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 December 5, Mr. Takara Nakano, a collector of old gadgets, appeared on the show, and we asked him about the appeal of Showa-era gadgets that he loves and how he became interested in them, which made MC Takano say, “A true FIST BUMPER!”
INDEX
Ahead of its time? Gadget Collector, Takara Nakano’s Showa Collection
Celeina (MC): Following yesterday’s introduction from filmmaker Shussin Katsushika, we are pleased to welcome today’s guest, Takara Nakano, a collector of old gadgets. Please give him my best regards.
Takano (MC): Mr. Nakano, what is your age?
Nakano: I turned 20 this year.
Celeina: I can’t believe you are 20 years old because of your tone of voice.
Nakano: I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard on radiko today that Mr.Katsushika, who was on the show yesterday, called me a little shit.
Takano: Mr.Katsushika said that Mr. Nakano was “left behind by the times,” but we think he is about three times ahead of the times. I heard that you collect old gadgets.
Nakano:Yes, I do. I brought a lot of things to the studio today, including cassette tapes and Walkmans.
Celeina: It’s a Sony Walkman! What year was this made?
Nakano: It’s about 1986. I still use it and listen to music every day.
Takano: I also miss this cassette tape case. And you also brought a Sony boombox.
Nakano: Yes. This is also something I use on a daily basis.
Takano:You still use this?
Nakano:Yes. It sounds good and plays well. This is a product from the early 1980s. Sony had a brand called ZILBA’P , and this is the last model of that brand.
Takano: Is this boombox still in use today?
Nakano: Yes, it is. It’s still working very well.
Celeina: When you press the button, does it make a “clang” sound?
Nakano:Yes, it does.
Celeina: Can I try to hear it?
Nakano:Yes. If you press the right place, around here…
Takano: Oh, that’s good! It even has a little noise.
Nakano:That’s right. There’s a massive “clang” sound.
Takano: You also brought your bag, didn’t you?
Nakano:This bag is also from the early 1980s, and was used by skeebags in those days. It was originally a large bag, but it has been flattened and illustrated by a high school girl of the time. There are also pamphlets and underlays that were carried by the same person. From this pamphlet, I think it must be from the early 1980s.
Celeina：Do you like collecting not only gadgets but also things like this and antiques?
Nakano：Yes, I do. I have a lighter that is about 100 years old, made by a company called THORENS, which now uses turntables.
Celeina: It came out of your pocket.
Takano: It looks like a small silver Zippo lighter.
Nakano: It is a very pretty lighter.
Takano:By the way, where do you collect these things?
Nakano:Mainly through online auctions. Also, when I was in high school, there was an American vintage store in Osaka, so I sometimes received odd items there, such as school bags.
INDEX
The true FIST BUMPER is here! How did you become interested in old gadgets?
Celeina：What are the roots of your love for old gadgets?
Nakano: About 10 years ago, when I was in the first grade of elementary school, it was the time when TV broadcasting switched from analog to digital. When my parents bought a new LCD TV, they had a leftover cathode-ray tube TV that they had originally used, so a cathode-ray tube TV came to my room, and I watched movies on it for a long time.
Takano: Then, did you fall in love with the charm of these retro things?
Nakano: Yes, I did. Cassette tapes were just like that.
Celeina：But you don’t watch a movie on a cathode-ray tube TV when you are in elementary school and say, “Cool, this is chic. Your sensibility is sharpened.
Takano: What do you do for a living, Mr. Nakano?
Nakano: I am currently a freelancer.
Takano: You have the atmosphere of running such a store.
Nakano：I have been selling boom boxes from time to time since I was in high school. I have even held a “boom box exhibition” in Osaka in June this year (2023).
Takano: Hey, Celeina. He is a true FIST BUMPER!
Celeina: A true FIST BUMPER! We met.
Takano: People like you, Mr. Nakano, are very welcome!
Nakano:Really, I’m so glad. It’s not easy to get invited to Katsushika-san’s house, because it’s like, “If you’re free, it’s fine.
Takano: By the way, how did you get to know Mr. Katsushika?
Nakano：I found out about “Take-Tombo” on Instagram, where Katsushika-san plays bass guitar as support, and went to their concert this year. We got to know each other there and have become good friends.
Takano: I hear that you listen to a variety of music.
Nakano: Not much, but I like old music.
Takano:Here is Mr. Nakano’s music selection. We asked Ms. Nakano to choose a song that she would like everyone to listen to together on the radio at this time. Please tell us the reason for your song selection.
Nakano：This is a song by an Israeli funk band called SABABA 5 & YURIKA. The vocalist is a dancer who has moved around Egypt, and they are a collaborative unit with the band SABABA 5, but they only have one single. The song is called “Crossroad of Love”.
