PROFILE
Born in Okayama , 1978. . He writes a blog on HOUYHNHNM's in a style that introduces customers who come to the store by snapping pictures of them. The background music at the store is mostly J-pop from the 1990s and 2000s.
I would like to see a super unique zine come together. (Kobayashi)
Thank you for your time today! What are your thoughts on the zines you have gathered this time?
Kobayashi:I was honestly surprised , because the quality of all the zines that were submitted was very high. They were all wonderful works.
A: I think it's rare to have a zine sales event that is open to the public to begin with.
Kobayashi:It seems so . But at first, I just had an idea and asked on Instagram if there were people who wanted to hold a zine sales event. I got a lot of DMs saying they would be interested, so I decided to give it a try. Even if there are, there are few opportunities to sell zines. Even if there are, there is a strict screening process, and not everyone can participate. . That's why we didn't screen on a first-come, first-served basis this time. To put it extremely bluntly, I wanted to gather together very unique zines that were created by people who had no control over what they were doing and who had free ideas (laughs).
You closed the application soon after you posted it on Instagram, what was the story behind that?
Kobayashi:. At first, I didn't expect to receive this many books, so I was waiting with baited breath. However, within two days of the opening of the call, we received nearly 70 applications at once, and I had to close the application period much earlier than I had expected.
. I thought it was very interesting to have Chikashi Suzuki select the zines for the public submissions.
Kobayashi:I simply wanted to be happy if the parents chose it. . Also, I wanted to make it an interesting event for the young authors who applied, so I wanted to create some kind of opportunity for them. Since it would be boring to just make and sell zines, I decided to ask someone influential to help us expand our dreams, so I asked Chikashi Suzuki, who is by far the most famous person I know, to help us out. I asked Mr. Oyasama Suzuki, who is by far the most famous person I know, to help me out, and he said yes, which made me very happy.
. Finally, could you say something about the "TKO zines tour"?
Kobayashi:By the time this article is published, the sales events at "IACK" in Kanazawa and "ISEEALL" in Osaka will be over, but we would like to hold another sales event at "Flotsam Books" at the end. I thought it would be fun for both participants and customers if we could hold sales events not only in Tokyo but also in other areas, so we decided to make this a traveling event. zines are free, so I hope each of you will continue to enjoy them in your own free way.
The "TKO zines tour" is based on Mr. Kobayashi's genuine wish to "bring people together to enjoy the free and unique zines that have been created by people who feel like they have no control over their own lives. By holding a sales event in a real store, many people can gather and communicate with each other, and they can also feel the power of a bookstore, as they can take home with them the influences they received from the zines they picked up.
