Shono : The founder of New Balance Japan used to make shoes at MoonStar in Kurume, Kyushu. He saw New Balance shoes in the U.S. one day and became eager to sell it in Japan because of its quality. As an ex-craftsman, the founder, Kurata, actively worked with the American head quarter when they were developing their products, offering them advice. So, the 1300 sneakers made around that time were designed with Japan’s compound technique. And that is partly why the U.S. head quarter have set great value on Japan.

Hasegawa : That makes New Balance different from other shoe companies.

Shono : He is so much precise about manufacturing and often told me off, saying “You should not make such things” (laughs).

Hasegawa : Companies are apt to produce odd, unnecessary looking products as their brands grow, but New balance is not one of them. They seldom make weird stuff.

Hasegawa : How long have you driven this car?

Kato : For about 13-14 years.

Hasegawa : Wow, it’s impressive that a car can last for so long.

Kato : Of course it can. Japanese cars are so reliable.

Hasegawa : Taking care of a car is not easy, isn’t it? It may go wrong if you chose a car that doesn’t fit your lifestyle. At one time I thought Prius wouldn’t be a bad choice, but then I realized that the car wasn’t my favorite.

Kato : Oh yeah?

Hasegawa : Converted Prius cars always look tacky to me. Can’t we do it in a smarter way?

Hasegawa : When did you start mountain climbing?

Ino : It’s been 10 years since I started.

Hasegawa : It’s been so long? You used to play soccer quite often.

Ino : Yeah, I was a kind of person who make fun of mountain climbing. People still mock at me about climbing mountains when I go to a gathering of my soccer friends.

Hasegawa : (Laughs).

Ino : But I guess that is the way people see mountain climbing.

Hasegawa : I wish I could do that, though. I have had no chance to start it, without knowing when the best season for it is. I don’t have any equipment, too.

Ino : I climbed a mountain near Mt. Tsukuba yesterday, and thought that climbers there were too much equipped. It’s not good. In countries where major outdoor companies are located, local people wear light clothes when climbing low mountains, as if they go on a little hike on a neighboring hill.

Hasegawa : You know, people used to play basketball in the Chuck Taylor shoes or something like those, but now everyone wears more sophisticated stuff. You can play a sport in whatever clothes you wear.

Hasegawa : You’ve got a sort of theme for your art piece, haven’t you? But do you focus more on actual processes after beginning to work on the piece?

Masui : If I have a concept for my work, it becomes a kind of my creative driving force. It’ll feel hard to do it without any ideas.

Hasegawa : I see.

Masui : I can get more confident on the concept while working on my piece. If I thought it has no meaning, it would become absolutely meaningless.

Hasegawa : Definitely. I think what you said is also related to the meaning of work in some way.

Hasegawa : Let me know more about the story of sensibility that you told me before.

Takazawa : Your sensibility is based only on what you have seen so far and how you were raised. So, it cannot be cultivated or heightened though it is often said it can be.

Hasegawa: It sounds pretty hopeless, isn’t it?

Takazawa : I agree. During a conversation, I often realize that there is a communication gap between a person I talk to and me. I think it happens because we cannot understand each other’s sensibility. We pretend to have understood it, but do not actually share the same view.

Hasegawa : It does happen, I guess.

Takazawa : That is why I’m working out how to appeal to people’s sensibility by studying under a copywriter.

Hasegawa : Wow, that’s impressive.

Hasegawa : What made you to start Jiu-Jitsu?

Noda : It was Tokuro Aoyagi (of Nepenthes).

Hasegawa : When you guys were in New York?

Noda : Yes. It was right after 911 and I was eager to do something. The whole city seemed to be in the same mood.

Hasegawa : Do you mean to protect yourself?

Noda : Partly, yes. I also felt like we should not be overwhelmed with sorrow.

Hasegawa : So, it was back in 2001. 18 years ago from now.

Noda : It was two months after 911. Through practicing Jiu-Jitsu, I have improved both my mental and physical strength. And, in my opinion, the idea of inner beauty is related to the world of makeup in a sense. Fit women do look beautiful, don’t you think?

Hasegawa : Yes, I bet.

Noda : For me, Jiu-Jitsu has played a role to develop myself in that way.

YO-KING : In my early time, I was often told that I should perform to audience sitting in the last seats because people in the front row can see you anyway. I’m not sure whether I was really told so or I got the idea by myself, though.

Hasegawa : How do you think now?

YO-KING : Now I glare at everyone.

Hasegawa : It may make your audience nervous (laughs).

Hasegawa : What’s in your mind when you make a violin?

Izutsu : Because I’m in Tokyo, there are lots of stuff to think about. I may have to care about things I have to do after finishing what I currently have.

Hasegawa: And you also think about a guy who burned you up?

Izutsu : No (laughs). Although I do care about making a beautiful sound, I think I often do it with nothing in my mind. But it usually takes some time to clear my mind because I’m poor at concentration. When I get myself into gear in the evening, it’s always time to open my bar.

Hasegawa : (Laughs).