A circle of friends connected by goo touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On December 6, Risa, a retro pop girl, was introduced by Takara Nakano, a collector of old gadgets. This time, we asked her not only about her own activities such as photography and music expressing the 1980s, but also about the fascination of railroads of the time.
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The birth of Retro Pop Girl was triggered by an interest in 1980s music
Celeina (MC): Risa, we are going to talk a lot about you as we follow your profile. 22 years old, born in 2001, you said that you fell in love with the subcultures of the late 1970s and early 1980s after your mother played a song for you when you were 17 years old. Is there a song that triggered your love of subcultures from the late 1970s to the early 1980s?
Risa: The song that started it all was “TECHNOPOLIS” by Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Celeina：When your mother played “TECHNOPOLIS”, did you think, “What is this?”
Risa:Yes, I did. It was a song with no lyrics, but I found the music of the 1980s interesting because of the richness of its content, which kept me listening until the end of the song.
Celeina：So you like the culture of the late 1970s and 1980s, and you are a really retro-pop girl in your outfit today.
Risa:Thank you very much.
Celeina：You are wearing your hair curly today.
Risa: This hairstyle was inspired by Mariya Takeuchi’s hairstyle in the late 1970s.
Celeina: It’s cute. Very curly.
Takano (MC): I feel like I’ve come back in time.
Risa: I’m so happy. Thank you very much.
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Recreating those days in the 1980s with friends who like the late Showa period.
Takano: I have heard rumors that you are a drummer.
Risa:Originally, it was The Beatles that made me fall in love with music. It was also because my parents were listening to them, and that is how I started playing drums. After this, we have studio practice again today.
Takano: Playing in a band?
Risa: I also play in a band.
Celeina: Cool!
Takano: Do you have a sound source?
Risa: We used to release a few sound files in the past, but not recently, so we would like to do so in the future.
Celeina：Does the band all have a retro-pop feel?
Risa:Yes. The band is more like 1960s Western music.
Celeina：It’s The Red Album.
Takano: It’s definitely not The Blue Album.
Celeina： I would love to hear it. Are the photos you post on Instagram also your works of art?
Risa:Yes, they are. I have friends who love the Showa era and are good with hair, makeup, and cameras, so we get together at home and take pictures using these items as props.
Celeina：You just mentioned these things, but we also have materials and magazines from the 1970s and 1980s that you bring to the studio.
Risa: We also have records, cassette tapes, and walkmans.
Takano: “Deluxe Shonen Magazine”?
Risa: I love Akina Nakamori, and this is one of my favorite magazines with pinups.
Takano: Where do you find it?
Risa: Secondhand bookstores in Jimbocho. They have all kinds of things.
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Chasing colorful 1980s railroads across the country
Takano: I was interested in the “Special Feature: Where Do the Express Trains Go” in “Railway Journal ’81”. What is this?
Risa: In following the 1980s, I also fell in love with railroads. I am what is called an “Train geek” and I like to research the railroads of the 1980s in “Railway Journal” among them. This is my favorite express train, the 185 (Ippago) series.
Celeina: I don’t know anything about trains at all (haha).
Takano: What is the attraction?
Risa: When I was born, most trains were silver stainless steel cars, but the old Japanese National Railways were made of iron, so they were colorfully painted, and I got into them because I thought they looked cute.
Takano: The design is indeed pretty.
Celeina：They are colorful when you look at them like this.
Takano: Do they still remain vehicles from the 1980s?
Risa:They remain. I sometimes go after them and take pictures in the countryside.
Celeina：That’s very authentic.
Risa: The cars that were in use in 1980 still remain in the countryside and are still running, so I research and follow them.
Takano: Is your favorite train called the “101 Series”?
Risa:Yes, the 101 and 103 series. This is the same as what I mentioned earlier, and I think those of you who are in your 40s or older have seen them running, but the cars that used to run as the so-called Yamanote Line or Sobu Line had the entire body painted yellow or green. When I saw that, I was shocked at how cute the old Yamanote Line used to be, and that’s when I started getting into trains.
Celeina：Risa, you love not only music and fashion, but also trains in the 1980s.
Risa: I was born in 2001, and I feel that the 1980s was a bit more booming than today, and fashion and culture were all on the rise. The way fashion was changing and the speed at which new gadgets and walkmans were coming out is very appealing to me.
Celeina：There is a sense of exuberance.
Takano: The economy is booming, and there is a sense that many cultures are about to take off.
Risa: It is colorful and very attractive.
Takano: It was a wonderful talk. I would like to play a song at this point, the one you mentioned earlier. Please introduce the song from Lisa.
Risa: It is “TECHNOPOLIS” by YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA.
