In this second instalment of our new series Music Cycles Around The World, themed around “cities and music” and inspired by the idea of travelling the world through music on two wheels, we turn our attention to France — in celebration of the 2025 Tour de France, which kicks off on 5 July from the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Though it’s been nearly 20 years since my last visit, I travelled to France many times throughout the 1990s and 2000s. My first trip to Paris was 33 years ago, when I spent every waking hour scouring the city for records — especially French cinema soundtracks. That trip played a key role in inspiring me to open my own shop, Café Après-midi. Later, in early summer 1999, I ret […]

トレンドはどんな業界やカテゴリにも存在している。中でもファッション業界は顕著で、トレンドなくして商品を語ることはできない。ムードや地域といった大きなパートから、カラーやテキスタイルなど細かい部分まで流行が及ぶ範囲は広い。

There are people who say, “If you haven’t seen that movie, you’re missing out on life.” Of course, everyone has different tastes, and it’s entirely up to each person what kind of films they choose to watch. But when it comes to those who haven’t yet seen the It’s Tough Being a Man series, I can’t help but want to gently encourage them: “Why not give it a try, just once?”That series is packed with the very essence of Japanese comedy. The protagonist is Tora-san (played by Kiyoshi Atsumi), born and raised in Shibamata, Katsushika. He’s rough around the edges, but deeply compassionate—someone who can’t turn a blind eye to those in trouble. He makes a living as a traveling peddler, a kind of car […]

After 15 instalments, my column CYCLE MUSIC, where I’ve written about cycling and the music I love, has come to an end.Starting from this issue, I’m launching a new series titled Music Cycles Around The World. With the theme of “cities and music”, the idea is to explore the world through both cycling and sound. We begin with New York, where the Five Boro Bike Tour—a ride event that takes in all five boroughs including Brooklyn and Queens—is scheduled for 4th May. The title speaks for itself, so let’s kick things off with “Brooklyn-Queens” by 3rd Bass. 3rd Bass were a mixed-race hip-hop trio formed in Queens in 1987, made up of MC Serch, Prime Minister Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Ric […]

When you hear the words “painter” or “artist’s studio,” a certain image might come to mind: a chaotic desk cluttered with paintbrushes and tubes of paint, a large window flooding the room with sunlight, perhaps even a beautiful garden beyond. The film Anselm (2023), which depicts the German contemporary art giant Anselm Kiefer, takes the form of a documentary. However, it is directed by Wim Wenders—the renowned filmmaker behind Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire, and Perfect Days. In his hands, the film transcends a mere record of events, becoming a poetic visual experience where fact and fiction intertwine seamlessly. Kiefer is one of Germany’s most prominent […]

Connecting cycling enthusiasts: the “Ring-Tomo!” series continues in 2025! Thank you for your continued support. This time, sports journalist Kazuyuki Yamaguchi introduces former professional cyclist Yoshimitsu Hiratsuka. After retiring from competitive cycling, Hiratsuka met Yamaguchi during a press tour while working at a hotel dedicated to riders. His road bike journey began in elementary school. With a professional photographer father who loved cycling, it was only natural for him to grow up surrounded by bikes. At the age of eight, he participated in a local race in Izu with his first mountain bike and soon became a dedicated racer, competing in races every weekend. We had t […]

The “CYCLE MUSIC” series, where I’ve shared brief columns about bicycles and my favourite music, reaches its 15th instalment, marking a natural break. From the next issue, it will be reborn under the title “Music Cycles Around The World”, with a focus on “city music,” inspired by the idea of travelling the world through both music and cycling. While I had originally intended to recommend this masterpiece back in December, symbolising the “perfect harmony between bicycles and music,” I missed the opportunity. So, as a fitting conclusion, allow me to introduce it now. It’s Norah Jones’ “Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones).&#82 […]

The Zone of Interest” (2024), a film centered on Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp (hereafter referred to as Auschwitz), presents a series of scenes that are strikingly beautiful and luminous. As is widely known, Auschwitz, operated under the Nazi regime, remains infamous as “one of humanity’s greatest atrocities” and “the site of the worst crime in human history.” The facility was constructed in the outskirts of Oświęcim, in what is now southern Poland, during the German occupation. Under the command of Rudolf Höss, countless Jews were systematically murdered between 1940 and 1945. The sheer scale of the atrocities has made it impossible to determine an exa […]