On this day, exactly 1,000 days before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, among the various events that took place simultaneously, the Huinamu editorial staff headed to the WIRED HOTEL ASAKUSA, located in Asakusa's Hisagodori shopping district.
Despite the inclement weather that brought an unseasonal typhoon, the event attracted a large number of visitors. Under the slogan "1 day for 1000 days," the five guests who served as speakers encouraged everyone to imagine themselves from 1000 days ago to today, and then to 1000 days from now. The aim of the event was to help visitors to visualize themselves from 1000 days ago to today, and 1000 days from now.
The MC appeared at the start of the event and toasted with sake champagne that had been served beforehand.
The chef of WIRED HOTEL ASAKUSA himself prepared nigirizushi, a Japanese-style dish that is typical of Asakusa.
And the first speaker of the day was thetokyo sentoMasakazu Takahashi is the editor-in-chief of a web media company called "Sento" and is engaged in multifaceted marketing on the theme of sento, one of Japan's proudest cultural assets. He also plans to create unique content that will help spread sento culture to the world. In addition, Asakusa, the venue for this year's event, is a town with which Mr. Takahashi has a connection, as he himself used to work as a rickshaw driver in the past.
Next up was Arisa Suzuki, who was impressed by custom cakes when she visited the U.S. during her college years and later went to the U.S., the home of cake baking, to study. After returning to Japan, Ms. Arisa Suzuki, who has been actively promoting specialty cakes here in Japan, took the podium. She has been featured in various media in recent years and has many celebrity clients. She decided to come to the U.S. for the second time in her life so that she can grow even more in 1,000 days. It was impressive that she made such a high-minded declaration at the end of her speech.
The third person is Noam Nakamura, who has a unique background. He is currently a video producer mainly on Youtube, etc., as well as a shamisen artist. He used to be an apprentice of the Yoshida Brothers, and after nearly 6 years of training, he is now energetically traveling around Japan to share the beauty of the shamisen. He is now actively traveling throughout Japan to share the wonders of the shamisen with others. He is now a resident of Asakusa, Japan.
At this point, the Tsugaru shamisen duo Teru & Teru, who had been introduced by Norm Nakamura earlier, performed a special live show. The duo performed "The Soul," a fast-paced song, "Motsu-nabe," a song that incorporated a Western sense of rhythm, and, finally, a free-style performance unique to Tsugaru shamisen that thrilled the audience. He left a message for the audience, saying that his current goal is to perform at the opening ceremony of a sporting event to be held in 1,000 days, and that he hopes to make the world full of the sound of stringed instruments.
The fourth speaker was Daniel Harris Rosen, who runs TokyoDex, an unusual artist collective that organizes human resource teams for each creative project or event. He has been involved in various art projects and corporate initiatives, and is constantly exploring the cultural possibilities of art. We are looking forward to seeing his future activities.
The last speaker of the day was Yohhei Yamawaki, who has been the talk of the town in various media since he launched his jeans brand "EVERY DENIM" in Okayama, a major center of the denim industry. While still a university student, he has started his own business and is challenging a new sales method by traveling around Japan to sell his products through demonstration sales, without having a physical store. In the future, she would like to make products that she can be even more attached to based in Okayama, where she grew up! He concluded his talk with the following words, "I want to make products that I can be even more attached to, based in Okayama, where I grew up!
At this event, participants also prayed for Daruma dolls, each giving form to the thoughts and feelings they would entrust to the next 1,000 days.
The store also features artwork by ESOW, an artist with ties to Asakusa.
After the talks by the guest speakers, the event moved on to a free talk session with the audience. The event was a chance for everyone to share their thoughts on "1day for 1000 days" and experience new encounters and discoveries through the communication that emerged from the discussions. The event was an opportunity for the organizer, "ASICS," to not only get involved in sports, but also to make the next 1,000 days, when Japan will be the focus of the world's attention, a meaningful time for everyone.
How will we greet the distant but near future of 1000 days from now? Why don't you try to imagine it?
Photo_Takaki Iwata
Text_Yuho Nomura
