FEATURE

Translated By DeepL

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

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

Living abroad and experiencing the local culture.

—Mr. Aoyagi, you currently live in the Netherlands. Now that you’ve been living away from Japan, have you noticed any differences?

Aoyagi:In Tokyo, my life is definitely centered around work, but in the Netherlands, I feel like I’m starting from scratch—as if I’m nobody. It feels like being an elementary school kid or a baby. It’s like, “I’m going to build my life from here on out.” I’m nobody; I can do anything, yet I can’t do anything. My possibilities are infinite, but at the same time, they’re zero. It feels like I’ve been in that state the whole time.

Wakaba:I think it's amazing that someone can just take off for a foreign country with nothing. I couldn't quite do that myself.

Aoyagi:I’m so happy to be back in Japan for work this time. It’s been three years since I last came back with my child. I’ve come back for just a day or two for work before, but it’s been a long time since I’ve stayed this long. Being here in Japan really makes me want to come back even more.

—Do you ever travel abroad, Ms. Wakaba?

Wakaba:I’ve finally started going there recently. To be honest, I’m afraid of flying. But when I find myself in a situation at film festivals or the like where I think, “I really have to go now,” it’s like, “Well, I guess it’s time to face the music” (laughs). That’s how I started going.

Aoyagi:Where have you been lately?

Wakaba:I went on a trip to South Korea the other day. I’d been to Busan for a film festival before, but this was my first time in Seoul.

Aoyagi:Does your mood change when you go abroad?

Wakaba:It’s not that different, really. It’s the feeling that there are people living within that culture, and that “this is just how that culture is.” Rather than focusing on my own values, I realize that each person has their own culture. I really feel like I’m going there to experience that firsthand.

Aoyagi:Wakaba doesn't seem like the type to be strangely influenced by all sorts of things.

Wakaba:There might be some truth to the idea that “I am who I am.” But it’s not like I have some kind of pride about it. Even among Japanese people, there are hardly any who share the exact same perspective, right? It’s just that each person has their own way of thinking and their own culture. Even if we don’t speak the same language, we have AI these days. When it comes to practical matters, it’s not nearly as much of a hassle as it used to be.

Edit_Yuri Sudo
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