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 September 12, photographer RK will appear on the show. We asked him about fashion, which he says he has loved since childhood, his unexpected motivation to become a photographer, and about the photos that got him buzzed on Instagram.
INDEX
Going to Daikanyama in the 5th grade
Celeina (MC): KATSU of the apparel brand “Winiche & Co.” introduced me to photographer RK yesterday. thank you.
RK: Nice to meet you, I’m RK.
Celeina：First of all, let me introduce you to RK’s profile: RK was born in 1982 in Furukawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture. He is a graphic designer and DJ, and started his photography career in 2013 when he joined NIKE’s running team AFE. He has produced many masterpieces such as “Grandpa in Akihabara” and “Bike on the Taipei Bridge,” and has over 760,000 followers on Instagram.
Takano (MC): I think there are quite a few followers of RK among those who are listening to this, so we are looking forward to your message.
Celeina: I would like to ask you how you got the buzz, but after all, you were a graphic designer and DJ before you became a photographer. We heard that you participated in the Koshien National Championships when you were a student.
RK: The school itself participated in the Koshien, but I was removed as a member.
Celeina: Oh dear.
Takano: But you played baseball all the time?
RK: I have been playing baseball since I was in the third grade of elementary school.
Celeina: When you were a student, were you interested in culture while playing baseball?
RK: Yes, I did. Influenced by my mother and local seniors, I started going to Daikanyama from about the 5th grade of elementary school.
Celeina：What were you doing in Daikanyama?
RK: Do you know those Evis jeans with the seagull logo? Those were in their heyday, so even if I couldn’t buy them, I wanted to go there anyway. I ended up buying them.
Celeina：Around you, RK, were the kids in your grade also interested in Evis Jeans? Or were you the only one?
RK: At first it was just me, but it gradually spread.
Celeina：It originated from RK-san.
RK: Yes, that’s right. Even in junior high school, we all went to Ura Harajuku together. We had baseball practice, so we arrived at Harajuku around 6:00 a.m. and stayed there for only an hour or two.
Celeina：What did you do in Ura harajuku when you were in junior high school? Did you check out fashions, or did you have a favorite store?
RK: There is a legendary A BATHING APE and UNDERCOVER store called NOWHERE, and I used to stand in line there.
Takano: So you were highly sensitive.
Celeina: Really, you were a fashion icon.
INDEX
Running was the reason I started taking photos.
Takano: What was it about the running team that got you started in photography, RK?
RK: When I changed jobs and started working in graphic design, I gained a lot of weight, partly because I was working at a desk. So I thought it would be nice if I could run once a week for fun, so I asked one of the senior founders of AFE Tokyo, a NIKE running team, to join me.
Celeina：How did you connect to photography from there?
RK: At the time, Instagram had just been released and everyone was taking pictures. So I was told by the founder to “take pictures” and became the person in charge.
Celeina: Did you have any experience with photography before that?
RK: No, I don’t.
Takano: What?
Celeina: So you started out with an iPhone or something.
RK: That’s right. Since I was running, I couldn’t carry an SLR because it was too heavy. So I took pictures with my iPhone, edited them with my iPhone, and posted them on Instagram.
Takano: And now you have more than 760,000 followers. You must have always had a sensitivity to fashion and a variety of other senses.
Celeina: I feel that you have the power to gather people.
Takano: RK’s Instagram is really cool, and one of the photos that generated a lot of buzz was the one of the shopkeeper in Akihabara. How did you come up with that photo with all the electrical parts lined up in a row?
RK: I had already switched to an SLR camera at the time, but I was walking around Akihabara with a photographer friend of mine, a model girl, and I decided to shoot a piece together. Then we really stumbled upon that place by accident and thought it was interesting, so we shot it. Until then, all I had taken were photos of a single person standing alone in a white space, but when I happened to post a photo with a lot of information and a lot of density, the response was amazing.
Takano: It’s really overwhelming. I guess when things, people, or whatever come together, it gives off a lot of power.
Celeina: The colors are so beautiful, RK, when is the moment when you feel like clicking the shutter?
RK: The same as everyone else. When I go somewhere on a trip and decide to take a picture of the scenery because I think it’s so beautiful, I just think, “Should I use my iPhone or my SLR camera?
Takano: Please check out RK’s Instagram. What kind of work have you been shooting recently?
RK: For the past few years, I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t been able to shoot much of my own work. The other day, I went to Indonesia to shoot a balloon piece for KAWS.
Celeina: So let me send you a song here, I asked RK to choose a song that we would all like to hear together on the radio at this time, what is it?
RK: Yes, “Kiss Of Life” by Sade.
Celeina: Why did you choose this song?
RK: Sade is my favorite song in the world.
Celeina: Let’s listen to the song with your love.
