Tomoyuki Tanaka and Naoki Goto, Good Time Thinking, respectively.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games are expected by the world. HARUMI FLAG" is the future of the athletes' village, an urban development project that will bring new affluence to Harumi 5-chome in Tokyo. This new town overlooking Tokyo Bay will include parks, schools, and commercial facilities. What kind of lifestyle awaits us there? The answers are as varied as the people who live there, but the excitement is surely the same for everyone, so we asked DJ/producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and coffee roaster Naoki Goto, for example, what kind of time they would spend if they made this their own home. They talk about their loved music and coffee, and their daily lives.
I think it would be fun to find a way to freely interact with music in this room.
Tomoyuki Tanaka (FPM)
Born in 1966 in Kyoto, Japan. A musician with various faces as a producer, remixer, and DJ, he has released 8 original albums so far with his solo project "Fantastic Plastic Machine. He has many fans in the fashion scene, and is known as a fashionable person himself, well versed in vintage.www.fpmnet.com
I understand that you have actually moved recently, Mr. Tanaka. What kind of place is your home?
Tomoyuki Tanaka ("Tanaka")I have always loved mid-century furniture, but I thought it would go well with the old American and European furniture I have gradually collected. I enjoy having cacti planted in the entryway, and for storage I found and installed a vintage George Nelson CSS.
It is a very typical residence for Mr. Tanaka, who loves vintage clothing. Did you pay attention to the audio system as well?
TanakaYes, I have a very good idea of what I'm looking for. The audio is a vintage 50's system, all for mono. It's great. There's no end to the things I could go on about, but as a man, I think enjoying music and hobbies in a private space is the most appealing thing I can do (laughs).
I am sure many of our male readers can relate (laughs). After all, the choice of residence is unique, isn't it?
TanakaI am over 50 years old and have lived in various rental apartments. I have lived in many different types of apartments, including vintage apartments. For me, it is very fitting that a man would choose an apartment like "HARUMI FLAG". For example, even if you like vintage apartments as much as I do, it would be very difficult for a busy person like me to plan the entire interior design from scratch, so I am very grateful that you have created such a high-level base. I thought the location of Harumi 5-chome was also nice when I got off the station today.
Even Mr. Tanaka, who has seen a lot of real vintage, thinks so.
TanakaWell, I think this room is good enough. I think it's tasteful and nice. There are some vintage condominiums that were built around the time of the last Tokyo Olympics, but when you think about things like plumbing, insulation, earthquake resistance, and so on, newer condominiums are still very attractive. I'm being realistic (laughs).
I understand the feeling of running to original pieces as you become more particular about vintage taste, but in terms of comfort and convenience, there is no substitute for new pieces.
TanakaYes, it is. And you are also free to bring in vintage items to a place like this room, where all the fixtures are up-to-date. In the case of music, you can enjoy it in a variety of ways, such as by arranging DJ equipment, and it gives you a lot of freedom. Of course, I think it is also an aesthetic to live in a really old house, but I don't think that is the case here.
You actually created your ideal space, what is your favorite way to spend time there?
TanakaI still like to spend time listening to music. At home I only listen to old analog records in mono. Although I work with music, it is still an integral part of my private life. I think it will be fun for the people who live in this room to freely find ways to interact with music.
The reference room is furnished with turntables, but it is still a space that works well with analog.
TanakaI think so. In this job, I sometimes feel that music that is only data is really sad. I think it is very meaningful to be able to drop the needle, look at the jacket, and possess the music as an object. I don't care how many gigs of sound data I have, I am not aware that I own the music. So I think there is definitely a pleasure in getting an analog record and listening to music on it.
Technics' sound system allows even beginners to easily enjoy analog records. The turntable is a standard model, the popularSL-1200GR", the amplifiers are "SU-C700The two-way speakers, which produce an exquisite sound, are calledSB-C700The design of each of them is also good. Each of them has a nice design that blends in easily with rooms with vintage tastes.
You yourself have been actively releasing analog records for a long time, haven't you?
TanakaYes, I do. When I have time to relax on a holiday, I like to listen to vinyl records. I think analog records are made with a lot of attention to detail in the jacket design, and listening to music on vinyl is somewhat like a ritual. But that's why it's so luxurious to spend time playing your favorite records. It's also very possible to have your own space just for that purpose, isn't it?
Mr. Tanaka recommends music that fits the "HARUMI FLAG" lifestyle.
Tomoyuki Tanaka plays as a DJ not only in Japan but also all over the world. He selected records that fit the image of the room. We asked him to introduce what he would like to listen to in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
Morning (left): KENNY RANKIN "SILVER MORNING"
A relatively early studio album by a singer-songwriter from LA. Whenever I find it on sale at a second-hand record shop overseas at a reasonable price, I buy it anyway and give it to my friends. Her gentle voice is perfect for my morning mood.
LUNCH (M): TINA LOUISE "IT'S TIME FOR TINA"
This is the only album left by the heroine of the silver screen of yesteryear. Jazz vocals are naturally suited for the evening, but I dare you to listen to it in the daytime. It stops you thinking and makes your brain melt. The saxophone of Coleman Hawkins, a guest performer, is also good."
Night (right): RICKIE LEE JONES "POP POP"
This is a covers album with names of timeless jazz standards. She is famous as a singer-songwriter, but she is also known for her excellent recordings. It would be great to listen to this record at night while sipping on a whiskey.
In the room introduced here, visitors can listen to records by Tanaka's solo project Fantastic Plastic Machine. On the left is "too," the fourth album. The album features a variety of guest musicians, and the songs all seem to invite the listener to dream. On the right is "Luxury," the second album. Werner Panton designed the jacket.
I think children who grow up there feel that this is how adults spend their time.
Naoki Goto
Coffee roaster, born in 1975 in Kanagawa Prefecture. While working for a subsidiary of a sake brewer for several years, he taught himself roasting. After retiring, he studied under Mamoru Taguchi, who runs the long-established "Bach Coffee" in Tokyo. After becoming independent, he opened his own coffee shop, "Mamekado Coffee". He is a key figure in the world of coffee roasting, having won numerous competitions including the "World Coffee Roasting Championships.tokado-coffee.shop-pro.jp
I feel that more and more people are familiar with coffee and grind and brew it at home, but can you do roasting at home?
Naoki Goto ("Goto")You can do it. In fact, I did it myself before I started my own restaurant. I have been doing it for 20 or 30 years now. Of course, there are limits to the flavor, but as long as you can use gas, it's actually not that difficult. Historically, coffee was made at home by mothers who roasted, ground, and brewed it for their fathers to drink. Later, as industrialization progressed, the roasting industry was established and people started buying coffee roasted by large roasters for home use, but this has recently returned. So, roasting at home is actually a natural thing.
I see. Goto-san, do you live in Fukuoka with your family?
Koto.I live with my wife and three children, five of us. At home in Fukuoka. I usually come home late, so I try to be with my family on my days off as much as possible and spend most of my time at home.
Do you still make coffee then?
Koto.I don't think I make coffee very often. My kids make it or my wife brews it for me most of the time.
Does your child make the coffee?
Koto.That's right. I didn't teach him, but he started doing so quite early on. He is still in elementary school, but he probably thought I was having fun doing it. He would say, "Let me do it, let me do it! He would say, "Let me do it!
It's quite a mature hobby (laughs).
Koto.（I started drinking it when I was about 5 years old, and at first I called it "children's coffee" and diluted it with hot water or added milk. My older brother, who is in the 5th grade, recently said, "I can drink adult coffee, too," and drank it with a bitter look on his face (laughs).
The photo below shows a Panasonic roasting service that Mr. Goto was involved in developing.The RoastThe main unit of the roasting machine. Green coffee beans (top photo) are delivered to your home every month, and roasted using a unique recipe tailored to the beans. You can enjoy authentic coffee at home according to your mood at the time.
It's very funny.
Koto.I think it's great to have coffee in your life. Of course, the customers who come to our store buy beans so they can make coffee at home, but most of them say that their fathers or mothers used to make and drink coffee at home. They have a mill, or they used to drink regular coffee without a mill, and they remember the aroma of the coffee since they were children. Now these people are coming to the store with their children, and I am sure that their children will become coffee drinkers someday, too.
I guess when you see them from a young age, spending time at home like that becomes the norm.
Koto.I think so. Home roasting has many attractions, such as freshness and a wide range of flavors, but I think the most important is the aroma. The aroma of roasting is different from the aroma of grinding or drinking coffee. I think the most appealing thing about roasting coffee is that you can enjoy that aroma at home when you go to a home-roasted coffee shop, and I am sure that when children grow up, that aroma will be the most memorable. Aromas are easy to remember, and I think the memory of a good feeling will remain with the aroma.
I feel very nostalgic when I encounter some of the scents I remember from my childhood. It would be wonderful if it was family time.
Koto.I am sure that families who take coffee breaks cherish that kind of time. I think children who grew up in such families, even though they don't drink, feel that "this is how adults spend their time. If adults spend their time drinking coffee, listening to music, watching movies, or reading books, children will grow up watching them do so.
It gives me a great image. By the way, what kind of interior design do you have in your home?
Koto.I live in a condo for sale, completely my wife's taste, and it's very natural. It is a house with brighter colors than this room in the "HARUMI FLAG," and it is the kind of house that children would like. To be honest, it's a house that doesn't really have me in mind (laughs). I personally like this kind of vintage look, and I wish at least one corner of the room was like this, but when people ask me, "Then where would you put the kids' school bags?" I'd be like "...... then please use it".
Your wife's point is also very astute (laughs).
Koto.I guess the person who spends the most time at home tends to take the lead, since I only have occasional days when I can spend a long time at home. I hope that my current house will eventually become vintage and change its color (laugh). (Laughs) I have a little hope that when my children grow up, they will have a room like this, just the way I like it.
The theme is holiday. Coffee beans pointed out by coffee roaster, Mr. Goto.
Coffee is indispensable on holidays when you want to relax and spend time with your family. This time, we asked Mr. Naoki Goto which coffee beans and their degree of roasting suit three different occasions: morning, afternoon, and evening. The photo on the left shows green beans and the one on the right shows roasted beans. You can actually check the taste at "The Roast," the roasting machine I mentioned earlier, so if you are interested, please give it a try.
Morning: Cafe Supremuta
The highest grade green beans are grown in the highlands of Costa Rica's Taras region, on farms with a rich history, and are shallow roasted. It has a very fresh and lively flavor. It goes well with iced coffee, and when it is iced, it is as refreshing as orange juice.
Lunch: Noble Afternoon
The beans come from Guji, an area in the southern part of Ethiopia, where coffee has its roots, and where the reputation of the coffee has been growing in recent years. This coffee was created with the image of an elegant afternoon. It has a strong tea-like impression, so I recommend that tea drinkers enjoy it in place of coffee.
Evening: Mocha Jambiya
Yemeni coffee beans are carefully selected and dried over time. Yemeni coffee is often called "mocha," but these beans are of high quality and have a more refined, clear flavor. The point is that it is not just nostalgia, like listening to an old classic on a good modern soundtrack."
