GO MATSUMOTO works as a movie producer at Warner Music Japan. He is a good friend of YUYA and once in a while they work together on some projects. As a VJ he was supporting the live act of NAOITO.
MAIKO KISHI
MAIKO KISHI is a singer and song-writer based in Tokyo. Briefly we talked before the show. However I was very impressed by her strong personality (sheltered in a fragile body) and her beautiful clear voice.
She used to live in London where she has founded her band Magnolia in 1998. She has released recently her first solo album (http://kishimaiko.com).
P
While the guys have been practicing and setting up the equipments for the show I got to know P who was taking care of the kids of the band members. P is PICOLA AKIKO. NAOITO and P have been a couple for almost four years.
Her graceful and glowing aura was deeply impressive. She works as a model and actress and travels a lot, especially in Asia. So we talked for hours about Vietnam, Cambodia, Cuba and other beautiful places to be.
NAOITO
NAOITO is a singer and songwriter and lives with his girlfriend PICOLA AKIKO in the charming hood of Nakameguro.
In the age of 19 he travelled to several countries like Jamaica, Nepal, Brazil, and Cuba. Inspired by the acoustics, afro beats, and latin rhythms he founded the band FAMILIA. The name mirrors the values of a real family as a countermovement to the present tough way of life. (http://myspace.com/naoito)
YUYA OZAWA
YUYA OZAWA works as record producer and runs a Japanese music label called groundriddim (http://groundriddim.com) with his partner. He is father of a little cute boy with whom he plays American football in his free time. Besides he likes music that makes people happy and has a very sunny spirit.
We met at the TRIPLESHIPS’ Hanami party in Nakameguro and he acted kindly as a interpreter in deep and meaningful conversations.
HANAMI PARTY (PEOPLE)
A while ago I was looking for a specific template for my portfolio on WordPress and found a nice one called TANZAKU which means a small card for writing poems. However I faced a tiny problem and tried to work it out by myself but failed. Finally I asked the creators of the template for help: TRIPLESHIPS, a small interactive wonderful studio based in Tokyo. YAGI MITSUHIKO, a markup engineer, answered my email immediately and a nice chat evolved.
When I was planning my visit to Tokyo I asked them if they feel like meeting up and they invited me to their HANAMI “flower viewing” party.
There I’ve met the president of the studio MIFUNE HIROFUMI, the two account managers KAWAGISHI RYO and HAMADA KENICHI and the designer ONO KAZUHIKO. (http://tripleships.com)
HANAMI PARTY (LOCATION)
HANAMI means literally flower viewing and when the blossoms starts to flourish people gather in parks and enjoy the ephemeral beauty of the cherry blossoms.
Because of the rainy forecast TRIPLESHIPS decided to move the party to a very charming, and very Japanese restaurant in the stylish neighborhood Nakameguro. New designer boutiques, cafés, and restaurants along with the cherry trees line the MEGURO river.
The restaurant was furnished with low tables and blue seat pads. At the entrance on the second floor there was a wall with tiny lockers for shoes to lock up. Once entered the bathroom a pair of Japanese slippers waited for being used.
HANAMI PARTY (FOOD)
We drunk traditional Sapporo bear and ate very tasty Sashimi and Tempura (deap fried vegtables, seafood, and chicken).
SUMIRE YA (LOCATION)
One day before his 36th birthday, SOICHIRO NISHIGAKI had a business appointment with ERIKO HIDAKA. However he decided that I should join them. He introduced me to her as the “real girl”. Once in a while he mets up with her to find out about her opinion on projects he is working on. ERIKO works part-time from 9am – 5pm as a programmer. She is married and has two kids, a girl and a boy.
We picked her up at home around 7pm after she had brought the kids to her parents since her husband was still working. We were heading for a restaurant on the 41st floor of the Shidome City Center in Shinbashi. I really love having dinner in restaurants above the city. Especially by night one can witness the magnitude of a new city.
However when we entered the restaurant the view left us speechless. It was gorgeous, a gigantic ocean of lights breathed majestically in front of us.
SUMIRE YA (FOOD)
The food in “sky” restaurants is usually rather moderate. However the restaurant SUMIRE YA served delicious modern japanese food. Our seven course meal consisted of small portions: an appetizer, sashimi, homemade side dish, assorted dishes, pre-main dish, the main dish, and a traditional made rice. Some of them reflected the season of the cherry blossoms.
SOICHIRO NISHIGAKI
SOICHIRO NISHIGAKI is the Creative Director at SSF Tokyo interactive department (http://ssftokyo.co.jp). He studied economics in Kyoto and graduated with the thesis on Fiction and Reality in Woody Allen’s movies.
AMBER ROBE
After dark Tokyo morphs into a mysterious glamourous beauty. It shines and sparkles in the darkness. The shadows disguise the small urban imperfections and the light illuminates the oscillating layers.
BLUE THICKET
The concrete mesh reminds me of Araki’s corded bodies, a Japanese photographer and contemporary artist.
SILKY NIGHTDRESS
The fine fabric sways gracefully in the chilly wind of the Omotesando hills. The translucent layers allows the body underneath to shine through. The secret behind the effect is a mixture of clear glass on the outside and a second displaced layer of translucent acrylic on the inside.
CHERISHED
Despite the nasty and cold weather we had a nice stroll through the sacred cherry gardens of the Shinto shrine in Kamakura. It takes about an hour by local train to get from Tokyo to Kamakura, an ancient city and former capital of Japan.