Fukuya Flowers, Nikko ふくや花屋

Actually my friend helped me make that door, and this counter.

 

Lots of foreigners come through Nikko for sightseeing so my kids are pretty comfortable with meeting people. They’re just outside now playing street hockey. We're huge hockey fans.

 

Originally, my grandma started this place, and then my Mom ran it. When it came to me, I had no intention of coming back here from Tokyo as I had work of my own! I was working for a travel agency and got to go to a bunch of different countries with customers, and sometimes on my own before they came.

 

That was really fun. It was good but, you know, I was raised in the country originally.. and the packed trains at rushhour in Tokyo are really rough. If you do it for long enough, you're not exercising, you're not really using your body - I was 20kg heavier than I am now! I think back on it sentimentally, but for raising kids, the safety and comfort of the countryside is better maybe. They can feel more at peace and go play whenever they want without us watching them. There's a sense of freedom. And the mountains and rivers are close. 

 

I'm still learning. There are lots of types of flowers, and lots of types of customers right? So I'm not satisfied. But Nikko is a cool place to be.

 

友達でこの扉を専門に作っている、このカウンターもそうですけど。

 

外国人の方、観光でいっぱい来るから、あんまり子供達は違和感なく、今外でアイスホッケーをやっている、友達と。アイスホッケーの大ファンだね。

 

もともと、私のおばあさんがこの花屋さんを初めて、今までずっと私の母。僕の時代は、東京にいて来るつもりはなくて、全く違う仕事してたんだ。旅行会社に務めて、いろんな国に海外の部署に、二ヶ月2回ぐらいはお客さん連れて行くことも、連れて行く前に自分で先に行ったりしてたんだ。

 

その仕事もすごい楽しかった。良かったけれど、もう、もともとこういう田舎で育ったんで、満員電車とかは苦痛だった。ずっとすると、運動もそんなにしないし体も動かさないし、今より20キロぐらい増えちゃったんだ。今は懐かしいんだなと思うんだけれども、やっぱりいいのは今子供育てるのに、こういう田舎環境で安全だし、子供達にとってこういうことがいいのかな。安心して、遊ばせるのも、全部親がついて行かなくて良くて、自由さがある。山も、川も近い。

 

今でも勉強中かなっていう感じ。植物はいろんな種類があるんで、いろんなお客さんもいるからね。満足せずに、笑。けど、日光は面白くなって来ているようだ。

印刷屋さん／Printing Press

Ladybird Printing

 

"Japanese culture" in and of itself doesn't hold much meaning. Usually, what is seen as 'originally Japanese' is something we took from abroad and changed it into the way we like. There's not much that comes purely from Japanese culture. We're a culture of remixing things. 

 

"Answer exactly as how you were taught the material. You must answer only this way." There's no flexibility. As time goes on, that'll have consequences. That's why people seem to lack concern for finding a lifestyle that really suits them. 

 

Go to high school, go to college, get a job. People think that's all there is. With my grandpa's generation, as time went on they began to quit farming and join companies as that was more and more seen as the stable thing to do. Nowadays, in the opposite way, younger people than me are starting to go back to doing their own thing. Farming, printing, making hats, moving out to the country. This change is happening naturally... but it's still just a few of us. 

 

日本というのは、独自の文化というのはない。だいたいどこかから入って来たの を自分たちでなんかして、オリジナルなものを作るのだ。たた、ゼロからのものはなくて、レミックスさせる国だ。

 

「教えることは教えた通りに答えなさい。そうじゃないとダメ。」柔軟さがない。それでこれからすごく大変だと思う。だから自分らしく生きるところを見つけるのにとても無関心だ。

 

ハイスクール行って、大学に行って、大きい会社に就職して、それしかないと思っている。例えばうちのおじいさんは農業で、時代とともにやめて会社を勤めた方が安定をするという考えが広まってきた。僕よりもっと若い人たちは逆に農業、自分でやるていうことをする人が増えている。あああこんな生き方もできるなという人。活版印刷始めたりね。帽子を作ったり。地方に移住したり。自然に増えている気もするけど。。まだ本の少し。

 

 

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com+position Usine Hats

This method of making hats, by spiraling one long thread around and around, is only done by 7 companies in Japan. More and more, manufacturing is just sent abroad to China and Korea and stuff, and the old ways are dying out.

 

Originally, work just didn't fit with me so I quit. There's a lot of culture based on age that I didn't really agree with.

 

As for me, well, I only get one life right? So I just thought I'd like to enjoy every day of it.

 

Generally, Japanese people finish school and join some company. Rather than thinking about something for themselves and making that, they'd rather work for and support someone else. That's something that should change maybe.

 

How? Hmm. By having interests, I think. If you like music, it's okay to commit yourself to music. There will be opportunities that come, so just don't miss the chances. 

 

Everyone gives up pretty easily. Thus, we all just get stable jobs and such. But you can pursue your dreams actually. When I quit my job as a salary man, I couldn't find any work... but you know, the more you work at it, work comes to find you. So don't give up too soon!

 

私たちがやっている帽子の製造方法で一本のこういう紐をぐるぐるグルグル回して帽子にして行くんです。日本では、7社しかないんですよ。現状では、だんだん中国だったり韓国だったりそっちの方に全部行っちゃうんですよ。

 

もともと私は、合わなかったから会社を辞めちゃった。年功序列って。本当はそういう仕事がしたくなかった。

 

僕は人生一回しかないんじゃないんですか

だから楽しく毎日過ごしたいなと思って。

 

だいたい、日本人は学校をでたらどっかを務め。自分で何かを考えて仕事するっていうのではなくて、誰かの支持で仕事をするっていう。それは、変わってほしいところ。

 

どうやって？好きなものを持つこと。。かな。音楽がすきだったら音楽一生懸命頑張ればいいし。何かきかっけがあるわけだから、チャンスを逃がさないようにね。

 

みんな、なんでも途中で諦める。それでみんな働いているとか。ある程度のところに行くと、それは夢に近づけいられる。サラリーマンの仕事を辞めて、最初は全然仕事がなかった。けどやり続けることによって仕事が入って行くんで、途中で辞めないでと伝えたい。

Rieko and her husband Yoshi: This method of making hats, by spiraling one long thread around and around, is only done by 7 companies in Japan. More and more, manufacturing is just sent abroad to China and Korea and stuff, and the old ways are dying out. * Originally, work just didn't fit with me so I quit. There's a lot of culture based on age that I didn't really agree with. * As for me, well, I only get one life right? So I just thought I'd like to enjoy every day of it. * Generally, Japanese people finish school and join some company. Rather than thinking about something for themselves and making that, they'd rather work for and support someone else. That's something that should change maybe. * How? Hmm. By having interests, I think. If you like music, it's okay to commit yourself to music. There will be opportunities that come, so just don't miss the chances. * Everyone gives up pretty easily. Thus, we all just get stable jobs and such. But you can pursue your dreams actually. When I quit my job as a salary man, I couldn't find any work... but you know, the more you work at it, work comes to find you. So don't give up too soon! * 私たちがやっている帽子の製造方法で一本のこういう紐をぐるぐるグルグル回して帽子にして行くんです。日本では、7社しかないんですよ。現状では、だんだん中国だったり韓国だったりそっちの方に全部行っちゃうんですよ。 * もともと私は、合わなかったから会社を辞めちゃった。年功序列って。本当はそういう仕事がしたくなかった。 * 僕は人生一回しかないんじゃないんですか だから楽しく毎日過ごしたいなと思って。 * だいたい、日本人は学校をでたらどっかを務め。自分で何かを考えて仕事するっていうのではなくて、誰かの支持で仕事をするっていう。それは、変わってほしいところ。 * どうやって？好きなものを持つこと。。かな。音楽がすきだったら音楽一生懸命頑張ればいいし。何かきかっけがあるわけだから、チャンスを逃がさないようにね。 * みんな、なんでも途中で諦める。それでみんな働いているとか。ある程度のところに行くと、それは夢に近づけいられる。サラリーマンの仕事を辞めて、最初は全然仕事がなかった。けどやり続けることによって仕事が入って行くんで、途中で辞めないでと伝えたい。

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Choukoji

Choukoji

 

"I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, as a monk at one of the temples in Little Tokyo. I sent my son to his school because while I was in America I got to see how important English is in a world where boundaries are slowly breaking down."

 

"We study here with English as our main focus, from a young age. The students here are much more... individual. Here we're asked to do a lot more than just read a book and regurgitate what it says - we're encouraged to think for ourselves, and create things."

 

"In Japan, we're still not really thinking globally. The mindset that before learning English, we have to first of all learn Japanese, is really prevalent. That if you try to teach the child English while they're still learning Japanese it'll confuse them. That's just not true. You have to learn them at the same time."

 

"Just because someone is Japanese does not mean they really have a grasp on what Japanese culture is. People who are brought up here and never go abroad rarely have a chance to appreciate the worth in their moral views, and the value in Japanese culture. That's why it's so important to go abroad. You come to appreciate yourself and your own culture even more because your worldview broadens."

 

ロスアンゼルスのリトル東京というところに、日本のお寺がいくつかある。そこに10年間ほど暮らして居たんだ。壁のないような状態になっている世界では、英語の大切さをそこで理解したので、息子をGKAに送りたくなったんだ。

 

若い時から、英語を中心として勉強する学校です。GKAの集まっている人は普通より個性が強い。ここでは、本を読んで、それに対してどのこのじゃなくて、それから違うレベルにして自分の考えを訪ねて話したりものを使ったりするという環境で教育する場所だ。

 

日本人の考え方がまだグロバルじゃないんですよね。英語する前にまず日本語をちゃんとしましょうという考え方だから。日本語を覚える前に外国語を勉強すると子供の頭が混乱するというのね。そんなことはないよ。本当は日本語と英語を同時じゃないとダメです。　

 

日本人だからといって、日本の文化を本当に理解して居るかというとそうでもない。

普通日本で育って、外に出ていない人は、自分が持っている素晴らしい価値観や、日本の文化の素晴らしさなど、そいうのを実感してなく、当たり前の世界で生活しちゃって居るわけ。外に出てみないと、自分の良さがわからないから、日本人としてのアイデンティティを持つために、どんどん若い人たちは広い視野を持って、自分の人生を見なきゃいけないという感じがする。

 

 

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Harebare Coffee 晴れ晴れ珈琲店

Instagram /// Soundcloud for Mobile

 

Back in the edo area, back when there were no schools and stuff back then, there actually was historically this kind of educational institution. 

Coffee drinking culture does seem to have been rooted here in Ashikaga for a while...

Being kind of far apart from tokyo this sense of being old but good... old and good. 

Something interesting about japan is that a long time ago this kind of cafe used to be really popular. as a place to socialize and chat. 

The more your society becomes focused on economics and money the more it seems culture falls into a kind of neglect.

Right now everyone's all caught up in work. They've got no time to interact with each other. Their work doesn't seem to be leaving enough space in their daily lives. They can't really just hang out at home and drink coffee.

The culture of interacting in general seems to be fading away.. like with music you just download it and listen with earbuds. but when it's live...

2 years ago, right after we'd opened this place, in Takasaki City there's this cafe that has music all the time, on the weekends. I knew someone over there so I went to see a show. It was amazingly powerful for me. If you're always busy working you might end up forgetting that feeling really. so I really want to grow that kind of culture. 

My wife does calligraphy classes. ashikaga has all these old style streets and it seemed to fit to bring it together with coffee. even with art it's not exactly very popular.

Coffee, and the kind of people who like to spend time just drinking it seem to often be interested in art. so we try to support that too.

Getting customers really is a difficult, time consuming process. But you know, little by little if you work at it they will come. 

At a coffee shop, the people you serve are right there. You get to see them smile immediately. So, it's all worth the effort.

Time spent drinking some nice coffee, relaxing and relieving yourself, mingling with people, sharing hobbies with others...  We're kind of hoping we can bring together people who like that stuff. 

Of course work is really important but it's important to take time away from it to revive yourself.. then you can get back to work.

This way we used to do things is coming back. 

English is impossible... I mean just speaking japanese is hard enough!