SHINJUKU CHRONICLES - HICCOROHEE

Words : Hiccorohee
     
Edit : Shota Kato
Styling : Yumi Sudo
     
Photography : Akira Yamada
Hair & Make-Up : Kentaro Katsu

SHINJUKU CHRONICLES - HICCOROHEE
SHINJUKU CHRONICLES - HICCOROHEE

日本語
English

  • SHINJUKU CHRONICLES - HICCOROHEE
  • Shinjuku has miscellaneous flavors. Being a little bit dirty is just right for the place, and it suits me more, I guess. I went there today, too, to perform at a live show held by Kazaana-akeruzu, a comedian trio who entered the same agency as me in the same year. It was to celebrate their Tokyo debut. I think Shinjuku is the place I’ve visited most since I moved to Tokyo. Because I used to perform at Shinjuku Kadoza (a theater run by Shochiku Geino) and other live-show theaters in Shinjuku, my living place around that time had to be easy to get there. So, for me, Shinjuku was a place to perform rather than to live.
  • HI always go out for a drink after a show in Shinjuku, though it’s not as much as before. Around the time when I was really broke and didn’t have enough money to go to a bar, I often bought canned beer at a convenience store with my comedian colleagues and drunk it on an empty street. Many of my favorite drinking places in Shinjuku are Yakitori bars such as Toritamura and Tsumugi. I go out with my comedian friends mostly after performing on a live stage. Our choice of a place to go always ends up Shinjuku when we go out together for some food or drinks. When I drink by myself, I go for Omoide Yokocho because there are many old and quaint bars. The place becomes popular among overseas tourists these days, so I can have quick drinks there without caring about others. As a smoker, Shinjuku – sanchome feels relaxing for me because I can find lots of affordable smoking restaurants there. Overflowing trash cans are one of morning cliches in Shinjuku and seeing such a scenery rather soothe my mind.
  • SHINJUKU CHRONICLES - HICCOROHEE
  • Don’t you think there are many old-school cafés in Shinjuku? L’ambre is a truly authentic one. Their basement floor decorated with velvet sofas and chandeliers always makes me unwind. There are fewer smoking cafés and restaurants than before because of the social trend, though. I also like the atmosphere with stained glasses that Coffee Seibu had before they moved to the current address. A mahjong parlor called Mahjong Metro was located in the same building. I liked it because of the spacious, cozy floor. Actually, my college friend and I went to a parlor in Takadanobaba to play mahjong about two weeks ago. No exaggeration, but mahjong is a reflection of life. How you form a yaku and discard a tile does showcase your personality. My favorite yaku is All Green, but I have won only in 3-player mahjong. I really want to win, or win on self-draw, if possible, in a 4-player game one day. By the way, I wonder why instant fried noodle tastes so good in a mahjong parlor.
  • SHINJUKU CHRONICLES - HICCOROHEE
  • People tend to assume that my favorite color is purple probably because of my portfolio and TV costume. But that’s not really so. I don’t mind which color I wear, to be honest. When I go to work, I mostly wear a relaxed outfit like a track suit. My favorite style is probably effortless one, but I don’t really care which genre it belongs or how clean it looks or something like that. If I was to say it, I like clothes with uniqueness. In that sense, I like NEPENTHES because their clothes have a character. The outfit I wear today is also amazing. I’d love to match a cap or sneakers with such a red co-ord set, or to pair an odd hat with a classical jacket. And I also like the outfit with a jacket I wore on a street near a building in which Shinjuku Kadoza used to be located. It looks like men’s clothes but plenty of frills are sticking out from the sleeves. The balance between the chic black color and femininity is just fascinating.

珈琲西武珈琲西武

/ Coffee Seibu
東京都新宿区西新宿7-9-16　西新宿メトロビル
Nishi Shinjuku Metro Building 7-9-16, Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo

A traditional café established in 1964. When it moved to the current address in October 2023, some decorations, including stained glasses, classy red sofas and lightings, were relocated together. Smoking tables are available on the designated floor, but only heat-not-burn cigarettes are allowed.
Hiccorohee : Born in 1989 in Ehime Prefecture. A solo comedian belonging to Shochiku Geino, and ‘the nation’s local friend’. She is set to release a CD together with Kyoko Saito from Hinatazaka46 who co-hosts Kyoccorohee, a program on TV Asahi, drawing attention also as an actor and writer. Her column Chokkanteki Shakairon is serialized in BRUTUS magazine and her first novel “Damatte Shabette” was published in January 2024 from Asahi Shimbun Publications.