NOT WONK’s Kato on “FAHDAY2024”: Preserving Culture in Modern Cities

Attempting to Manage Everything Solo for “YOUR NAME”: A Fruitless Endeavor

The event “FAHDAY2024” (FAHDAY), conceived by Kato, has been announced. A statement positioning this event as an ‘Exchange of Expression Market’ was also released. Could you share more about the spirit behind this concept and the background leading up to this event?

Kato: Since the ‘YOUR NAME’ event at ELLCUBE in Tomakomai in 2019, I’ve felt a strong urge to take action. For ‘FAHDAY,’ I’m relying on support from local friends and businesses, which is a departure from the approach I took with ‘YOUR NAME.’ Back then, I was determined to handle everything myself—from creating the tickets, which were hand-printed by the three members of NOT WONK, to managing the cloakroom and ticket checking. We prepared for the event in just six months, starting in July 2019, with the resolve to do it all on our own.

Kato: So, with 262 attendees and 24 opening bands (as noted), plus the staff, there were a total of 368 people. The way each person’s enjoyment connected truly made it a fantastic day. However, despite starting the event with the intention of handling everything myself, it proved to be utterly impossible. I wanted to create a DIY experience to connect with each individual, but in reality, I couldn’t even manage basics like filling the stove with kerosene. I ended up needing help for every little detail.

The opening bands at ‘YOUR NAME’ were those who performed during the open stage event. All artists who applied between July 5, 2019, 11:00 AM and July 6, 10:30 AM performed. The lineup included Gotch, Discharming Man, Totsuzenshoujo, Yahhoo, TIMELY ERROR, The Triops, SUP, Indie Girl, Yurina Maeda, BANGLANG, INViSBL, The Giraffes, Datto, Hue’s, SEAPOOL, And Summer Club, LADALES, JEEP, The Big Mouth, cult grass stars, zo-sun park, Dr. NY, MAPPY, and Mitsuru Okubo.“

Did your effort to manage everything solo reveal that seeking help from others is acceptable?

Kato: That’s right. I came to realize that I might have been the only one thinking I had to do everything myself. I understood that both the opening bands and the attendees felt they should pitch in. As a result, despite my intention to manage everything alone, ‘YOUR NAME’ turned out not to be a genuine DIY event. I believe DIY is most meaningful when it achieves the highest quality. Otherwise, it might be better not to organize a DIY event at all.

If the aim is simply to do everything solo and it results in lower quality, it’s ultimately counterproductive. ‘YOUR NAME’ was indeed a fantastic day with remarkable performances.

Kato: If I insisted on doing it all myself while still relying on others for help, it would be exploitative. I decided it was better to seek fair support from everyone and build something together. This approach was the foundation for “FAHDAY.”

The Futility of Hosting an Event Just to Showcase Personal Ideologies

Does the designation of this event as an ‘Exchange of Expression Market’ also imply sharing each person’s life experiences in a fair and equitable manner?

Kato: Yes, that’s right. For example, when organizing such an event, it often ends up that the initiator becomes the center of attention, and most of the benefits go to that person. I don’t resonate with that kind of system. If we’re combining everyone’s efforts, then the benefits should be fair, and that’s the kind of space I wanted to create, a thought I had right after “YOUR NAME.”

But then we entered the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sense of needing to assert my own principles or ideology seemed less relevant. Many people felt this during the pandemic: while everyone has their own life and important beliefs, the priority shifted to protecting one’s own life and the lives of those around them, which were constantly at risk. In such a society, organizing an event solely to express personal policies or ideologies began to seem nonsensical to me. It felt like a waste to insist on ‘doing it DIY!’ when the situation demanded more immediate concerns.

Facing a societal system that has long since failed, I also deeply felt that now is the time to create a new unity based on the connections between individuals.

Kato: That’s right. So, rather than creating a space to fulfill themes or ideologies I set up selfishly, I wanted a place where each person present could organically intersect as individuals and ultimately create a unified meaning or expression. This reflects a core belief of mine: that every individual’s footprint is a form of expression.

While I agree that individual daily activities constitute ‘expression,’ in what situations did you personally feel this?

Kato: Spending time in my hometown of Tomakomai during the pandemic was significant. From the start of my band, I never had the desire to ‘make it big in Tokyo,’ but I was often active in Tokyo while keeping my base in Tomakomai. I had some reactions to my expression from both Tokyo and Tomakomai, but I started to feel a gap in how my expression was received in both places. Both seemed disconnected, and I felt like a bat—neither bird nor beast—caught in an ambiguous state.

However, when I was forced to spend time in Tomakomai during the pandemic, I experienced a sense of merging where my musical expression, the reception in Tomakomai, the local situation, the state of Tokyo, and the understanding there all blended together. In essence, the boundary between what I wanted to express as a musician and my daily life in Tomakomai began to dissolve. I came to believe that both were valid expressions of myself.

Kato: Last year, I was working on an album for SADFRANK (my solo project) with the idea of distancing myself and drifting in a vast universe to find my true self. However, when I finished the album, I saw aspects of myself that continued to emerge despite my attempts to distance myself. Since then, I’ve thought that perhaps instead of viewing my identity as a grand, cosmic theme, it might be better to consider it as something smaller—something that changes in color and size with just a slight shift in perspective.

Kato: I believe that this journey has been an opportunity to realize the fundamental truth that minimal daily activities are each person’s form of expression, and that every place has its own culture. It’s not so obvious that the society outside of oneself is also part of ‘self.’ Yet, I feel like I had forgotten this aspect. The basic fact is that individuals live by exchanging their lives with one another. So, I thought it would be meaningful to have a place to loudly affirm this, and that’s something I wanted to achieve.

However, looking back on what I’ve done, it seems that what I once considered to be as vast as the universe actually connects to minimal answers, and that minimal things can sometimes be the largest worlds. It feels like I’ve been navigating between these extremes. But I believe that’s the essence of doing art.

Yes, expanding our options and perspectives on how we view things.

Kato: For example, a place that the local government decided to demolish because it didn’t meet their needs (the Tomakomai City Hall, which will be the venue for ‘FAHDAY’) can become an infinitely playful space with a slight change in perspective. Everything changes, but if it’s going to change, it should change for the better. In the case of Tomakomai City Hall, walking around the venue might provide hints for transformation, or considering its location within Tomakomai could be effective. Alternatively, reflecting on how the building has faded over time through my own memories might be valuable. I want to explore the concept of ‘existence’ from multiple viewpoints. I feel like this is a driving principle within me.

Information about the relocation of Tomakomai City Hall can be found here.

Embracing Each Day Without Desiring Change

The co-hosts include names from local dining establishments in Tomakomai. Were these individuals the ones who influenced your changing perspective on Tomakomai during the pandemic?

Kato: Yes. To put it bluntly, the people from Tomakomai I met during the pandemic seemed to be living each day without seeking change, and I found that really cool. Before the pandemic, I had always approached music with the mindset of changing everything from 1 to 10, so a lifestyle that didn’t seek change seemed to me like it was subtly giving up something. As a result, I had some difficulty fully adapting to the atmosphere of Tomakomai, and honestly, it wasn’t the most comfortable place for me. But now, I see the way people here cherish and enjoy what already exists as incredibly cool. That was fascinating.

Why does the seemingly resigned way of life now feel cool to you?

Kato: I’m not sure… It’s not that I think this is the best way to live as I get older. Rather, I think I’ve come to understand that valuing what you have now can also be enjoyable. It’s not about resignation, but about incorporating unchanging things and a sense of security into life, which can be very fulfilling. Also, I’ve thought that there might be many places and people where such a way of life isn’t possible.

Yes, especially in an era where factors threatening our way of life are increasing.

Kato: I think I used to see such a gentle lifestyle only in a superficial way. But stepping into the local scenery during the pandemic, I found that each person’s daily life continues to change gently in a well-ventilated space, creating a sense of time that wasn’t present in any other city I visited on tour. I realized how much I had overlooked.

Is it that the various ways of finding happiness and the fact that each person clings to it has become clearer to you?

Kato: I think that’s right. I spent a lot of time interacting with people who weren’t interested in things like bands or Tokyo. For instance, a 55-year-old New Zealander friend from Tomakomai took me to a local snack bar, and when the owner asked me what kind of music I played, I was able to say “punk” with confidence. And when she heard it, she said, “It’s good music, but it probably won’t be on TV.” Those moments were great. I realized that even in one-on-one introductions, it’s possible to convey your message. I saw that it’s not necessary to constantly shout about alternative or punk music. Instead, if you can create music that communicates well with people, it’s better to confront others more simply and directly.

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.”

The Illusion of Happiness Through Constantly Seeking New Things

I think actions where ‘fun’ comes before messages or issues might be a first for NOT WONK.

Kato: Hahaha, that’s so true.

The idea is that fun and joy come first, and individual realizations are found within that. It seems to me that this is a departure from the previous approach you had, Kato.

Kato: In that sense, I might have had the mindset that I needed to create something new on my own.

But it’s not about creating something based on circumstances or pretenses. The essence of it remains the genuine interaction of each person’s life.

Kato: After all, you don’t need to force something to be created—there’s already culture and life there. Even the cityscape that seems boring can become interesting with just a slight change in perspective. What seemed like isolated points are actually formed within a larger, more gradual flow. Creating those perspectives is crucial, and I think that showing those perspectives is an important part of ‘FAHDAY.’ That’s what I believe the role of art is.

Exactly. Expanding our perspectives, showing different angles or options—this is where the power of music and art lies. We live in an era where it’s easy to become skewed in our thinking about ourselves, society, or the world. Systems have long since collapsed, wars and massacres still continue, and malice pervades both the real world and the internet. The reality of these issues often feels like we’re already shown the end credits in advance. In this context, finding a way to enjoy and live with a smile using what we have now is a minimal approach that actually connects to the largest world.

Kato: The question is whether a new future of great happiness will come from continuously acquiring new things or creating new things. Honestly, I feel like continuing to seek new things doesn’t lead to a happy future. Creating new things and adapting to new technologies may be important, but that’s a means, not an end. I’d like to build a house if I ever become wealthy, but that alone doesn’t define happiness. If we equate happiness with constantly acquiring things, then what do we need to buy after building a house? It becomes endless.

Happiness, for me, can’t be measured by degrees, comparisons, or quantities. It’s about the collective presence of different forms of happiness and the fact that they coexist and breathe in the same way. That’s what I think of as ‘exchange of expression.’ Whether it’s watching an EGO-WRAPPIN’ live show or eating the incredibly delicious vegan ramen made by Kurogome-san in Tomakomai, even though the costs differ, the direction of the happiness gained is the same. This sense of ‘sameness’ is similar to how my personal expression, ideology, and city life have merged. Personal happiness and the expression of life should be understandable even without knowing terms like alternative or punk. If it’s simply placed there, I want it to be a day that everyone can freely engage with. Although I’m the curator, my face isn’t necessary for free enjoyment.