INDEX
City Culture” Isn’t Created Anew: It’s Embedded in Daily Life
You mentioned in an interview with “dimen” that just before the pandemic began, you started experiencing panic attacks. Can we say that you opened up to others as a way to free yourself?
Kato: Yes, stepping out of my comfort zone meant that my perspectives and views changed. It became a catalyst for me to feel that it was okay to let myself be more liberated.
Regarding the core understanding of “daily life” and “city culture”—which is important to address before diving into the “FAHDAY” event—the “TOMAKOMAI MIRAI FEST” began in Tomakomai in 2022. Organized by the Tomakomai Urban Regeneration Project Committee, chaired by Mayor Hirofumi Iwakura, the event aimed to “redefine the new culture sleeping in local areas and the魅力 of the land, and promote it to the world.” The festival was planned and produced by “ASOBISYSTEM,” a production company based in Tokyo that handles regional revitalization projects, and featured many of its affiliated artists. Apparently, the mayor had a great time at the event, and it was so lively that he even mentioned, “Let’s create a club in Tomakomai.”
It sounds like it was quite a lively event.
Kato: Yes, it was quite enthusiastic. However, Tomakomai already has a club called CLUB ROOTS, which is celebrating its 18th anniversary this year, as well as other venues like Bar Base and Rock Bar Jam where people can enjoy music. There are people who have been running these places for years. Given that, the mayor’s comments and the festival’s approach seemed to neglect the local music scene, which didn’t sit well with me. I initially thought it would be best to confront this with the people who have been building spaces in Tomakomai and say, “Don’t you see what we’ve been doing?” But surprisingly, the people of Tomakomai were quite nonchalant about it. They seemed to have an attitude of, “That’s not related to what we’re doing; we’re doing our own thing.”
Kato: This leads us to the discussion of terms like “expression” and “culture.” For example, I think considering which bars to hop to, what to eat, and ultimately what to drink while walking from Tomakomai Station to Bar Base is a significant cultural activity. I question who can neatly define “culture” anyway. It seems to me that culture is formed through the repeated activities of people rooted in a specific place. If that’s the case, I wanted to call the ongoing activities in our city “culture” and felt that living according to one’s own will is itself a form of life’s “expression.” The idea of “creating a new culture” seems absurd to me.
It’s already present in the places where people intersect.
Kato: Exactly. Besides, it’s not something that can be created by someone. Culture is developed through the intersection and consolidation of things that have been built up within each individual. People move through the streets, meet each other, and share various things. The immense number of footprints and traces form the city and the life there. I want to call that culture and believe that it is the expression of each person’s life. Even if one doesn’t create art or music, the movement and interactions of their daily life are expressions in themselves.
For me, as a musician, it’s not enough to only create music. I live as a connected entity within society, and it’s within that context that I express myself. This is true for everyone, and I believe it’s something everyone can realize. While it’s not the main purpose of “FAHDAY” to make people aware of this, I do hope that moments of joy and happiness can bring about an awareness of “how beautiful their lives are.”
