A circle of friends connected by goof-touch! On March 27, Ayaka Sakuragi, director of BONUS TRACK, appeared on the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” to talk about BONUS TRACK, which is celebrating its third anniversary, and the changes in Shimokitazawa. We asked her about BONUS TRACK, which is celebrating its 3rd anniversary, and about changes in Shimokitazawa.
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What kind of place is Shimokitazawa BONUS TRACK?
Takano (MC): FIST BUMP” is a circle of friends connected by go-touch, and at the beginning of the week, we invite people recommended by the program. Today we have Ms. Ayaka Sakuragi, director of BONUS TRACK in Shimokitazawa. Nice to meet you!
Sakuragi: Nice to meet you!
Takano: First of all, I would like to let everyone in front of the radio get to know BONUS TRACK, so could you please introduce us, Ms. Sakuragi?
Sakuragi: Thank you very much, it is a new shopping mall/commercial facility that will open in April 2020, right in the middle of Shimokitazawa and Setagaya-Daita stations in Tokyo. It is a space where bookstores, various specialty stores, and other unusual independent stores are all crammed together.
Takano: I also went to Bonus Track today and stayed there for a long time. What I found very interesting was the area that is seamlessly connected to the streets of Shimokita.
Sakuragi: Originally, there was a railroad line there, so the fact that a big road was built straight from Shimokitazawa station was a big event for Shimokitazawa.
Takano: The BONUS TRACK is really city-like, isn’t it?
Sakuragi: That’s right. The original houses are still there on both sides, so it blends in with the city, or rather, it blends in.
Takano: Also, the design is really high quality. The products sold in the stores and the stores themselves are all designed. But it is also a place where people feel close to each other and anyone can be accepted.
Sakuragi: It has a cool look, but I think the space is designed with a sense of comfort in mind, such as by intentionally making the vegetation look mossy.
Takano: Mr. Sakuragi, you are the director of BONUS TRACK. What do directors do?
Sakuragi: I am not in charge of running a store, but rather I am in charge of planning and managing events with tenants in the plaza and gallery space, which are common areas, and creating events for the local community so that the facility as a whole can remain in good shape.
Takano: The name “BONUS TRACK” is also nice.
Sakuragi: Thank you very much. It has a simple meaning of a bonus track in Shimokitazawa, as it was created at the site of the old railroad tracks. The name “BONUS TRACK” also includes the meaning of “challenge” and the desire to be a place of expression.
Takano: It’s a really good name, isn’t it? I am from the CD generation, so when I heard “BONUS TRACK” I thought “Aha! (laughs).
Sakuragi: I’m glad (laughs).
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There is a “magic of the town” in Shimokitazawa. The miracle of Mr. Sakuragi and Hidenori Mukai
Takano: Mr. Sakuragi, your career started at the live music club “Aoyama Tsukimiru Kimi Soufu,” didn’t it?
Sakuragi: Yes, I originally planned music events at live houses.
Takano: Since you work in music, is that where you first encountered Shimokitazawa?
Sakuragi: When I was working at that job, I lived alone for the first time in Sasazuka, and Shimokitazawa was only a 15-minute walk away, so I often went to Shimokita for fun. I liked Keiichi Sogabe and Nana Yoshimoto, who were on the program earlier, when I was in high school, and going to Shimokita, where they were based, was like a status symbol, like “I am in Shimokitazawa! I’m in Shimokitazawa!” (laughs).
Takano: This spring marks three years since the birth of BONUS TRACK, and the image of Shimokitazawa has changed over the past three years, hasn’t it?
Sakuragi: Yes, the Setagaya-Daita area is basically a residential area, so I think it is a big change that people are now coming to that area. Also, the image of Shimokitazawa as a subculture has changed, and there are many more families here, and many people let their children play with strollers at Bonus Track. I think that kind of scene has really increased.
Takano: There are also a lot of people from overseas.
Sakuragi: Yes, there are many. Recently, galleries and movie theaters have opened, and there is so much information that I can’t keep up with it all.
Takano: What kind of town is Shimokita to you?
Sakuragi: It’s already a mixture of public and private, and I have a lot of mixed feelings. There are supermarkets I go to, favorite streets and bars, and even people I meet on business seem to hang around there. There are supermarkets that I go to, favorite streets and bars, and people I meet on the job also wander around.
Takano: Do you have any impressive memories of Shimokitazawa and Mr. Sakuragi?
Sakuragi: Well, I love Hidenori Mukai-san, and about once a year, Mukai-san sometimes performs live on the street in Shimokitazawa, and I happened to be there by chance.
Takano: I love Mukai-san, too (laughs). I envy you! You perform guerrilla-style, don’t you?
Sakuragi: That’s right. At first I was just watching the show, but then I got into the mood to sing with them, and we sang a song called “KIMOCHI” together (laughs).
Takano: You sang “Kimochi” together? That was great!
Sakuragi: I’m so glad I could ham it up (laughs). It’s the magic of the city, isn’t it?
Takano: Well, that’s a good word! The magic of the city. You mean that kind of miracle happens when you walk around Shimokitazawa. No, it’s a wonderful memory, thank you very much.
Now I would like to play a song here, and I asked Mr. Sakuragi to choose a song that we all listened to together at this time.
Sakuragi: Thank you very much. It is a song called “Takoyaki Story” by 1980YEN (Ichikyupa), a band of which I am a member.
Takano: I’m surprised, but I really love this song, and I used to select it for this program (laughs).
Sakuragi: That’s amazing! I was aiming for a song that no one would know, but I didn’t realize that such a thing was possible (laughs).
Takano: This kind of thing happens (laughs).
Sakuragi: I’m mostly just a dancing member, but we are a weird band with about 9 members, and we call ourselves a fast culture band. We call ourselves a fast-culture band. We think octopus dumplings and highballs are the best.
Takano: No, I’m glad to talk to the members.
Now, Mr. Sakuragi, what kind of evolution do you plan for BONUS TRACK in the future?
Sakuragi: Next week marks three years, and we have events almost every week in April. For example, there will be a ” Diary Festival” on April 9, and the following week we will hold a local festival in collaboration with a movie called “Till the Carnival,” which will be screened in Shimokitazawa, and a record market on April 29 and 30.
We will have a festival at the end of May in collaboration with the entire town, and we are expecting more and more events to be held not only at the facility but also together with the town.
Takano: No, there are a lot of interesting events coming up. Do you have any event you would like to recommend?
Sakuragi: On May 6, musicians ayu tokiO and Manatsu Nagahara are planning an event called “The Great Shisa Expo. I’m not sure what it is, but there is a mysterious announcement about a trip to Okinawa for GW and a tropical event with an atmosphere like a game center in a desolate amusement park.
Takano: Well, the name alone has me curious (laughs).
Now, Mr. Sakuragi, what kind of friends would you like to introduce to us through the circle of friends connected by the Goo Touch?
Sakuragi: Her name is Irie Nanako, and she is a super energetic and colorful girl.
Takano: Colorful! That’s already one word to describe her: colorful. I am looking forward to talking to you tomorrow.
Ayaka Sakuragi, thank you very much for your interesting talk!
Sakuragi: Thank you very much!
GRAND MARQUEE
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Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann
