We always want to make products that can be used for a long time.
After enjoying the sap for a while, we took a short break to prepare for dinner.
Wearing an apron, he built a fire in the fire pit and cooked sausages and onions with a simple seasoning. I was impressed by their deftness in cooking, freely manipulating the gear they had brought with them.
I make things, so I enjoy bringing things I have designed or bought to places like this and checking their usability. I have a curiosity to try using various things in this kind of field."
Hobo, for which Mr. Asakura is the designer, offers a full lineup of bags and accessories for use around town, as well as products for outdoor use. All of these products are unique in design and practical in function, and are made to the highest quality standards.
I am attracted to items that you don't notice just by looking at them, but you notice when you touch them or actually use them. I want to use many such items, and I want to create such products.
For example, the chairs and tables we brought today were made with an Osaka furniture maker called TRUCK Furniture. As you can see from the chair rails and tables, the wood has a very nice texture. The pipes have a matte and rough texture to give it a heavy finish, but when you actually hold it, it's very light.
The leather used for the chairs is the same leather we often use at Hobo, but it has been treated with a water-repellent finish so that it can be used even if it suddenly rains. The color is charcoal gray because I wanted it to be easy to use inside the house. I think many people are spending more and more time at home in these times, so I hope you will try it at home. I think it's interesting that it's at a height that matches the fire, so you get a different view from your eyes than if you were sitting in a regular chair or on the ground."
This year marks the 16th year since the launch of the brand "Hobo. Today, there are many bag and accessory brands that fuse fashion and functionality, but "Hobo" is a pioneer in this field. The persuasive power of the brand's long history is evident in its products.
I always want to make a product that can be used for a long time, and that will develop its own expression as it is used, including the texture. I always want to make something that can be used for a long time. I try to be creative while experimenting with samples in the production stage. In addition, since I have been making bags for 16 years, I have a lot of past products that I can refer to. Bags, like clothes, have their own season, so an item from the past may feel fresh again today. In this way, we can update items while learning from the past.
When asked about the brand's vision and goals for the future, the following responses were given.
I want to continue to do what I have been doing until now. I think that brands that have a long life have a reason to be able to do so. I would like to grow into a brand that has the strength not to waver, or the core strength to continue to do the same thing. However, the world is changing, and I would like to cultivate the flexibility to respond to that change. I want to keep my feet on the ground, but at the same time keep my footwork light. I also want to remember to take on challenges. To be honest, there are times when I feel anxious, but no matter what the situation, I want to keep my eyes firmly fixed on the future.
It frees you from the daily routine and gives you a broader perspective than usual.
By the time we finished lunch, a cool breeze was gently blowing in the West Lake, and the air was pleasant. This time, we drove the "Kangoo" from the city to the nature. Unlike in the city, there is not as much information available, so it is easier to focus on one thing at a time and find one's own pace.
The car is a switch for me. We tend to look at it as a means of transportation, but for me, it is also a tool to go to unusual places and new places.
Lake Saiko, a little over an hour away from the city, is a great place to visit. There are many things to be gained just by getting out of the daily routine and traveling that "little over an hour" away.
I know this is a bit of an overlap with what I said earlier, but I feel like my field of vision opens up when I come to nature. This is true physically, and it may also be true mentally. In the city, I feel that the distance between me and things is very close, but just by visiting nature, I feel that the distance between me and things opens up.
Leaving Tokyo early in the morning, Mr. Asakura gazed into the distance as if seeking solace from the day's exhaustion. I was impressed by what he said at the end.
When you are in Tokyo, you have to do many things at the same time, but when you go outside, you are freed from that and have a sense of gaining a broader perspective than usual. I can look at life in the city from a bird's eye view, or rather, I can look at myself and my surroundings from a different perspective. I don't think this is something you can experience just by driving around the city in a car for a few minutes. There are things you can feel only when you put yourself in nature. I think that is the charm of camping and outdoor activities.
