Tatsuya Wakaba and Fumiko Aoyagi: A “First Meeting” 10 Years in the Making.

Actor Tatsuya Wakaba and model Fumiko Aoyagi had long been aware of each other’s existence through magazines and movies. After a long period of “foreshadowing” facilitated by a mutual friend, their first-ever conversation finally took place when Aoyagi—who currently lives in the Netherlands—returned to Japan. As they talk about their memories of Shimokitazawa—the setting for this project—as well as life abroad, photography, and fashion, unexpected stories from their past also come to light. After the conversation, they took their cameras out onto the streets. Capturing Shimokitazawa through each other’s eyes, they photographed the changing neighborhood and their current lives. FUINAM will present this feature alongside the photographs taken by Aoyagi.

Photo by Fumiko Aoyagi

Text_Shoko Matsumoto

Edited by Shoko Matsumoto and Daiki Yamazaki

Cooperation_CAFE TROIS CHAMBRES, Hickory

The Current State of Shimokitazawa, a Changing Neighborhood.

—What kind of town is Shimokitazawa—the setting for this play—for the two of you?

Aoyagi:Back in the day, I used to wear vintage clothes and had my bangs cut straight across, so people often told me, “You look like someone who’d hang out in Shimokita.” But actually, I didn’t go there that often. I’m not a fan of crowded, cramped places. In fact, I even used to think, “Maybe I should go to Shimokita too.” Later, I started appearing in stage plays and began rehearsing in Shimokita. Those are the memories that stick with me the most.

Wakaba:Since I lived in Koenji throughout my college years, I always thought of Shimokitazawa as a neighborhood where theater people and actors would get together for drinks. It was like Koenji was full of musicians, while Shimokitazawa was full of actors.

—The town itself has changed a lot, but what are your thoughts on Shimokitazawa today?

Wakaba:By the time I shot the movie *On the Streets*, which is set in Shimokitazawa, urban development had already begun, so I don’t really feel that much of a difference compared to how it is now. Everyone says, “It’s changed, it’s changed,” but to me, it hasn’t changed much.

Aoyagi:I think it’s become so much easier to use, and I have fond memories of Shimokita back when it was still under construction. Once, when something really sad happened and I was on the phone with a friend, a certain musician just happened to be standing right next to my friend on the other end of the line. He sang “Bun-chan, it’s going to be okay” a cappella for me. Listening to him over the phone while standing on a station platform that was still under construction, I just burst into tears. It was like something out of a movie. While I was crying, I kept thinking, “I wonder if I can record this phone call” (laughs).