A circle of friends connected by gootouchi! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On July 13, Masahiro Kadokawa, who is the owner of Wimjical in Koenji and also works with the “Curry Mason” brand apparel, was introduced as a hairdresser and sink Curry Jockey, a hair stylist and a flushing curry shop owner, appeared on the stage. We asked him about the reason why he started his business, and about his crowdfunding project, Curry Paste to Save the Earth.
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Origin of CJ and Curry Jockey
Takano (MC): The T-shirt and cap are cute. Are they original?
Curry Jockey (CJ): They are original and all silk-screened.
Takano: The Curry Jockey logo.
Celeina (MC): It’s very nice.
CJ: Thank you very much.
Celeina: This week, we’ve been connected to curry since Tuesday. What kind of curry do you serve, Curry Jockey?
CJ: I serve a different curry for each event. I travel on business, so I make a curry that matches the concept of the event, or if it’s a regional event, I use local specialties or vegetables from that area.
Takano: It’s really like DJing. I try to match it to the floor and to the people.
CJ: That’s right.
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Using curry, your specialty, as a medium.
Takano: What is your originality, or what is it about curry that you are concerned about?
CJ: I wanted to make it look organic. I wanted to use curry as a platform to communicate the fact that it is additive-free and chemical-free in a pop-up message, or to talk directly to visitors about the good vegetables used in the curry.
Takano: Right, like a media.
CJ: Yes, that’s right. I would like to use curry to do media.
Celeina: I see. And your name is CJ, Curry Jockey. It’s an impressive name, but how long have you been using it?
CJ: About three years ago, during the first emergency declaration, I had too much free time and started making curry. I am also a hairdresser, and I thought that being a curry jockey and a cut jockey are both C’s. I wanted to do something I couldn’t do as a hairdresser.
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What I couldn’t do as a hairdresser, I can do at a curry shop.
Takano: So hairdressers have freelance work too?
CJ: Yes, they do. It’s a style of work called “rent-a-cafe,” and when I receive an appointment, I go to work, cut or color the hair, and when the client is finished, I come back the next time.
Celeina: Which do you do more, hairdressing or working at a curry shop?
CJ: Lately, I’ve been working more at the curry shop. It’s changing.
Celeina: For example, as a hairdresser, do you make curry while you are cutting hair or waiting for coloring, or do you have some kind of set up?
CJ: I’ve done that a few times, but it’s still not very hygienic (laughs).
Takano: It’s better to separate them (laughs).
CJ: But if we sell out of curry, we can do haircuts (laughs).
Takano: So you are a traveling curry shop. I thought that concept was kind of interesting, but what was the concept behind this?
CJ: Just about three years ago, rented curry shops were all the rage. I once ran one myself, but after the first three months or so, people I knew started coming, but then they stopped coming at all. I felt as if I had started curry when there were no customers in the first place. After that, I started going to a lot of events, and the events became more enjoyable, so I stopped renting a room.
Takano: So you go to places where there are customers to begin with.
CJ: Yes, that’s what I thought at first, and it became my style.
Takano: Hairdressers usually wait at the store. It is interesting to see the opposite.
CJ: Yes, it is. Since I was a hairdresser, I have always wanted to be active, so I have come to feel that I can curry with people by going out and having a conversation with them.
Celeina: Did you always like curry?
CJ: I really liked eating it, and I ate curry all over Tokyo.
Celeina: And then you started making curry.
CJ: Yes, I started making curry about 3 years ago when I was on standby at home.
Celeina: I heard that you will have a chance to eat curry from Curry Jockey in the near future.
CJ: There will be an event in Nakameguro on the 17th of this month (already finished). It is an event called “Wakuwaku Toushi-Land” (Land of Exciting Experiences).
Takano: What kind of event is this?
CJ: It’s an event where you can experience various things you’ve never done before. Manga artist Hiroyuki Ohashi will teach portrait drawing, for example.
Takano: A workshop?
CJ: Yes, in the form of workshops. Ikebana, or a salesman teaching sales techniques, etc.
Celeina: Oh, that’s Yohei Takayama, the chairman of Okuribanto! He is the chairman of Okuribunt. He appeared in this corner.
Takano: Also, Mr. Negra from Delusional Indian Curry was on the show before.
CJ: I am also a big supporter. In terms of business trip curry, he is a big senior.
Takano: We are connected, aren’t we? What kind of curry are you planning to serve?
CJ: I think there will be a lot of alcohol, so I’m planning to serve a curry that is like a snack. I’m thinking of serving things like sabzi, poriyal, achar, and so on.
Celeina: I don’t know (laughs).
Takano: I can just barely understand achar.
CJ: Achar is like spices in oil. Sabbagh is the process of boiling the potatoes after frying them. Like frying potatoes until they are crispy after they have been cooked to a crisp. I think I will bring snack-like items like that.
Celeina: Sounds delicious! If you are interested, you can check out Curry Jockey’s social networking site.
CJ: Please do.
Celeina: So we asked Mr. Jockey to pick a song that we would all like to hear together on the radio at this time…what song would it be?
CJ: It’s a song called “SEMI” by T.V. NOT JANUARY, who is also an artist who will appear on “Waku Waku Experience Land”.
Celeina: What kind of song is it?
CJ: I think it is perfect for the beginning of summer. It’s nostalgic, a bit folky, and full of humanity.
Celeina: I like it. Let’s listen to it together.
Takano: Good summery song!
CJ: I’m looking forward to hearing it live.
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Curry Paste to Save the Earth
Celeina: You have a product called “Universal Curry Paste. I heard that this was done through crowdfunding.
CJ: That’s right.
Takano: What kind of all-purpose curry paste is it?
CJ: In a word, a curry paste that can save the earth. It’s a big one, though.
Takano: It can save the earth.
CJ: I often receive vegetables from farmers I know that are thrown away because they are a little past their expiration date or are in bad shape. While that makes me happy, I also feel that it is a waste of vegetables that could be sold, but are so tasty. So I thought I could do something with the vegetables that would otherwise be thrown away by using them in my curry. This curry paste has no ingredients, so you can just add scraps of vegetables or whatever you have left over and simmer it to make curry.
Celeina: I see! So you are saying that we can reduce food loss by using this paste and adding leftover vegetables and meat at home.
CJ: That’s exactly what I mean.
Takano: Curry is very inclusive, isn’t it? It may indeed save the earth.
Celeina: That’s deep. Has the crowdfunding for this curry paste ended yet?
CJ: Yes, it has. We still have a little bit of stock on hand and will bring it to this event.
Celeina: And the second version as well.
CJ: I would like to do that someday.
Celeina: I am looking forward to it. FIST BUMP” welcomes today’s guest, CJ, a hairdresser and a curry jockey. Thank you very much.
CJ: Thank you very much.
GRAND MARQUEE
J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann
