Riko’s Secret Garden Odyssey – Inspired by Hitsujibungaku: 12 Butterfly Embraces

Exploring Hitsujibungaku’s Vision Through Innovative Expressions

-You’ve just experienced the exhibition. First, please share your impressions.

Riko: To be honest, when I first heard about the exhibition and they said, “We’re going to do an exhibition,” I was like, “An exhibition? What does that mean?” I actually enjoy visiting art museums regularly and have quite a lot of opportunities to engage with paintings and art. However, this time it started with music, and then they created the exhibition based on that, so I was really intrigued.

But when I actually visited the venue and had the artworks explained to me, I felt a clear sense of ‘Ah, so you can interpret it like that,’ and various things became very clear to me.

When I listen to Hitsujibungaku’s songs, I try to understand their worldview and think about various things while looking at the lyrics. However, by visiting the exhibition this time, I felt like I got closer to Hitsujibungaku’s worldview. I thought this was a new way of expression, and I felt it was a very luxurious space.”

-There is a sense that your understanding of the songs will become more three-dimensional, isn’t there?

Riko: Yes, it does. I really like to listen to music. When I get home, the first thing I do is put on some music, and when I wake up in the morning and stop the alarm, I put on some music.

When I listen to songs by artists I particularly like for the first time, I use noise-canceling headphones, look at the lyrics, and listen while imagining, ‘Is this what they mean?’ However, Hitsujibungaku’s songs are such that you can’t grasp them fully with just one listen, which is a good thing. They make you want to listen to them over and over again. It feels like there’s a worldview that you can’t understand in just one listen, so I think that’s why I get drawn deeper into their music. Even when I sang ‘Step’ in ‘DISTORTION GIRL,’ at first I kept listening and thinking, ‘What does this mean?’ and I wanted to listen repeatedly to understand it deeply, which I think is unique to Hitsujibungaku.

-On TikTok, content that is easily understandable and quickly grasped tends to be popular. However, Hitsujibungaku allows for various interpretations depending on the listener, which is why projects like the exhibition I experienced this time are possible.

Riko: I enjoy interpreting and associating with things on my own, so as a fan, I am very grateful to have an exhibition like this.

Creative Pieces and Merchandise Reflecting All 12 Songs

-When you enter the gallery, you immediately encounter plants, and beyond them, there’s a hut. Right from the start, you think, ‘What kind of space is this?’

Riko: The gallery itself is not particularly large, but it is filled with so many different elements that I felt like I could stay here forever, and it was a very comfortable space that made me want to look at each piece carefully.

I think that things like guitar chord charts for recordings and color adjustment papers for jacket photos are usually only seen by those who are at the site. If they were displayed like that, I would have looked at all of them. If you looked at it carefully, an hour or so would pass in no time.

Riko: The entrance door was really intriguing. The hut itself was entirely made of doors, and all the handles were concentrated on one door, but only one handle actually opened it, which was playful and amusing. Also, the ‘GO!!!’ letters written on the ground were done by the members themselves, so I thought I shouldn’t step on them [laughs]. Personally, the hand-drawn feel reminded me a lot of Hitsujibungaku, which I found cute and stylish.

-Could you mention some other memorable exhibits?

Riko: The bat exhibit left a great impression on me. The idea of using a bat to represent “a girl who makes choices that hurt herself” was interesting at first, and I was very surprised at the way they expressed the image of a girl with pigtails in braids and plasters on her hair. I was very surprised at the way they expressed themselves. It was cute and fashionable as an exhibit, but it also had a meaning, and I was amazed that there was such a way of expressing it.

Riko: I was also surprised to see that the works in this exhibition were turned into merchandise. I was shocked when I saw the seed paper for the first time in my life. It was like, “It really blooms! I was like, “It really blooms! If that had been around when I was in elementary school, I would have written a report on it for my free research [laughs].

-I was also surprised that jumpsuits were available for purchase.

Riko: That item is really cute too, almost too precious to wear. I might end up just keeping it on display at home forever. But wearing it to a live concert would also be nice… The embroidery of butterflies from the key visual, and the ‘Hitsujibungaku’ text embroidered on the sleeves, show such attention to detail. It’s really impressive, meticulous, you could say, not a single flaw [laughs].

Riko’s favorite: “Tsuzuku”

-There were several photogenic spots, and it seems Riko particularly liked the Flower Tornado from “Tsuzuku”

Riko: It was super cute! I heard the explanation that “flowers that don’t actually exist were designed.” At a glance, the flowers look like they could be real, but if you look closely, you can see something that looks like a playing card, like paper, mixed in the middle. And, since they were displayed in that location, the air conditioning made them twirl around all the time, which was also very nice. I thought that place was really a photo-worthy spot.

-By the way, do you like to make things yourself?

Riko: No, not at all [laughs]. I’m quite clumsy, being a typical type B with my hands, so I can’t do that at all. But I really enjoy looking at exhibitions and thinking about designs myself. I’ve always loved fashion and style, which is why I entered this industry in the first place. Seeing things like that has always been a passion of mine. For this event, the beaded costumes were incredibly cute.

You rarely get the chance to see costumes up close like that. Sometimes they might have exhibitions just for costumes alone, but to see them mixed in with all those other exhibits, it felt so luxurious. In the jacket photos, they look a bit blurry, but seeing how delicately they were made with beads, and the contrast between one that had a hint of red mixed into white and another that was entirely pitch black—both were stylish and attractive in their own ways.

-You can enjoy Hitsujibungaku as a band from various angles, including exhibits inspired by their songs, as well as costumes, photographs, and archival materials of their works.

Riko: Yeah, definitely. It might sound obvious, but you can really feel that everything, from every corner to every detail, was thoughtfully created. It naturally makes you feel like you can’t miss a single thing—you have to see it all! It was so fulfilling, I felt like saying ‘Thank you!’ with a sense of gratitude… I was completely satisfied [laughs].

Riko’s Mental Wellness Strategy: “Hugging Myself”

-The artwork of ’12 hugs (like butterflies)’ is themed around butterfly hugs, emphasizing the importance of hugging oneself when feeling down for various reasons. Riko, when do you find yourself feeling down the most?

Riko: Basically, I lack self-confidence. My manager even says to me, “It’s not good to have too much self-confidence, but you are a little too self-confident. I’m not sure if it’s okay for me to do video work since I was originally a model, but I’m always worried about that.

Every time I go to an audition, I always feel like “I’ll never make it,” and every time I look back at my films, all I can think of are the things I regret. When I look back on my performances, all I can think about is “I could have spoken a little more like this,” or “I could have made this expression more like that,” and so on. I have been invited to do various productions, and the directors have told me that my work was very good, which somehow keeps me alive, but basically I lack confidence, and I am the type of person who easily feels insecure, so it is a challenge for me to do my work without being pulled into negative emotions. I am also the type of person who easily feels insecure.

-How do you give yourself a hug when you are pulled by negative emotions?

Riko: I am truly saved by music. It’s a time for me to relax without thinking about anything and also a time to release stress.

That was exactly the case during the filming of ‘DISTORTION GIRL.’ It was about four years ago, at the beginning of my acting career, when I was still figuring everything out. Meeting Hitsujibungaku during that time was significant. It was my first time participating in a work themed around music, so it was a learning experience for me to see what music-themed works were like. It really helped me.

Apart from that, I enjoy taking photos with a film camera. Recently, I went to the park with friends and took photos while having a picnic together. Nature and music give me moments without negative emotions, so I try to actively engage in these activities as much as possible.”

-In a conversation between Hitsujibungaku members and Haru., playing at the venue, Yurika (Kawanishi) responded to the question ‘How do you hug yourself when you feel down?’ with the meaning, ‘To become someone without labels, just being myself.’ Perhaps for Riko, spending time with friends is also a time to “just be herself.”

Riko: Indeed, maybe that’s what I’m looking for too. I originally went to a non-performing arts high school, so the people I still see in private are either friends from that high school or childhood friends from before I started kindergarten, and now they are all attending regular universities and many of them are just job hunting. When I hear from these friends that job hunting is tough, it inspires me a lot because it’s a world I don’t know about now. I feel like I have to do my best because my friends are working hard in a difficult environment, and I feel like I have a relationship with them that inspires me.

-Social media can sometimes pull you into negative emotions.

Riko: Yeah, that’s right. It’s important to switch gears—when you’re doing something, do it properly, and when you’re resting, really take a break. I think I’ve learned that over the past few years.

A few years ago, I often exceeded my limits, which led to frequent panic attacks and lots of crying. But recently, I’ve come to understand my own limits better and have been able to organize things while moving forward. When I feel like I really need a break, even if I’m busy, I make plans to meet friends, which helps me balance myself and improve my mood. So, I can acknowledge that I’ve grown a bit in that respect and give myself credit for it.

-Earlier, Moeka’s response to the question ‘How do you hug yourself when you feel down?’—’Running away’ is also really important—was quite striking.

Riko: I think this industry is unique, and I think that’s why it’s even more important to give yourself compliments and hugs in this world.

-Lastly, could you give a message to those who are thinking of visiting or are interested in ‘Secret Garden’?”

As a fan of Hitsujibungaku, I’ve been listening to their music, but whether you recently discovered them or just have a vague interest, I think you can thoroughly enjoy the space.

There’s just so much packed into that environment, so I really want everyone to visit at least once. You can experience Hitsujibungaku’s world not just through your eyes and ears, but also through scent and all your senses. Just being there, you receive information from all directions. Whether you want to see the exhibition because you love a particular song, or listen to a song because you enjoyed an exhibition, you can enjoy it in your own way. So, I really urge you to go and experience it!

‘Secret Garden’ inspired by Hitsujibungaku – 12 hugs (like butterflies)

Thursday, May 30, 2024 – Sunday, July 7, 2024, 12:00 – 20:00 *Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Venue: New Gallery
Address: mirio Jimbocho 1F, 1-28-1 Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
https://newgallery-tokyo.com/secretgarden/

Ticket details
Admission ticket: 1,000 yen *advance booking required
https://eplus.jp/himitsunoniwa/