushima, Yamanashi, Kyushu, and other areas.

–What was the deciding factor in choosing Kamogawa as the location for your venue?

Mike: The fact that my friend Phil was living near Kamogawa was a significant element. I was also offered a position planning events in Kamogawa in 2019, so I decided to move here to get a close look at the area. Those events ended up being canceled due to the pandemic, but I was able to find this place as a result. When I first saw this incredible site, I felt that anything and everything was possible.

I was introduced to the owner and spoke with them a number of times over about two years. It was a very long process, and I almost gave up, but with Phil’s support, we finally got permission to use the space.

The buidling we are using for concerts and other activities was originally a sake brewery. The traditional architecture’s high ceilings and mud walls provide a wonderfully clear acoustic, so we’re using the space with minimal modification. The three historical buildings on premises; sake brewery, rice storage, and thatched roof house, are all registered as tangible cultural property. Artist accommodation is in the traditional thatched roof house.

— Permaculture lies at the base of SupernaturalDeluxe. Can you tell us how you started with a sustainable agricultural lifestyle that takes care of the environment and people?

Phil Cashman (Phil): The birth of my child was the catalyst. Until then, I had been so focused on how I lived that I wasn’t aware of anything else. I had made houses and sculptures out of scrap wood, and I had been involved in social movements toward global environmental justice and anti-war, but my own emotion was at the core of my passion. However, after the birth of my children, I began to put their happiness first. I began to think about how these children could live safely, healthily, and happily through to the age of 80, which has shifted my perspective. I started thinking about what we should do to improve the future and the environment from a long-term perspective rather than being based on a short-sighted plan.

Around that time, I had the opportunity to learn about Bill Mollison, the father of permaculture, and decided to go to Australia to study under him while he was still actively working. Bill’s personality was terrific, and his presence, what he spoke, and how he delivered them all overwhelmed me. I was deeply moved by his philosophy of permaculture, which takes a systematic approach to environmental design based on a scientific understanding of the components of natural ecological systems.

After returning to Japan, I was engaged in permaculture practice in Hayama, but I wanted to expand and develop the community in a larger location, which led me to Kamogawa. The farm is environmentally designed so that everything is circulated. Rainwater and domestic wastewater are decomposed and filtered to be stored in a pond with water-cleaning plants planted around it. Frogs and dragonflies gather there seasonally and eat pests. The waste generated is composted and turned into soil, which is used to grow vegetables such as kale and coriander leaves.

Aiming for a utopia where all people can freely participate and enjoy experimentation

— What do you envision for the future of SupernaturalDeluxe?

Mike: I want to provide artists with unique experiences related to “food,” “environment,” and “nature” and explore that impact on musical expression and the art scene. In improvised music, synergy between the artists brings out new potential. Similarly, new forms of expression may emerge through the interactions arising from encounters between people, and that artists may be inspired through direct experience with permaculture.

Phil: Permaculture is a powerful system, and food is one of the elements. Overall, this place aims to be a kind of utopia. We are not bound by rules or money; we take our health and the environment seriously and eat good food. This place will be where we can respect each other’s individuality, stimulate sensibilities, and be ourselves.

Mike: This year, we plan to offer a permaculture design course as a workshop. We also intend to plan events from a long-term perspective rather than just hosting one-off events. We want to make this a place where people can experience various things throughout the year, including educational content, artistic expression, technology, and spiritual perspectives. When we were in Nishi-Azabu, people of all ages and occupations came to our events. We hope the same will be true in Kamogawa.

Phil: I have become friends with the people at the temple next door, and after a year of being here, the people in the area have slowly come to accept us. I would like to observe and grasp more of the characteristics of this place. In permaculture, there is this idea of “needs,” and it is essential to observe what is needed.
We are at a point of change. We want to create an enjoyable place by looking at what is happening in the world, in the fields of art and science, in Kamogawa, and in our own homes.

Photography Masashi Ura
Interview Akio Kunisawa
Edit Jun Ashizawa(TOKION)
Translation Shinichiro Sato(TOKION)

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