FEATURE｜What the hip think about? An interview with a hot figure. Spectator Toshimitsu Aono
What the hip think about?
Interview with a notable figure. Spectator Toshimitsu Aono
To listen to professionals and experts in the field and say, "I see! I see! When you see someone who is so out of the ordinary that it shatters your preconceived notions of what is possible. and have your preconceived notions shattered. There is nothing better than these kinds of experiences. These are the people to look out for in various genres such as art, media, lifestyle, design, marketing, and politics, who are making the world's headlines with their sharp perspectives and ideas, outstanding skills, and knowledge. This project, which has appeared in each issue of the magazine "Finam Unplugged," is now also available on the Finam Web site. This second installment features Toshimitsu Aono, editor-in-chief of "Spectator" magazine. His work has always been ahead of its time, not only in terms of the themes featured in the magazine, such as "Zen" and "Portland," but also in his move to Nagano in 2011. We asked Aono about the magazine's image, which seems to have changed over the past few issues, and about his own vision for the future.
*The issue of the magazine "Treasure Island" mentioned in this article refers to the issue when Kohei Kitayama was editor-in-chief.
Toshimitsu Aono Born in Ibaraki, Japan in 1967. Editor and publisher of The Spectator. After graduating from university and working for a trading company for two years, he launched the indie magazine "Bar-f-Out! (TCRC, Ltd.) with Jiro Yamazaki and Natsune Kitazawa. In 1999, he launched Spectator, and in 2001, he left TCRC to found Editorial Department Ltd. In 2013, he and Noriyuki Kataoka began editing and publishing Spectator. The latest issue, released in May 2017, features "The Myth of Punk Magazine 'Jam'". www.spectatorweb.com
*This is a review of the latest issue of the "Jam" special by the writer in charge, Mr. Kanai. The latest issue features "Jam," a vending machine book first published in 1979 that disappeared after less than a year. From the secret story of the birth of "Jam" as told through Keiji Ito's manga to interviews with those involved and selected articles, this issue is a must-read. Read this and you will understand the culture of vending machine books and "Jam" at that time. In the first issue, the magazine introduced the trash of idols who were at the height of their popularity at the time. The first issue of the magazine featured articles that would be unthinkable nowadays, such as a piece about fishing through the trash of idols who were at the height of their popularity at the time (!!). The magazine was full of the idyllic conditions and energy of the time. In an interview, Mr. Aono said that he was traveling through the world of the feature as he created it. Readers also feel as if they are traveling around Ikebukuro and the "Jam" area in 1979. Incidentally, when I talked about this issue with Mr. Kobayashi of the Huinamu editorial department, we both agreed that we would buy Ranichi Sumida's "Hole ga aketa mittekatta" (A hole may open, etc.). I guess this is evidence that he was greatly inspired by the special feature.
I have never cared much for the speed of the stories.
Portland, which has been booming in the past few years, was featured in the Spectator in 2009, wasn't it? In the same year, THE TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR was also launched and zines boomed in Japan. It seems as if various other booms, such as "Zen," "fermentation," and "small business," are following in the Spectator's footsteps. Are you conscious of the speed of your stories?
green fieldPeople often tell me that, but I don't really care that much. I didn't know about Portland from the beginning and didn't go there early. I was told by an American acquaintance who was living in Portland that "there are a lot of eccentric people in Portland. When I actually went there, I found that there were a lot of hipsters and beatniks, and I thought, "Oh, this is an interesting city," and it developed. It's a bit of a haphazard thing.
In the past issues of "The Spectator," you yourself have been visiting places and reporting on alternative cultures from around the world. Recently, the magazine seems to have changed its atmosphere by featuring one person in succession, such as Mr. Kohei Kitayama and Mr. Fujio Akatsuka. I would say that the presence of Yuichi Akada, who has joined the editorial team, has increased.
green fieldMr. Akada officially joined us in 2012, but we had him as a writer before that. I have come this far without any editing experience, but Mr. Akada is a professional, having made a big hit with "Sazae-san's Secret" when he was with Asuka Shinsha and launched "Quick Japan" with Ota Shuppan. He has more experience than I do, so he is now involved in magazine production as if he were my "confidant. I have always been a fan of the books you have edited, so it is a great honor to have you on the editorial staff of The Spectator, and I am one of the readers who is most looking forward to reading the finished feature articles.
In terms of professionals, I feel that the difference between professionals and amateurs has become blurred due to the expansion of opportunities for individuals to present their work. You yourself have been doing this for a long time, but you still have a kind of amateurism, don't you?
green fieldAmateurism is a strong feeling of "even amateurs can do it"...I don't have that kind of pride. However, I do feel a little guilty that I started without knowing the rules of the publishing industry. It's a part of not understanding. However, I don't think it is necessarily true that good books can be produced by following the rules of the industry, and there may be times when you are so caught up in the rules of the industry that you lose your imagination. I want to be flexible in that respect. What you just said is that there are people who publish more amazing writings than professionals on blogs and the like.
Yes, I did. In the introduction to "The Art of Creative Writing" (Vol. 33), you wrote, "A single nonfiction article can influence the way people live and the course of a country. I was wondering if you could tell us again what you think about the credibility of information, the value of the media's existence, and the primary information you obtain in your reporting.
green fieldIn the world of nonfiction, it is said that the most valuable thing is to grab "first hand" primary information. The information that is being disseminated on the Web today is often made up of a random compilation of information that is the grandchild of primary information grabbed by someone else or drawn from a book. In that sense, it is uncertain information that cannot be swallowed whole.
What we cover may be insignificant to some people, but it is a fact, and perhaps that fact is valuable enough to trigger a change in one's way of life. It is with this idea in mind that we create our magazine. This way of thinking is based on the realization that the magazine has changed my life. In other words, I believe that I am creating a magazine for a single reader, not for an unspecified number of people.
You have not been disseminating information on the web, have you?
green fieldI've always wanted to do it, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Right now, it is just me, Mr. Akada, and Kataoka in sales. It would be nice if we could mass-produce by assigning outside parties, but the only way to start a project is from our own experiences. Since Mr. Akada joined us, we have been able to publish up to three books a year, but it is quite a task for three people to publish three books a year when we have to do sales, interviews, and writing.
If you had to choose between the two, would paper media still be easier to work with?
green fieldYes, that's right. I have grown up with paper for a long time, and I think I have a strong attachment to this format. It only takes about three or four months for the magazine to hit the shelves of bookstores, but I feel that the experience of facing this magazine during this period of time has formed a stratum in my mind, and the "present" is based on the accumulation of these experiences. It is as if I am living the "now" with the magazine. With the Web, I don't know where the "now" is. Recently, we published a feature on "Kohei Kitayama," followed by another on "Fujio Akatsuka" - it feels good to have experiences accumulate in this way, and there is a sense that we cannot share unless we do so.
It is amazing to keep creating such a large volume with a minimal team.
green fieldI feel like I'm trying to go as far as I can. I am not good at growing a company, so I thought it would be good to have a small number of people to work with. If each of us has the skills, we can do it.
How do you decide how to approach the planning process?
green fieldRecently, at the beginning of the year, we get together and discuss the phenomena and keywords that are of interest to us, like playing cards, and then make some kind of decision. Then, we make a plan for the July release, and we just go for it.
Do you mean that each of you will be responsible for editorial moves?
green fieldThe main editors are myself and Mr. Akada, and another person, Kataoka, is in charge of advertising and bookstore sales. Since last year, Mr. Akada has been the editor-in-chief and I have been assisting him in the planning of the magazine. Major magazines contain a variety of content, so it may be better to have more than one person working on a project, but the recent "Spectator" is designed to tell a single story all the way through, so it is easier and more consistent to have the person who initiated the project work on the project alone. I thought it would be easier to have the person who started the project work alone.
Maybe that's what I was thinking about when I thought the whole atmosphere of the magazine had changed.
green fieldOf course, I cannot create everything by myself, so I offer various opinions and support.
In the past, "The Spectator" had many radical stories such as marijuana, didn't it? I have the impression that the number of media that agitate such readers is decreasing, as was the case with "Treasure Island" during Mr. Kitayama's era.
green fieldRather than "agitation," I think it was more like "let's look at the current reality in a flat way. I think "Treasure Island" was trying to convey the same message. When you look at the world from a global perspective, you may ask yourself, "Which is more normal, Japan or overseas? Which is biased? I ask people to answer these questions. The stance of "The Spectator" is to publish the truth that we have seen on our travels around the world, so we don't intend to stir things up too much.
In "TRIP!" (Vol. 10), you introduced Christiania (a borough in Copenhagen) as a very happy city. On the other hand, I was surprised at the way it was presented in a TV program I watched a few years later, as a dangerous city, which could be seen as a mockery. Both may be true, but I wondered how the media's angle could change things so much.
green fieldMaybe we are just at a turning point. I think this is a good part of the Internet, but there are things that have been suppressed by adults - things like nuclear power plant issues, politics, and marijuana, which are considered absolutely wrong in Japan, but are misguided or anachronistic by global standards - that have come to light thanks to the Internet. Thanks to the Internet, these things have come to light. I feel that we are now in an era in which facts that have been covered up by enormous power and authority are being revealed.
Out of Tokyo, we were able to reconfirm our standing.
Mr. Aono, you moved to Nagano City in 2011, right? It is said that as long as the Internet environment is in place, the methods and speed of reaching information, the so-called information gap, will disappear. Compared to when you were in Tokyo, have there been any changes in your access to information?
green fieldIt's the same in Tokyo and Nagano, but I think most of the first information people come into contact with is now from the Internet. They look at Instagram, follow Facebook feeds, search on Google, and that's it. If you meet someone with expertise, you can get the truth or information that they have gained through their own experiences and research, but I don't think we have ever had the opportunity to get information that only they have, in the true sense of the word.
I have been based in Tokyo since I left my parents' house after graduating from high school, so I have never known the so-called "countryside" that can be found anywhere in Japan. I have seen things that I would never have come into contact with if I had lived in Tokyo all my life, from the negative atmosphere of being overly concerned about others to the positive aspects such as the warmth of the community, and I think I have found a good balance. I think it is a good balance. Even for those who live in the city, if they step out of their current location, they will be able to understand relatively what kind of place they used to live in.
In other words, Tokyo is just one regional city. It means that we need to move away from the places we have been.
green fieldIt takes a lot of courage, but I think you can make a change by boldly throwing it away. For example, you could say, "I don't drink third wave coffee," and start drinking hot water from today. And then, a white hot water boom would ensue. It's like, "It's still a boom right away, isn't it?
Living in Tokyo, challenges keep coming up, don't they? Like, do I have to live in Futakotamagawa, or do I have to wear new sneakers? I throw those things away somewhere, like buses. I discard my desire for relationships, material goods, and career advancement, but I still look at and buy the things I want. If I can make that choice, I can go about my life without being tied down too much. I think that's what I'm doing best.
However, if you don't firmly establish your own point of view, you will end up with a fad.
green fieldI didn't move to a rural area because it was trendy, but some people move to a rural area because it's trendy and they enjoy it. I can't say which is better. However, there are quite a few things that are over the moment they become a boom. The same is true for things like share houses or living in a friend's house on a trip, which was originally an idea to save on living expenses, but before you know it, it has turned into a business. I think it would be more fun to start from a place where no one is paying attention.
."I realized, "There is a world I haven't seen before.
'TheAre you aware of such trends in the world for your feature in "The Spectator"?
green fieldBasically. The reason for this is that we are not trying to make a book that will sell by introducing what is popular at the moment. I feel that they are enjoying themselves by experiencing things that they want to know more about or try in depth, under the guise of reporting. I think the basis of our feature writing is the awareness that we are conveying to our readers the facts we have gained from our experiences, saying, "Try it, and see how good it is.
For example, I had no idea about Zen (VOL.31), so I decided to dive in and start doing interviews and research. That's how Zen came into my mind, and then I verbalized the process, and when the magazine was published, I felt like I had completed a journey. I stayed in Portland for about three weeks, and while I was working on the Fujio Akatsuka feature, I read a lot of Akatsuka's works from that time. I felt like I was traveling through Shinjuku in 1973.
I feel that we have been on a journey of about four months of production time for each issue so far. I am sure this journey will continue. I like to dive into an unfamiliar world and tell people that there is such a world and such a person by experiencing it myself.
green field'TheFor several years before I quit "Barfout!", I went to many events in England in the summer while staying at a friend's house. There were a lot of British hippies and punks at my friend's house, and when I was playing with them, I realized that there was a world I had never seen before. At the Glastonbury Festival (an outdoor festival that has been held since 1970 and was the model for Fuji Rock), which I covered in the first issue of The Spectator, I saw a hippie family traveling in a shabby bus and going somewhere after the event.
For me, such encounters are a kind of journey, an experience that helps me grow. I thought it was a good idea to do so, which is why I started "The Spectator. I have been able to continue to publish the Spectator because people were happy with the articles I wrote about my travels. That hasn't changed. It may look like a literary magazine in style, but it is just an endless process of traveling around the world and writing reports.
It is truly new journalism.
green fieldIt's about how you saw it with your own eyes. TV may say that Christianity is bad, but for me, it is not. My stance is that it would be good if I could just write about how I smoked a joint with him and found out that he was a very nice guy.
And, well...I feel like I've been doing that for a long time, whether it's rock journalism or new journalism.
Mr. Kitayama wrote in one of his writings, "I had to make myself into a medium during my time at Takarajima. You mentioned that Aono-san is beginning to leave the field to Akada-san. I am wondering what kind of activities you will be involved in in the future.
green fieldI will continue to be involved in editing The Spectator, but I would like to produce a book when I have more time. A book is inevitably a book in a 46-sheet edition priced at 1,500 yen, but I think a thin book between a zine and a book that can be bought more casually would be just right. Of course, I myself have the desire to write, but I would like to create a system that allows amateur but passionate people like you mentioned to participate in the project, even if they are not professional writers or artists.
I don't know yet whether we will sell them as zines or create an editing school, but there are things that can only be expressed on paper. It would be great if a new market could be created by teaching people how to make them, or by making them yourself. It is not so much a business, but more of a playful proposal.
."When it comes to "business" and "play," we often hear things like "making play your job" these days. People say things like, "I'm going to make what I love my job," or "I only want to do what I love." I'm a little uncomfortable with that, but I can relate to the work philosophy of Raymond Mango, the author of the book "How to Live Without a Job. I think it's a valid life lesson for readers of "Huinamu," so let me quote it at the end
"When I was still in my twenties, living through the blazing 1960s and feeling like there was no tomorrow, work was an abominable word. I wanted to play around all day and live in freedom. But now we are entering the 1980s. I, too, am entering my thirtieth year of middle age. Work" has become a beautiful word, and it is the best kind of "play. Work is life. It is its own reward. If the work is good, we can feel it and have a sense of fulfillment. We grasp at the fundamental benefits. (But don't overdo it. We must not forget this. The more we pursue it, the more it escapes us. (Whatever it is)." 'TheFrom "How to Live Without Getting a Job" by Raymond Mango, translated by Yong Nakayama (Shobunsha, 1981)
