Interview with Akimasa Ono, Organizer of ITADAKI
On June 3rd and 4th, 2017, Dagiri—one of the staff members involved with ONE BLOOD, my father’s shop that has a booth at the outdoor festival ITADAKI—conducted an interview with Mr.
Akiyoshi Ono, the organizer of ITADAKI.
Scatter the setup over many years.
Da: Thank you for taking the time for this interview.
Thank you in advance.
First, regarding the overall flow of the project and the preparation period leading up to the day of the festival, when do you start working on it?
Are you doing it over the course of a year after all?
Small: No, rather than it taking a whole year...I've been doing it for years.Or rather.
Da: Is it like doing it in advance, saying “in a few years, in a few years”?
Does that mean you’re already working on plans for next year or even the year after?
In a way, yes.
After all, you never know where you’ll run into music or people, or how you’ll end up connected.
I mean, I keep doing things that might look kind of pointless at first glance.
For example, if it’s a booking, at our place it’s as early as about a year in advance.
I see.
So, what kind of preparations are you doing now for the future, and what else have you been working on?
Well, it's like I'm scattering all sorts of tricks around.
Da: I feel like Itadak-i (Itadatte?) Fest has a kind of special vibe among festivals—you all do a lot of different things compared to other fests, don’t you?
For example, is there anything you can share at this point—like any new projects or anything you’re able to tell me right now?
Well, it’s been ten years as of this year, so if we do it next year too, then—in a good way—Refresh and propose in a new formI mean, I do wish I could, though.
Maybe I'll keep going until they say it's okay.
Da:LOVE FOR THE FUTUERYou’ve been making various announcements on different sites about (Love for the Future), but what originally led you to do it?
Sho: It might sound odd to say “to be honest,” but at first we wanted lots of kids to come, and we started from ideas like putting children on stage for those kids—then suddenly the earthquake hit.
So while I was doing that, I was thinking if there was something I could do—something for Tohoku, or for the people affected by the disaster…
There are so many unfortunate children that I wondered if there wasn’t something I could do, and I’ve just kept on doing it ever since.
Da: Well thenSupport for the reconstruction of TohokuIs it like that’s the main focus of the project planning?
Sho: It's ringing now.
It's also like, we happened to become close with some people, and since they're working really hard right now, we’re kind of being pulled along by them and cooperating too.
In the end, those things do come to an end, and I think everyone gradually goes through stages and has their own stance.
Da: To be honest, as the years go by, things do tend to fade from memory.
Sho: That's right.
Da: Well, if I may put it this way.
Maybe it’s like, as long as we don’t forget the summit—keeping that in mind and continuing on—that’s the feeling, I guess.
Well, tomorrow it could be me too.
Especially somewhere like Shizuoka.
Da: People have been saying for years that a Tokai earthquake will hit Shizuoka, you know.
Sho: That's right.
When you keep meeting those kinds of older women in Tohoku and repeating those experiences, you can’t help but become deeply attached—there’s a lot of feeling involved.
I think I’ll keep doing it until those people can live a normal life.
Continuing is really difficult, and I think it's wonderful.
Small:My stance is to keep going until they say it's okay.I'm doing it, though.
Da: As for other things I'm doing,Collection of used oil and fundraisingIt gets melted and such, right?
Are there times when people share the actual items (in kind)?
Sho: No, rather than the actual thing, the people over there......have them make an acrylic scrubbing sponge for (me/us), or ...。
Because it costs money to make it, you could say we're providing financial support to make that happen.
Da: I see, I see.
As for things like merchandise and such, as an organization we’re doing it with the intention of taking no profit ourselves and passing all proceeds from anything related to LOVE FOR THE FUTURE over to them.
The staff and everyone have gathered, and they’ve kept it going all this time.
I’m supporting them in that way, though.
I see.
More than the musicians, the staff are the most important.
Da: I think there are various staff members at the event, but especially...Volunteer staffI'd like to ask you about that.
Isn't there also the case where they make up for staff shortages by using volunteers?
I’d like to hear about various things, such as that kind of philosophy and how the staff will operate on the day.
Well, it's divided into a few positions—roughly ten, to put it simply.
Handling the parking arrangements and the entry gate, and if it's at Itadaki, washing the reusable cups and picking up trash.
So we’re divided into about ten such groups, and each leader has veteran volunteer staff members; those people take the lead and have been keeping things going continuously.
Well, I guess about 60% are the same people.
Volunteering at Itadaki every year, always.
Da: As with last year,There are many repeat customersThat’s what it means.
Sho: Yeah.There are lots of people who’ve been coming for ten years.Do.
Da: It feels like the connection is strong.
It feels like we’re doing it just through connections, doesn’t it?
LOVE FOR THE FUTURE as well, and the musicians too—one way or another, they’re people I’ve become connected with, and I think I really value the people who, in one way or another, have continued along with me.
So, roughly when do the volunteer staff members start getting things underway?
Uh, let's see... The leader, maybe about half a year ago.
For example, when the year ends, then after that everyone tends to think about things quite a bit.
It was like this back then, and next year let’s do it like this.
So we’ll wrap things up for now, take a short break, and then get together again in about six months—around the end of the year, in Taka’s case.
We’ll do it around June, then get together around December to review it again and decide, “This is how we’ll proceed this year. Let’s change this part from last year and focus our efforts here.”
Da: So is it like we’ll keep working through things from around six months ago onward?
Well, a lot of them are drinking buddies or music buddies, and we usually hang out anyway, so it's not just at those times—we're connected in our everyday lives too.
I think I’ve sent messages to all the volunteer staff and on birthdays.Do.
If you’d only been doing it there, you wouldn’t have gotten this far, right?
Da: After all, unless we really, really cherish our connections, they won't last, will they?
Sho: Yeah, yeah.
You know, in the end things happen—people stop having kids, they get transferred, work stuff comes up, all kinds of things.
Because not everyone can come.
If you keep doing that kind of thing, even people who took two years off will come back again.
I wonder if it’ll keep going like that.
I think we get along better than anywhere else.。
If volunteer staff don’t feel they’re being valued, they’ll think, “We’re just being used,” and they won’t stick around.
Yeah, exactly. If you think I’m being seen that way, it makes you lose the motivation to help.
Small: Of course I don’t feel that way at all, and I intend to cherish it.
More than the musicians, the staff are the most important.。
Da: I can tell from what you’ve said that about 60% are continuing, but do you still get a lot of applications from new staff as well?
I'll come over soon.
Plenty of young kids come too—like 18-year-olds, 20-year-olds, and so on.
I think that’s really great.
After all, we do need some new people to come, don’t we?
It’s not exciting.
There are people who come already understanding, and everyone kind of brings it there.
Something like that, I guess.
D: In that sense, whether they’ll be coming from this year or from next year.
If you want to join the summit, the application method and such are on the website, right?
Do those people start taking action about a week in advance?
Sho: Volunteer?
Da: That's right.
Sho: We start as early as about eight days in advance, so there are also staff who come in from then.
From there, it’ll gradually, gradually come together, I think.
Da: We usually start setting up and such about eight days in advance, right?
Exactly—we’ve been doing all sorts of things, like marking out the layout of a campsite from scratch in places that don’t even have a parking lot.
I guess it’s like everyone starting all at once from that kind of place.
In a way, it’s tuning—right up until the real thing.
It’s not like I couldn’t do it properly if I really tried, but as I keep doing it, more and more teammates join in, and it kind of starts to feel like we’re really doing it.
It's more like I'm starting to get ready.
You can’t just do it out of the blue, right?
Da: Thank you very much for sharing so many rare stories we don’t usually get to hear.
Alright then, here’s the next item.
What sets this festival apart from others—what would you say is the main selling point of Itadaki?。
Small:hospitality; service-mindednessI think so.
Given all the different festivals and parties out there, the people who come are choosing us, and the fact that they make time and pay to be here really makes me happy.
It's like, you know, welcoming them with the feeling of wanting to make them happy and to accept them—how should I put it?
You just don’t end up like that with staff you’ve paid to gather.
After all, it's not about money.There really are so many people who do it with heart.I wonder if we haven’t been influenced by that kind of thing and ended up the same way.
I'm absolutely confident about that.
Da: So the strength of the staff’s bonds is the number one thing, right?
99.
Because it's 100% biodiesel, not 9%.
Da: And about the eco-friendly part...
Used cooking oil or dishes, for example,Everything can be reused.That's how it is set up, but what led you to start doing that? What was the trigger for getting started?
Sho: I wonder what it is.
At first, before Itadaki, we used to do something called the Hamaishi Festival, and even back then there were people doing biodiesel power generation and the like. I was naturally interested in people like that and those who drove those kinds of cars, so it all kind of started organically.
I deliberately tried to make people aware, so I did Hamaishi and the first run to the summit with biodiesel, but the customers didn’t really get it.
Then I thought, wouldn’t it be more realistic to have them bring this over?
From there, we started putting in TV programs and commercials, figuring out how to make them and having everyone bring things in for that, and as a result, people started bringing stuff in on their own.
And I think that's what made it start to feel really real.
The festival is being held using electricity generated from the oil we brought.Like, “he/she/they said.” (Used to quote or trail off after reporting speech.)
Da: So it means the awareness has emerged that we’re creating the festival with our own power.
Sho: That's right.
A cycle where the sound comes from the oil we brought, and we take that vibe back with us.
I feel like it turned out pretty nicely like this.
Da: By having things like requests from customers for used oil collection and the like, it feels like our connections grow even stronger.
Ko: As I thought, this kind of thing makes me really happy.
Well, I do give out stickers and stuff, but just because I brought them doesn’t mean I can make money off something like that.
But when there are people who take what we put out seriously and straightforwardly, and come saying they want to do it together, it really fires us up too.
I can’t do things halfway.
Right now, even the lights in the bathroom—we’re not buying any electricity from Chubu Electric at all.
99.
Because it's not 9%—it's 100% biodiesel.
It’s just us who do this—we’re deliberately switching everything over to electric.
Because this is just a completely plain message.
It's super inefficient if you think about it in terms of efficiency, but I do it believing that it will get across.
I think having a theme that says, 'Actually, it's like this,' is really important.
Da:We won’t use meat at the food stall.I think it can be things like that, and there are probably those kinds of preferences as well.
By not using that meat, are you thinking about the environmental aspect and such?
Sho: Well, this is kind of a behind-the-scenes theme.
I didn’t exactly put it into words, but it’s simply that I’m a vegetarian, and there were a lot of musicians like that—people who were going to take part, too.
Then I have to match it to one of them.
People who eat meat can accommodate those who don’t, but people who don’t eat meat can’t accommodate those who do.
I think it was about three years after I tried doing that.
We talked it over and figured it’d be better to have both, right? But then we were like, this is its own style and only happens once a year, so let’s just enjoy it as it is.
On the contrary, I was running a stall at ONE BLOOD, and there was a time when it was tough because we couldn't use meat.
But on the flip side, by not using it, you sometimes end up creating something new—or rather, something distinctive.
Amazing—how should I put it—it's like you've developed this wonderful attention to detail.
Simply put, I don’t want to kill living things in my own party.
Yeah, that's all there is to it.
I might be sounding kind of cocky, though.
I mean, if ten thousand people get together, we’ll be taking a lot of lives—whether it’s meat or fish.
At times like that, I really don’t like just kind of eating without any respect, but I also think it’s really hard to tell everyone to say “itadakimasu.”
Well, in a way, it might just be for my own self-satisfaction.
But everyone in my group acknowledges/accepts that.
I guess customers come in all kinds, but whatever.
If you don't like it, then don't come—something like that.
thatSummit StyleI guess it ended up that way.
But I also do things like running restaurants, and expressing that is still pretty difficult.
In my case, at the peak, I haven’t been putting anything into words or writing characters at all.
But actually, that's how it is.
Something like that.The theme of “it’s actually like this” is really important.I thought so.
Da: Honestly, I think quite a few customers come in not knowing this kind of thing—in fact, not realizing there’s no meat.
Some people end up never knowing.
Like, 'Oh, so that’s how it was.'
And I'm still okay with that.
Da: But on the other hand, the fact that you could go through life without ever knowing it means you can still live just fine—there’s that path too, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Da: You can think about it that way too, right?
Something like doing it casually is just about right, you know?
Well, you know I love reggae.
I've listened to a lot of Indian music and the like.
After all, I really feel—in my own way—how they respect nature and what intentions they bring to it, and I want to incorporate that.
Well, I don’t like it when it’s taken in a religious way.
I don’t feel that way at all—just plain and simple.
Da: As you’d expect, reggae and Indigenous/Indian cultures have a very strong sense of valuing nature, so that’s why you see those “peak colors” show up—things like eco-friendliness or associations with meat, and so on.
But, well, they seem pretty bad, you know—and that’s not really the vibe, right?
Just at a glance (lol).
Da: Not bad (lol).
Looking at the lineup and all, that’s what I think is good.
Having something there like, “Look, we’re totally doing it!” just feels lame.
Something like doing it casually is just about right, you know?Uh-huh.
There are relatively a lot of the artists performing and reggae folks too, especially compared to other festivals, right?
Sho: I just like him, plain and simple (lol).
But still, that connection is huge, and everyone’s connected.
Well, I mean, it’s not like I know that much about reggae either.
Really!? Even though Dad knows so much (lol)
Da: That's right.
Well, it’s not like they’re really forcing me or anything (lol).
Also, there's the fact that I myself have pretty much settled on the rock side.
But, well, it might be odd for me to be the one saying this, though.
I’ve always felt that reggae is, after all, music that’s centered on the theme of love.
I feel like it’s a festival built on bonds and love, partly because people who are involved—like Ono-san, who loves that kind of reggae, and the Itadaki staff—use reggae as a foundation or source of inspiration.
Sho: I like Bob Marley.
Listening to that person's songs, there were so many times I thought, ‘I get it now,’ and I feel like I've been really influenced by their lifestyle too.
Trends come and go in all sorts of ways, but I guess the really important part kind of always sticks around, you know?
Da: That's right.
If we bring the pinnacle into the music, it will be incredible.
Da: And then, about the festival’s name—why is it called “Itadaki” (Peak)?
That part took the most time—you know, the thinking.
The first thing I thought about when starting out was what kind of genre of music to do.
I used to mostly do things like reggae festivals.
Since I ran a live house, I really listened to music without caring about genre, and even the genres I didn’t like at first grew on me—once I got used to them, I started noticing things like, “Oh, this part is actually pretty cool.”
And then things like, “I kind of get this feeling,” started to come up.
When I thought about it more broadly, I decided to just go all-in on all genres first.
That all-genre,Let's bring the very best from every genre.Something like that.
Da: The very top of that...
Sho: Yeah, yeah.
Then I think it would become an event with a really big peak—like a real high point.
Da: When you say something like 'summit' or 'Itadaki,' since it’s Shizuoka, maybe it has the meaning of Mount Fuji or something like that.
Sho: Nah, it’s got nothing to do with it anymore, right? (lol)
If anything, it’s like bringing the very pinnacle of music, and that would make something incredible happen.
For reggae, it’s this person; for jazz, it’s that person, and so on.
I mean, we’re basically deciding that based on our own biases and preferences.
Da: So that’s how it is, huh.
I was thinking kanji would be nice.
They say things like, 'I don't really like English.'
I don’t like using foreign words, and I want to make it work somehow in Japanese.
Da: Using just a single character to mean it’s pronounced as itadaki makes it easy to understand, too.
Actually, it was the Nihondaira Grand Music Festival.
But actually this is about the third time, and at first I was thinking of calling it the “Teiten Nihondaira Grand Art Festival.”
Somehow, the arrangement of the kanji looks cool.
That's pretty cool and classy.
Da: Without being confined to just music, things like live painting and the artistic side are at the pinnacle, aren’t they?
Sho: Good things really hit you, after all.
Be it music, paintings, or photographs.
Yeah, I mean, when I see someone doing that kind of thing, it makes me go “oh!”—like, it really grabs me, and I guess I value that kind of feeling.
And then, you know, kids don’t know their right from their left.Even little kids, you know, end up with their mouths hanging open and get influenced by it—it's pretty amazing when you think about it.。
If I had come to this event when I was little, my life would have changed.
There wasn’t anything like that, you know.
So I really want lots of children to come.
Being in touch with good things like that kind of makes you better somehow—and it kind of proves itself, you know.
Da: At Itadaki, there are quite a few booths like this and lots of areas aimed at kids, right?
Sho: That's right.
Well, I did run a live house (music venue) for a long time, after all.
When customers get married or have kids, they stop coming.
After all, live houses are kinda hard to come to.
The air is bad and it's noisy too.
I want to do it outside, but if we charge for tickets there, it kind of makes it harder for people to come.
You're not even listening—like a child.
It's not like I particularly want to listen to anything, so it's like, well then just let me in for free already.
And it’ll be fun again when those kids grow up.
My kid was in fourth grade back then, but now they’re a college freshman, and this year they’re bringing seven friends and joining as staff.
I thought that kind of thing was wonderful.
The kids gradually grew up and became staff members and then customers, or something like that.
As your children grow up, you pass on to them the memories of the things you yourself enjoyed.
Sho: Yeah, that's true—there's stuff like that.
When there are lots of kids around, adults tend to have a really nice vibe.
If you hang out drinking all the time with just adults, you end up turning into a bit of a delinquent.
But when I have my own kids or there are kids I know around, I kind of try to act a bit cooler (lol).
That's important, and it also provides great security.
Kids are cute, you know.
But well, I have absolutely no intention of doing music for children.
Da: That's right.
Even looking at the lineup, there’s pretty much nothing for kids, huh (lol).
If anything, there are more people who listen to artists that feel like they're for the generation just a bit older than me.
Sure, this year I kinda feel like I’ve, well, become a bit more adult.
Personally, I’m doing my best to keep myself looking young (lol).
Da: Recently, I get the impression that the lineup features a lot of artists that even younger people can enjoy—in other words, more of the current best-sellers.
Honestly, I’ve been doing this in the underground scene for so long that there’s this thing where people don’t like you just because you’re successful, you know? (laughs)
But putting all that aside—not about whether it sells or not—I want to make music that everyone genuinely feels is good.
When I actually listened to it properly, I thought it was surprisingly cool.
So without being swayed by that kind of bias, if I listen properly and think the music is good, I plan to include it in the lineup whether the artist is young or not selling well.
You've been doing it thinking that way all along.
As I was saying earlier, it ties into the idea of the summit’s all-round nature—aiming for every peak, so to speak.
Sho: That's right.
If some good music was playing and stuff, I’d be thinking this is the best.
Well, I guess this ties into what we were talking about—more in the sense of it being for children.
As one characteristic,campYou know how there’s that kind of thing.
I wonder why we started doing that.
Sho: Well, I mean, it's simply that Yoshida is in the countryside.
There aren’t many hotels to stay at.
Doing it in Yoshida = there’s no place to stay.
If we do it for two days, it’ll be overflowing with customers.
I mean, we were going in with the basic premise that if we can’t camp, we can’t hold the event.
Da: But on the flip side, when there are things like camps, it does end up being pretty geared toward kids.
Sho: That's right.
When it comes to music festivals, rather than having some unknown people performing live, having a camping event makes it feel like kids can enjoy it too, right?
Sho: Yeah, even just camping is fun, you know.If I stepped out for a bit and some good music was playing, I’d think that’d be just perfect.Do.
Da: There’s also music that’s only for campers, right?
Sho: There is.
Da: That's quite a good deal, isn't it?
In the past we would’ve kept going even in the middle of the night, but we’re getting older now.
There are lots of children, too,Let's try to put (them) to sleep.Something like that.
Yeah, that’s how they’ve got it set up—the Moon Stage, I mean.
From now on, when requesting each artist to appear,This is the stage where you put (someone/the baby) to sleep.」「Never hype me up; let me sleep.Something like that.
But musicians seem to find that kind of thing interesting, too.
There aren’t many, are there?
You know how with artists, it’s kind of all about hyping them up?
For example, using my music as background music—like, using it in that way.
In a way, yes.
Everyone’s brought chairs and stuff and is sleeping, right there in front of the stage.
In a way, I think it’s kind of rude.
I'm saying that to musicians as well,On the summit’s Moon Stage, that’s the best reaction from the audience.…so they say.
Last year when Gontiti and the others were playing, everyone was asleep.
It’s perfect, you know.
I was thinking that kind of concept might be interesting too.
It’s early in the morning, and it’s a long day.
Yeah, it’s tiring. Even just one or two days straight, you know.
Sho: It's exhausting. I think that's a good idea, though.
The way it comes across and the way it comes in change.
Da: If I were to mention one more distinctive feature,Candle timeWell, it's just that.
Do you have any particular preferences or rituals for candle time?
Things like the background of how we ended up deciding to do that.
Sho: For one thing, I have a friend who’s a candle maker named Chirori Rousoku, and their candles are, well, amazing.
From the very first time I saw it, I was incredibly moved and thought, “Wow, I want to share a stage with this person.”
Well, back when I used to do it a lot, I’d use candles and lighting cleverly and make it feel pretty nice.
It's like with that 100% biodiesel thing we were talking about—if you do it halfway, the message won’t really get across, you know?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we did it with 100% candlelight only?That’s what I thought.
I'll erase everything, even the toilet.
Da: Well, yeah./Well, let me think.
Well, in a way we do get complaints, but that’s kind of our signature style, you know? I’m actually pretty confident about that vibe, yeah.
It’s hard to recreate that, or rather, it’s that they’ve kept it up for ten years and that’s what gives it that vibe.
Da: Honestly, that's true.
I get the sense that there are quite a lot of aspects that are only acceptable because it’s at the top.
People who don't know anything will come in and say, “Isn't it pitch dark?” or “I can’t see well!”
Not just for candle time, I often feel that something is only possible at the very peak.
We've been doing this for ten years now and our style has really taken shape. I feel like our customers have come to understand it too—as if we're all connected.
Xiao: Thank you.
But you know, everyone was more convinced the first time—like, “Oh, I see.”
Well, there were only about 1,500 people, but it was the first time and all.
But on the flip side, a lot of the customers know us, and it’s almost like we’re surrounded by friends.
So it started out kind of like a friend-of-a-friend situation, right?
Like, I tell everyone, ‘This is how we’re gonna do it, this is how we’re gonna do it,’ and when we’re actually doing it, since I can say it to them directly, I feel like it really gets across.
With things like that, it gradually kept increasing, and before we knew it, it had turned into a live show of that size.
I don’t think you see that very often—I’ve looked around a lot.
There are similar ones, but it's a bit different.
I’m super confident about that.
Da: I really get the sense that you're not half-hearted about things—you have a strong sense of commitment, so to speak.
Sho: You know, after doing music, I feel like with music, unless you have both really good sound and the right vibe together, even if the sound alone is good, it’s just not enough.
For example, when the sun’s blazing and it’s 40 degrees out, you can’t really relax even if you’re listening to chill music, right?
Well, with that temperature and that vibe, under that kind of lighting, it turns out like that.
It kind of creates that sort of vibe.
It's like the way it comes across or the way it comes in changes.Sa.
For example, in a club it’s so dark that it feels like your eyes are closed and only the sound comes in, so your ears become really sharpened—something like that.
I think the setting is everything.
Da: When it comes to creating that kind of atmosphere—like Candle Time, and the Moon Stage as well—you can really tell we’re particular about it.
I think those two are the key—they’re the main part, the pinnacle.
But to be honest, I'm confident about all of it.
Da: I’m sure there are various characteristic features, but is there something like a hallmark of this year—something that makes this year feel different?
Sho: This year is filled with all kinds of feelings, isn’t it?
Bringing along a longtime close band,Robert GlasperAnd bands we’d always dreamed of came to play for us.
I feel like the things we’ve been preparing—while talking to various people in various places—have finally started to take shape a bit.
It’s not all there yet—probably 80% isn’t taking shape at all—but about 20% has come together, so I think lots of customers and old friends will probably come.
I want to make it a show where you can feel all the history and the emotions of the past ten years.
From first thing Saturday morning until the end of SundayI’m seriously mixing everything together like a DJ.。
I’m doing this because I’m convinced this development is great, and I think if people get that, it’ll really hit them. I want as many customers as possible to feel that.
It's kind of just self-satisfaction, in a way.
Are you that confident?
Da: Are there any artists to watch this year?
Sho: That’s tough… it’s hard for me to say a bunch of things.
Da: I know it's a bit awkward to say this with the artist right here (laughs).
But honestly, I'm confident about everything, yeah.
Because everyone has already listened to it to the point of saying they've had enough.
I've listened to it until I'm sick of it, thought about it until I'm sick of it, and I've already made an offer.
I wonder who I should pick—maybe I’ll just go with Robert Glasper to be on the safe side.
Well, I think Robert Glasper is a bit too chic to be the pinnacle.
As lovers of Black music, if we could make it happen, there was this artist we would have wanted to try working with—if you can call it that.
Da: I was, kind of, pretty attached to Booking, you could say.
Sho: Yeah. I mean, it’s not like I expect it to be decided, you know.
It’s like, you know, we’ve already locked in someone like Glasper.
Well, then,Dubsense (DUBSENSEMANIA)、Dog-styleI wonder.
Da: I knew it, that’s how it is.
Is this the part about being resurrected?
Well, I’m not sure if I’m really allowed to go this far—there are lots of other artists, so there are all kinds of feelings about it, but personally, that’s how I feel.
You know, when someone makes a comeback, there’s always a story to it.
Back in the day, it’d be like PLASTICS getting back together or GOMA making a comeback—so being chosen for that kind of stage makes me happy, and it really fires me up too.
Because it's special—the place where one comes back to life.
It's an honor for us to be the ones setting that up.
Full of gotchas.
Well, what I’d like the customers to take a look at is…HighlightsOr rather.
Is there anything you’d like people to understand in this way here?
We touched on this a bit earlier, but I wanted you to get a feel for the flow. Is there a particular type of customer you have in mind?
To be honest, I kinda want to screw people who don’t think about anything.
Those who get it, get it.
I've been thinking about my favorite one and stuff like that all along.
Like, I don’t totally get it in a good way, but I came anyway—or I came with a purpose, like to see this person—but then I ended up getting swept away by something else.
That's how you get hooked on music, right?
So you never know where you might get stuck.
I think I’ve set plenty of traps, though.
There are tons of tricky spots, yeah.。
Da: Well, this will be the last thing.
Do you have any thoughts or enthusiasm you’d like to share about this event as it reaches its 10th anniversary?
Maybe just do it like always—stay natural and relaxed, without any extra tension.
I'll go all out until the real thing, but when it's showtime I won't overhype myself too much.
Da: Do you mean being your true self?
Yeah, I think things will work out as they will.
I was thinking it’d be nice if I could be in a state where I can sort of serve as a vessel to accept whatever happens.
We’d be more than happy to have things go off-script—actually, we’d love it (lol).
On the contrary, that way you can enjoy the unexpected more.
Well, that's because it's live.
Leave it to me—I'll nail it.
Da: Thank you very much for taking the time to share so many valuable insights, especially during such a busy and hectic period.
Sho: No, thank you.