【FOCUS IT.]After work, toast with Johnnie Walker, night shopping at YONA YONA WEEKENDERS and BEAMS!

We recently reported on "THE WALKERS in BEAMS MEN SHIBUYA," a night event organized by the world-famous Scotch whisky brand JOHNNIE WALKER and BEAMS. Inside the store were the members of YONA YONA WEEKENDERS (YONA YONA), a three-piece band that plays "good music that makes a good snack. We caught up with them over highballs to find out more about their love of both clothes and alcohol.

Photo_Satoru Tada
Text_Mikiko Ichitachi
Edit_Amane Yasuda
Suppoted by JOHNNIE WALKER

JOHNNY WALKER and BEAMS from the perspective of YONA YONA WEEKENDERS.

From the moment you enter "BEAMS MEN SHIBUYA," you will see a different atmosphere from usual. The bottles of "Johnnie Walker" lined up in a row and the large orange neon lights foreshadowed the beginning of a fun night. On this day, two of the YONA YONA WEEKENDERS members, Mr. Isono and Mr. Soufumi "Beatsoldier" Obara, who professes to be highball lovers, came to visit after work.

The first thing they ordered was a highball made with the brand's flagship "Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old. Mr. Isono said he is so captivated by the taste that he brings a mini bottle with him to festivals and on his travels. Mr. Obara, on the other hand, said he is not familiar with highballs, but "it's easier to drink than I imagined, and I can drink it easily. It's easy to drink and goes down much easier than I expected, and yet it has a rich whiskey flavor.

Special T-shirts created for the event by "Johnnie Walker" and "BEAMS". The original logo is catchy and cute.

I asked them what the image of "BEAMS" was to them. Mr. Obara said, "My hometown was in the countryside, so there were no stores nearby, but when I was in high school, my fashionable friends used to bring their lunches in "BEAMS" paper bags, and I still have the impression that it is a fashionable clothing store in Tokyo. For Mr. Isono, "I have a strong image of a shop that gives shape to what I like. Both the store and the people working there. I feel that there is a strong sense of individuality in the trendy designs, and that there is always something interesting to see whenever I go there, and that it is a place that is always playful.

Want to be adventurous? Night shopping with a highball in hand.

Drinks were flowing, and the two, in a tipsy mood, were intrigued by the clothes in the store. Mr. Obara, who usually shops at vintage clothing stores in Shimokitazawa and Koenji, was interested in military and work-style items. I like military items because many of them can be worn for a long time, and since the MA-1 has become a little less fashionable, I think it is a good time to try it on," she said as she tried it on.

Mr. Isono says that he is the type of person who tends to shop online. It is nice to be able to see the actual item and consult with the clerk while shopping, even while drinking. It makes me want to try on designs I wouldn't normally pick up," she said, and went to the marble-patterned fleece jacket that caught her eye. I usually wear only black outerwear, but as a band member, I want to wear this kind of conspicuous item in style," he said happily.

I drank a bottle of Johnnie Walker and asked him about things you don't usually hear about.

We then asked them, now that they were feeling nice and relaxed, a question-and-answer format, asking them about alcohol-related questions and recent things that have been bothering them, along with the reasons for their concerns.

Q1: What is the first snack you order at a Japanese eatery?

Isono: It just comes out so fast.

Obara: Because they come out so fast.

Q2. what's your favorite story for a steel plate sake snack?

Isono: I have been a Giants fan since elementary school. But many people in Tokyo are Yakult fans, so I feel awkward when I talk about my favorite team. When I sit down to drink, I make a joke about how bad the Giants are this season.

Obara: When I have a drink with my drummer friends, we talk about drums for about two hours without hesitation.

Isono: Drummers tend to freeze up at launches and such.

Obara：It is a difficult instrument to be understood. In fact, we have an activity called the Shimokitazawa Pad Club, which brings together drummers.

What is that...?

Obara: It's a group of about 10 drummers in their 30s to 40s who get together, lay out practice pads, and practice incessantly.

Isono: That's why you were performing live the other day, wasn't it?

Obara: Yes, yes, we lined up pads all over the stage. I was tapping away at a volume so loud that even the microphone couldn't pick it up.

Isono: That's madness.

Q3. What areas do you drink most often?

Isono: I used to be mostly in Shimokita and Koenji, but now that I am 35 years old, my goal is to become a good-looking man....

Obara：There is a live music club called "WALL" in Hatsudai, and I often go there to drink outside. I rarely drink at home, so I drink at the launch of a live concert or when I go to see a friend's concert.

Q4. what kind of existence is alcohol?

Obara: It is one tool that facilitates communication. Without alcohol, it would be difficult to talk openly, and it also eases my nervousness before a live performance.

Isono: Even when listening to music, drinking alcohol makes it seem more special, and even meals can have a slightly different flavor. When choosing clothes, I think that an unusual situation will push you to make a different choice.

Q5. What do you "KEEP WALKING"?

Obara: I am a cautious type and am basically skeptical about what is selling well or methods that are said to be good. It has become my habit to choose what to do in my daily activities based on that.

Isono: At various turning points in my life, I consider not only my own happiness, but also that of my family, band members, people I love, and others around me, and what they will think of my choices.

Obara: You are suddenly trying to raise your stock (laughs).

Q6. what do you want to do this winter?

Obara: I am interested in what is called primitive Buddhism, the teachings first preached by the Buddha, and I wanted to finally go there. This year I went abroad for the first time in my life for a live concert. At that time, I thought to myself, "I can leave the country. I think I can do it by myself, and I would like to go to India.

Isono: When I went home to my parents' house, my mother was a little worried about me. She told me that if I lose 10 kg by spring, she would give me an allowance, so I am aiming to lose 10 kg.

The evening was filled with tipsy shopping and casual conversation that one would not normally bother to share in the unusual setting of a clothing store bar. At the center of the fun was Johnnie Walker. THE WALKERS in BEAMS MEN SHIBUYA," where different fashions and cultures intersect, is currently being planned for a second edition. Stay tuned for more information!