Category: INTERVIEWS
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Cross-Culture Chronicles: A Korean’s Life in Kunitachi
The city of Kunitachi, celebrated as a vibrant college town, has long attracted renowned writers and artists. It’s also home to unique bars, restaurants, record stores, and boutiques, where the small business owners’ creativity shines. Within this vibrant community, the Park Hyejung Korean Language Class has emerged as a welcoming space for cross-cultural exchange, bridging Japan and…
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Culinary with Heart in Tachikawa
Yoshinori Ishii, affectionately known as Yoshi, is the visionary behind Tokito, a luxury auberge in Tachikawa. With a rich background connecting local culture to a global audience, Yoshi draws visitors from the establishment and food enthusiasts from across the world—from Europe and the Middle East to Singapore. From a young age, Yoshi found joy in…
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Akiruno: The Mountain Where Hydrangeas Bloom
In early summer, tens of thousands of visitors come to see over 10,000 hydrangeas at Minamisawa Hydrangea Mountain in Akiruno. Visitors can rest in the shade of the trees and admire the hydrangeas, which were planted by Chuichi Minamisawa. Chuichi’s family has been the landowner of the area for centuries. His solitary effort to plant…
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Living in the Flow: Okutama’s Lake Shiromaru and River
Lake Shiromaru in Okutama is a perfect blend of natural beauty and is easily accessible from the city of Tokyo. Here, Megumi Goto has been teaching river kayaking for nearly 30 years. Locals admire Megumi not only for her kayaking expertise but also for her warm smile. Her passion for river kayaking began in her mid-20’s while working as…
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Crafting Imperfect Beauty: Akiruno’s Maverick Genius
“The beauty of silence,” “silence is golden,” and “if it is hidden, it is the flower,” are expressions that reflect a long-standing concept in Japanese culture: the virtue of discretion and not speaking unless spoken to. Although not all Japanese may adhere to this mindset today, this notion is often not understood outside of Japan.…
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Steeping in Time: Japanese Tea in Tachikawa
Riding a large motorcycle, wearing Timberland yellow boots and jeans, Kayoko Ikeya visits tea farmers in Sayama, Saitama, and Shizuoka—both regions famous for Japanese tea production. She is the third-generation owner of Sayamaen, a long-established tea store in Tachikawa, who certainly defies the image most people have of those involved in Japanese tea. She has…
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The Female Gaze: Tachikawa and the U.S. Military Base in the 60s
At the end of November 2023, Tachikawa, a photography book capturing the late 1960s in Tachikawa, Fussa, and other areas known for their U.S. military bases, was published. The photos were taken by members of the photography club at Otsuma Women’s University and Junior College, who graduated in 1969. The afterword states: “In 1967, the…
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Meet Me at “Peninsula” in Kunitachi: Atelier Hanto
Everyone feels a particular sense of comfort in a place they have lived for a long time. Although Hodaka Shimazu feels affinities for other neighborhoods in Tokyo, he admits that he is strangely drawn back to Kunitachi and has moved in and out of the area several times over the last 15 years. “Kunitachi has…
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Finding Joy in the Company of Others: Western Tokyo
Makoto Takagi’s interest in visual arts was sparked by the films shown on late-night television when he was a child. Among these, he was most inspired by the Italian film Cinema Paradiso – Giuseppe Tornatore’s celebrated love letter to the silver screen. “I was particularly touched by the scene when the film was projected from…