By Mike Sullivan Can you tell us about your background? I was born in Chiba, and I am the daughter of the owner of a Japanese restaurant which dates back to the Meiji era. From since I was young my mother, the proprietress, said that ‘it is important for children to be able to touch […]
Category: People
Quite often it is easy to discover a new product or item in a shop or department store, but actually its very rare that you can get to know the person behind the product. We are constantly seeking out these artisans to request an interview in order for us to be able to understand their perspective to what they do and what they think about Japanese crafts.
Interview with Tomomi Kitazawa – Abstract Ceramics
Please introduce yourself and your background, in particular could you tell us about the differences between studying ceramics in Japan and Hungary? My name is Tomomi Kitazawa Kennedy. I am originally from Tokyo. I live in the North of England and have a little studio at home where I make abstract ceramic sculptures. I have […]
Interview with Keiko Nishiyama – Intriguing Fashion Designer
Please introduce yourself and your background. I studied for a BA in Fashion and performance in Tokyo and worked as an assistant designer for a few years. At that point I then decided to come over to the UK to improve more my skills and creativity, so I studied at the London College of Fashion […]
Interview with Elisa Yanagi – Actress in Movie Lust of Angels
Please tell us about how you became involved in the movie “The Lust of Angels” I received an offer from the director. Saori and her friend didn’t share the same values, although they wanted to arrest molesters together, Saori actually is a complicated person. How did you feel about Saori as a character? I think […]
Interview with Keiko Murakami – Classical Flutist
Please introduce yourself and your background, where is your family from in Japan? I’m from Shimane, I grow up in a beautiful countryside. I studied there until the end of the university. Then I came to France to study music in Strasbourg Conservatory. Now I live in Strasbourg, and I’m involved in several contemporary music […]
Interview with Yukino Omura – Contemporary Artist
Please introduce yourself. My name is Yukino Omura. I’m a contemporary artist, my goal is to lead a new art trend in the world. I start to get media attention after I won Tokyo Midtown Award in 2012. I’ve been making urban night view paintings by stationary seals since 2010. I want to show the […]
Interview with Actress Reine Honma – Actress in Movie Lust of Angels
Can you tell us about how you became involved with the short movie ‘Lust of Angels’? When I performed in a different movie, ‘The Carol of the Old Ones’ after a successful audition, I met the director of ‘Lust of Angels,’ Isogai san, who was also working on this movie as a staff member. That […]
Interview with Mari Ishikawa – German Based Artist and Artisan
Please introduce yourself and your background. Why did you move to Germany? I am a Jewellery and photograph artist in Munich, Germany. I was born in Kyoto. I studied art education in Japan. I worked at first as an interior architect and designer. In 1994 I came to Munich and enrolled in Professor Otto Künzli’s […]
Interview with Akiko Hirai – UK based Craftswoman
By Mike Sullivan Please introduce yourself and your background. I make pottery in the UK, in London. I hold workshops in studios where artists work together, which isn’t that rare here. http://www.akikohiraiceramics.com/ AKIKO HIRAI from Dan Fontanelli on Vimeo. Please tell us about your work. I make ceramics for exhibitions and galleries in the UK […]
Interview with Hirobumi Watanabe – Film Director
Translated by Weini Liao What was the trigger for becoming a director? It was from the influence of my father, I’ve been a big fan of movies and the Beatles since I was a child. I watched so many movies when I was a student that my teacher even reprimanded me for watching too many […]
Interview with Keiko Masumoto – Ceramic Designer
By Weini Liao Please introduce yourself My name is Keiko Masumoto. I was born in Tatsuno, Hyogo, in 1982. I graduated from the faculty and master of fine arts, Kyoto City University of Arts. I worked in Kyoto for about 10 years, after Kyoto, I worked as a guest artist at the University of the […]
Interview with Taketo Oguchi – Clark Gallery+SHIFT Hokkaido
By Mike Sullivan. Please introduce yourself and your background. My name is Take Oguchi, I studied economics at university, but at the same time I studied at and graduated from a design school. My first job was in design production, a while later the Macintosh was released and I could start using Desktop Publishing on […]
Interview with Keiko Suzuki – Self-Taught Hand-Torn Newspaper Collage Artist
By Mike Sullivan Please introduce yourself and your background. My name is Keiko Suzuki, and I am a self-taught hand-torn newspaper collage artist originally from Tokyo, and currently live in the USA. http://www.keikosuzukiart.com/ Please tell us about your work. My work is created with discarded newspapers. I collect color pieces from the advertisements and the […]
Interview with Kosuke Takaya – Film Director Buy Bling, Get One free
Kosuke Takaya is a young and exciting film director whose movie Buy Bling, Get One Free was recently shown at the Raindance Film Festival in London, and is being released on a DVD which includes films by other up and coming directors: http://thirdwindowfilms.com/films/new-directors-from-japan Kosuke Takaya’s film was part of a Japanese governmental initiative run by […]