Ryoko Kuwahara, editor-in-chief of the web magazine “NeoL” expresses her appreciation for culture in her articles.

Korean clubs where crossover is born

Celeina (MC): Ms. Suzuki, who appeared on the show yesterday, introduced you as his “late-night family restaurant friend”.Do you still go to family restaurants together?

Kuwahara: Of course.

Takano (MC): That is a very nice phrase, “late-night family restaurant friend”.

Celeina: What do you talk about?

Kuwahara:We talk about our favorite artists and music videos we’ve seen recently, just like after-school talk with our good friends. It’s really just silly talk with friends.

Celeina：Friends like that are the best!　I heard that you and Ms. Suzuki often talk about K-POP, and Ms. Kuwahara went to Korea last month. I heard that you went around clubs.

Kuwahara:Yes, I went with a DJ friend, so we were hustling small boxes from the day we arrived.

Takano: Are clubs in Korea different in atmosphere from those in Japan?

Kuwahara: I mainly went to small clubs, and many of them had their own unique atmosphere. The sound system was good, and there was a sense of a culture being born, such as clubs renovated from old houses, venues with terraces, and clubs decorated with art.

Takano: The differences between them all sound interesting.

Kuwahara:At the venue that was converted from an old private house, K-pop artists who are popular in Japan came to play, and RM of BTS also works with street artists, so I felt a crossover was taking place.

Takano: I think this is valuable local information that Ms.Kuwahara earned with his feet.

Launching the web magazine “NeoL” to give back to the culture that supported us.

Celeina：You are currently the editor-in-chief of the culture web magazine “NeoL”.But when did you start working in publishing?

Kuwahara:It’s been so long ago that I don’t remember exactly, but it was right after I graduated from university.

Celeina: What made you choose the publishing business?

Kuwahara: I’ve always loved books to the point that I originally wondered if there was a job where I could just read books. I thought about becoming a librarian or a bookstore owner, but I felt that I didn’t read as many books as I thought I would, so I decided to try my hand at being a creator. Since then, I have worked in editorial work for a major publishing company, fashion magazines, and then culture magazines.

Celeina：Have you loved books since you were a child?

Kuwahara: I grew up in a strict family where TV and music were restricted, so books were the only things I had access to. Inevitably, I was the student who read the most books.

Takano: Is there something similar to a reaction to growing up that made you fall in love with K-pop?

Kuwahara: I already had a reaction from my school days. I was selfishly inspired by Pippi from “Pippi Longstocking” and Snufkin from “Moomin”, who were doing what they wanted to do, and I thought, “I will not go on rails. I remember sneaking into my parents’ study to watch TV and listen to Western music.

Takano: That is a great episode. Perhaps it was because of these restrictions that we were able to launch Culture Magazine.

Celeina：We also read “NeoL” and found it to be a good read, with information on the latest movies and articles on vegan restaurants in Korea.

Takano: Do you curate the articles with your own taste?

Kuwahara: Rather, there is nothing that is not curated. I started “NeoL” partly as a way of giving back to the culture that stimulated and supported me in my repressed life. So, I want to be sincere about culture, and I want to deliver it to people who, like me, are looking for salvation and feel the need to “go somewhere other than here.

Celeina: I found the article to be a source of comfort.

Takano: I hope everyone will check it out and read it. Now, we would like to play one song here. I asked Ms. Kuwahara to choose a song that he would like everyone to listen to together on the radio at this time. Please tell us the reason for your song selection.

Kuwahara: I’m currently reading the artist’s autobiography, and I think it is directly related to the issue of “objectification of women” that Ms. Suzuki mentioned yesterday. I chose “Toxic” by Britney Spears because I feel that she has been expressing herself in a more independent way recently.