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.
INDEX
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.
INDEX
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.
INDEX
I want everyone to know more about the fun of the 1980s.
Celeina：We have just heard that you are going to have an exhibition with your friends in Korea later this month, where you are going to show your works and sell your photo book.
Risa: The work that I just made with my friend will be exhibited at her graduation exhibition, and we are planning to sell the photo book there as well.
Takano: Are you planning to do this in Japan?
Risa: I don’t have any plans to do it in Japan yet, but I would like to do it someday if I can.
Celeina: It would be very soon, wouldn’t it?
Takano:We all need to go on a tour to Korea to see and get Risa’s collection of works.
Celeina：We have to go.
Risa: I’m glad!
Celeina： May I ask what Risa’s dream is for the future?
Risa:There are many interesting cultures in the early 1980s, and I would be happy if many people would know about them.
Takano: Is Risa’s activity mainly on Instagram?
Risa:Yes, I do.
Takano: Since you say that your main activity is Instagram, I would like everyone to search for it.
Celeina: “FIST BUMP” We have a circle of friends that we connect with each other through goo touch, so you will introduce your friends to us , but what kind of people does Risa introduce us to?
Risa: In a word, someone who loves motorcycles and rock ‘n’ roll.
Celeina: Motorcycles and rock ‘n’ roll.
Takano: May I ask his name?
Risa:His name is Minoru Uemura. I went to a concert yesterday and met him for the first time at the venue there.
Takano: Yesterday?
Risa:I met him for the first time yesterday, and when I asked him about it, he said he would perform.
Takano: That’s amazing.
Risa: He is the editor-in-chief of the music magazine “HARD BOP!! MAGAZINE” and is also active in his own rock band, THE HARD BOPS. He knows a lot about motorcycles and has a very nice fashion sense, so I think there will be a lot to listen to.
Celeina： I’m looking forward to it. Tomorrow, I’ll be talking with the editor of the music magazine “HARD BOP!! MAGAZINE” editor Minoru Uemura. Today we welcomed Risa who be a Retro Pop Girl. Thank you very much.
Risa:Thank you very much.
GRAND MARQUEE
J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann
