I'd like to say I was born in Tokyo, but truthfully, it's Saitama. I've lived for 20 years and spent 19 of them in Tokyo. That's why if someone asks where I'm from, I'd definitely say Tokyo, but I can't just say I was born there.
Well, I do have quite a few memories from the time I was in preschool.
I had this dream which I still think it’s the scariest one ever. One day, my parents told me that I could go meet my favorite Super Rangers or something like that, and I was really excited and followed my parents. Then, right in the middle of the stairs at a place like AEON(huge shopping mall), between the first and second floors, there was a little space where you could turn around. There were some super rangers gathering there.
I didn't question why they were there—I was just excited that they were there. So, I floated towards them, thinking, "Wow, they're in front of my eyes."
Then…my parents behind me said “well, we trust you for the rest”, and just disappeared.
Yeah, so because of that, I think I'll continue to be under the care of the super rangers team. Maybe eventually I'll become a super ranger. It was a dream I admired, but at the same time, it felt like I had to separate from my parents. And the worst part was when my parents said “well, we trust you for the rest", with a serious tone. I saw my parent’s faces that didn’t seem like a parent's face, and that's been a dream that's scared me for my whole life.
I was around 5 or 4 years old, since I was in kindergarten. Iit still remains with me.
Hmm, I think I was more of a shy kid. Actually, I've always liked talking, to the point where people said I must’ve been born talking. But when it came to being in front of others, I wasn't that comfortable. Also, I had a slight perfectionist streak.
Yeah, I got caught up in that a bit. Especially when we did a performance at preschool. I had a role as a narrator, and I remember I tripped over a word for just once, but it seemed that I was crying in the back when I was off stage. I still remember how I stumbled over some words, and I still remember how I cried as well. Even for adults it's quite normal to get stumbled over some words right?
Also I was already into LEGO from then. I feel like a lot of people who like to craft things will start from LEGO. SO yeah I was also quite into it since I was 3 or 4. Mostly vehicles, like airplanes, machines..
Yeah, I liked to make some guns and stuff. Also not just LEGO but I used something bigger as well.
At first I attended an elementary school that was also in the same region of where my preschool was, but then since we moved to another place I changed my elementary school. I still didn’t talk to people that much in front of people, but I had quite a lot of friends.
I feel like I was nobody back then. I wasn’t the loudest, nor was the quietest kid. How do I put this…I was really average.
Hmmm probably my ego grew more when I moved. It was when I was entering 3rd grade.
Before I moved, I lived in Oji in the North Ward. It had a bit of a "yankee" (delinquent) culture, where kids with strong personalities or physical strength had more influence. But the school I moved to was quite different. It was in Kohinata, Bunkyo Ward, which is a high-class residential area. The entire school had only one class with about 39 students. There were many students who were open-minded and accepting of others. It was a wealthy area with high average incomes, so many kids probably received a good education. The atmosphere was more relaxed, and everyone respected each other's individuality. My shyness gradually faded away, and I became more talkative. The environment helped me become the outgoing person I am today and made me more confident in expressing myself and creating things.
From third grade through sixth grade, we stayed in the same class with mostly the same people, even though there were some transfers. That stability had a big impact on me.
In fourth grade, I got into making stop-motion animation with my friends. We made a lot of stop-motion films. I think my interest in filmmaking started around that time.
No, we just thought, "Let's do something!" You know about the "halfway to adulthood" ceremony*, right? Everyone usually showcases their hobbies or skills at that event. But I had a bit of a twisted personality even back then so I thought it was boring to do the usual stuff. So my close friends and I decided to do something different. Around that time, we watched a stop-motion animation made with LEGO, and we were really impressed. We thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to make something like this?" So we did it.
Yeah, I guess so. But actually, when I was about in first grade, there's a photo of me holding my parents' video camera and filming my sister's sports day. Maybe I liked cameras even back then.
Even in fifth and sixth grade, I was into making videos. We only managed to complete one project, but we tried making movies. I think I've always been drawn to using video as a medium.
I think my middle and high school years also played a big role. I attended Koishikawa, a unified public school with only 160 students per grade. It was similar to my elementary school environment, with a small number of studying for six years, so we became really close. I started photography around that time, joining the photography club and doing various projects. The photography club was actually a part of the physics research community.
Yes, exactly. The club focused on physics research because the advisor was a physics teacher who also coached soccer. Creating a separate photography club would've stretched him too thin, so we made it part of the physics community. Next door, people were building robots and doing engineering activities. That's where I discovered the fascinating mechanisms of mechanical objects. While into photography, I found the robots next door intriguing. Some classmates even ranked third in a world competition, which helped me appreciate hardware and engineering.
For the first three years, I was in the tennis club, but I hardly went and was a “ghost member”. In the latter three years, specifically in my first and second years of high school, I was part of the broadcasting committee, which I handled sound equipment. It was almost like being in another club, so I was pretty busy. And our school had a very active school festival, which is where my interest in design started, with things like creating pamphlets for the festival and class T-shirts.
Yes, our festival had a unique format. We had two separate events. One was held in a large hall where we showcased performances like orchestra, brass band, and other stage-related activities all in one day. The other festival lasted two days and was held in the school building, featuring more traditional school fair activities. I participated in and helped organize both, which was quite unique. Also students in grades 3 through 6 all had to perform on stage. Each classroom was transformed into a stage for theatrical performances. So, for four years, we were involved in theater.
There were moments when I thought about trying it, but considering my skills at the time, I knew I was better suited to working behind the scenes. I had experience in lighting, sound, and design. Though I say I "could" do those things, it was at an amateur level. But yeah I preferred working behind the scenes.
Well, I wouldn't say I got into them just because of that, but I was exposed to them and started to become more aware of those kinds of things. I realized how interesting the creative side was. During middle and high school, I was quite active in various school activities. There was a place called B-Lab, which was like a youth center for middle and high school students run by an NPO called Katariba. It was close to our school, and from around my second year of middle school until the end, I was involved as a student staff member there, working on different projects and event planning.
We held festivals three times a year, which included stage events and puzzle-solving activities, among other things. I mostly worked on stage-related events. We launched a radio project, and I also did some DJing and played in a band. I played the bass, did some DJing, and played a little bit of guitar, though just a little.
Yeah, I think those years really helped shape my current personality. I learned a lot about interacting with adults during my middle and high school years. There were many times when things didn't go well, and I often felt frustrated with rigid adults. I learned that there are certain regulations that even adults can't bend. Despite my frustrations, I learned that some things are just unavoidable.
Yes, quite often. If you ask my homeroom teacher, they'd probably say I was quite a handful. I wasn't doing bad things like goofing around and breaking windows, but I was a troublemaker in a different way. I wasn't doing anything wrong, but I was always challenging things. I got scolded a lot, but I also learned a lot from those experiences.
Yes. The teachers were mostly good people. During entrance exam prepatation, their support was really helpful. Since they already knew me well, I didn't have trouble communicating with them. If I didn't understand something, I could easily ask them. So, in the end, it turned out to be a good thing.
Our school was very academically focused, so most students started preparing around the summer of their second year of high school. I was a bit late, and just before I started my third year, COVID-19 hit, and the school closed. During that time, I started another project. During the lockdown, I noticed that while celebrities were sharing content on platforms like Instagram, there wasn't much content coming from people close to us, like our classmates. I thought it would be great to have a platform for that. So, I created a web platform and reached out to people who could share content, like bands that performed at cultural festivals. From May to June, until school resumed, we continued sharing content.
Yes, it was. But everyone had so much free time because of the lockdown. That's why I was behind. I started way late and even failed the AO exam I took.
Yes, it was my first choice since around the end of my first year of high school or the end of my third year of middle school.
Given my personality, and grades, my parents probably thought a regular university wouldn't suit me either. They found out about SFC and thought it would be a good fit for me. When I looked into it, I knew it was the perfect fit. There isn't another place like SFC. I always wanted to do art and become a creator, but I didn't want to go to an art school and only focus on that. I wanted to learn various things and see how my future could change. SFC was the best answer for that, so I decided on it around the end of my first year of high school or the end of my third year of middle school. But I never want to take the entrance exam again; I hate tests.
My first year was full of setbacks and despair.
Yes, in the small community where I used to do design, audio, video, and photography, I was considered quite capable. I got a bit cocky and did a lot of things, but I came to SFC without any real specialization. I didn't have any standout talents. This is still a concern for me because I don't have a single exceptional talent; everything is just average. I realized this when I saw the specialists in each field at SFC. I thought I was good at something, but I wasn't exceptional at anything, which was a major setback. It felt like I was overwhelmed by the talented people around me. I realized that I am not that advanced than everyone, even in the fields where I thought I was advanced.
Yes. At SFC, you don't meet people thinking, "this person can do such-and-such," but rather, you become friends and then realize they're extremely talented. It felt like I got hit three times in a row by these realizations.
Exactly. My high school life was great, and I was very confident, thinking there was no other high school experience like mine. But suddenly, I couldn't validate my past anymore. I felt like I wasn't that great. But instead of staying in despair, I started learning touch design, even though there were many talented people there too.
Yes, there were so many. I'm not saying I validated everything I've done so far, but I've been building on my past experiences. Although I'm still not exceptional in any area, I feel like I've been improving a bit across the board over the past year since those setbacks and despair.
Yes. Before that, I was quite confident, thinking I am something special. But after the setbacks, I started thinking I wasn't that special. I see myself as an ordinary person who needs to work twice as hard to keep up with those who are naturally talented.
Yes, that's right. But even then, I sometimes feel down and conceited. For example, I got a pretty high evaluation from Professor Baba on my recent project proposal, which made me a bit conceited for a moment. But I quickly reminded myself that it's too early to feel that way. I also try not to think too easily that I've done well. For example, I was on the cultural festival committee and was in charge of the stage events. I did a lot of work, was busy on the day of the festival, and didn't get much sleep, but I still felt like I hadn't done enough. I thought I could have done more. I've tried to keep that feeling going. If I ever feel satisfied with myself, I think that's the end. I live with a rebellious spirit. I'm always frustrated with the amazing people in my generation.
For example, I even feel frustrated with Billie Eilish. I feel frustrated with artists like Soshi Sakiyama too. Seeing the incredible talent of people in art schools and other universities makes me live with a sense of frustration, thinking that it would be over if I stopped feeling frustrated. Of course, I think it would be interesting to combine people with specialized talents to create something amazing, but in the end, unless I have the talent and ability to bring those people together, I can't do that. So, I keep feeling frustrated with them.
I keep raising my skills and living with a rebellious spirit, hoping that when I die, I can look back and say it was a good life. I think it's a life of constantly denying my own complacency. It's quite tough, and there are moments when it gets really hard. But, unrelated to that, one of my dreams is to accumulate a huge fortune by the time I die, and since I don't want to have children, I want to create a situation where I have no one to inherit my wealth. I want to use my entire fortune to build a school in a developing country, which I plan to state in my will. To do that, it's not enough to just talk about it. I need to have the skills, be trusted by others, and build connections. I'm steadily working on these things one by one. I don't know what the future holds.
Another major driving force for me is the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics. They were terrible, and I think it was a moment of worldwide embarrassment for Japanese creativity. I don't think I'll see another Olympics in my lifetime, but when Japan represents its creativity on a similar large-scale event, my motivation is to never repeat that embarrassment. If such an opportunity arises, I want to be in a position to influence it.
Exactly. That’s one of my goals, to never repeat that mistake. It might be a goal.
I hope sooo!(laughs)
When the time comes, I definitely want to do it right. I want people to think Japan is cool. I don't want to see anything like that embarrassing kabuki performance again, where they talk about the weight of the costumes. Even the staff's outfits were lame. It makes you wonder why it ended up like that.
In my mind, I believe that children should freely choose their own paths. That should be the norm, and parents shouldn't impose restrictions like saying their children must go to certain places. I was raised quite freely myself. But I've been lucky to have a relatively good life. I was able to take the entrance exams for junior high school, got into a school I liked, and I'm enjoying life at the university I wanted to attend the most. Because I've had these positive life experiences, if I had a child, I think I would insist they follow the same path. Even though I want them to be free, I don't think my heart would be able to accept it. So, until my heart can accept it, I can't have children. It's not about wanting or not wanting children. I don't want to cause trouble for any child I might have. So it's not that I don't want children, but I can't have them.
If it were a son, it would be even more difficult. If it were a daughter, I'd probably spoil her too much and not be able to get mad at her. Not being able to get angry is another factor. I don't think I'd be able to properly discipline a child, and they need that to grow. But I don't think I could do it.
I listen to a lot of radio, I guess. About six times a week.
Late-night shows like All Night Nippon and TBS's Junk. I listen to those typical late-night radio shows.
It's just SO silly.
Yeah From the bottom of my heart, it’s just silly. How should I put it? It’s very human. TV is, in a sense, fictional. It's all staged, and what you see on screen is a facade. But with radio, even though I’m not sure how real it is, it feels more genuine. You can sense the true selves of the people, and they come across as very charismatic. Like Fuwa-chan, who has this goofy, high-energy character image. But if you listen to her on the radio, she’s actually quite serious and analytically self-aware. It’s fascinating. Her character doesn’t waver at all, but I realized I didn’t really know anything about her. That’s when I thought she was truly amazing. For similar reasons, I listen to Audrey, Gen Hoshino, Creepy Nuts, and Kuukikairan. The radio brings out the charm in many people. Daytime radio, which is more about disseminating information, involves the hosts building their personas, so it’s different. But the late-night slot seems to bring out the real selves of the hosts, making them seem incredibly attractive. I love that.
Exactly. The image we construct in our minds gets constantly corrected.
Especially in university, where relationships tend to be superficial. Like on social media, you might see someone once a week or less, like friends from a club. Relationships aren’t as deep as in middle or high school. There are probably many aspects of people that remain ununderstood. But when you get to see their core, their true self, it makes you realize how superficial your understanding was before. That moment of seeing their genuine side makes them incredibly appealing.
Our organization tends to focus more on practical matters. Therefore, there are many things I want this organization to take the lead on. However, I also want it to be a place where people interested in creating can develop their skills. Personally, I started without knowing anything about Adobe or having any skills, but I was able to improve my skills in this organization. I want it to be a place for people who want to create something but lack the skills. Also, I want it to serve as an entry point into the production field. There are also ongoing activities involving projects with companies seeking interns and students interested in creative production. So yeah, I want to operate it both as a club and as a platform.
I want this to be a place of opportunity for people like me who joined thinking, “I want to become someone, I want to try something.” I don't want anyone to leave without having achieved anything.
Yeah, I've been recently working on things like how to use beginner-friendly software and photography. It really gives me a sense of accomplishment when I think, because I get to hear the voice of some beginners saying "wow, I'm really glad I did this” or “I didn’t know anything about this but it’s really interesting”. Also, I was told by one person at the photo event one day that “taking photos suddenly becomes more interesting when they take photos with some specialized knowledge”, and that really made me happy. So yeah I want to continue doing these stuff. Also, the starting members of Sense made a company called Idens and I have been involved in practical work for a long time, so it’s like there’s already an environment where students who really want to do some practical production can do those stuff. That's, um, a pretty strong point of this community. It's not so common to be directly connected with companies, right? So, it's becoming an environment where you can participate in independent production scenes. I want to make opportunities for people who want to get involved in those production scenes more, I guess. So, I think it's rather than what I want to do with Sense, but it’s what everyone wants to do with Sense. I want people to use Sense, rather than wanting to do something as Sense,
That's right. After all, if you keep accepting requests from people, it'll just be a production company. But then it wouldn't mean anything, and ultimately, because it's a club, you have to think about what you want to do. So I want to make sure we don't compromise on what we want to do. So, um, it would be interesting if Sense became a major faction in ten years, right? I think it would be interesting if everyone was like, “Yeah, they used to be in Sense as well”
Regarding work, I'm really conscious of practical aspects, so yeah. I've been thinking that I want to go into the advertising field, like to an advertising agency or something, and continue to be involved in the production scene. So yeah, I'm thinking about needing to equip myself with skills and also about doing internships. And also, you know, if you don't leave a track record, no matter how much effort you put in, it's meaningless, right? If it doesn't remain as a tangible form or if it's not recognized in some way, like winning an award or something, it feels pointless because there's no return for the effort you put in. So yeah, I'm thinking about really doing that properly now.
I also want to create concepts rather than becoming a self-shooting cameraman. I want to focus on how to shoot with a certain story. So, yeah, I've been wanting to learn about the concept part. Context Design is a concept, so I've always thought about it. Well, I'm waiting for Dominic Chen to come to SFC. I told my professor earlier that I wanted Dominic Chen's class, and he said it might be possible.
When I went to Ken Tokui's lecture, I saw his research comments for the first time and met him. I've probably never seen anyone smarter than him. I think he sees the world with maybe 100 or 1000 times the resolution I do. For someone who creates things, having a good eye is crucial. I think having a keen eye is very important when it comes to taking in information. It's important to see how much information you can get from one thing. But for Dominic Chen, I think he opens about a thousand pieces from one piece of information and has a lot of knowledge.
Ultimately, I think it's really important as a creator to keep moving hands-on, but I also think input is important. Lately, I've been trying to increase my input.
Since I listen to the radio daily, I get a lot from that in terms of planning and such. I also love watching movies, so in terms of creating visuals and enjoying beautiful imagery, movies are fun. Also, I spend time on YouTube watching music videos (MV) and things that could potentially become references for me. I've been continuously compiling them into playlists and adding to them. Collecting references like that. Yeah, I'm not really a book person originally. But lately, I'm trying to read quite seriously. I don't actually dislike reading, but I'm the type who wants to read all at once. I absolutely don't want to pause in the middle of a movie, or a story. But now I'm thinking of somehow managing to read them.
Probably the most enjoyable moment for me creating something is when I'm really good at rotating between experimenting and thinking, what I call the process of trial and thought. It's most enjoyable when that cycle goes smoothly, rather than just one moment.
Yes, for example, when I was doing Professor Narukawa's design language practical exercise last year, I was concentrating for about two to three hours, probably spinning about 30 times. I was really in the moment. Those are the moments I live for. I probably have a lot more painful moments than enjoyable ones as a creative person. But ultimately, it's a curse to forget that enjoyment. It's like the curse of a person who got hooked on making something.
Yeah, even when I talked with my friends who do dance the other day, we came to the conclusion that it’s a curse. In the end, if you decide to create something, perform, or become someone involved in creative work, I think you fall under a spell where you can't think of doing anything else and can't escape it.
Well, if I were to say in response to the current situation, it's despair. Despair and not being able to see ahead, I can't draw a bright vision at all for Japan right now. Maybe about half a year ago, I still think about it a bit now, but I used to think I would leave Japan one day. My aunt lives in America, so I often hear about things over there. Also, comparing Japan's entertainment industry to Korea's, even though Korea has a much smaller population, their market size is overwhelmingly larger. I've always thought that what Japan does is ultimately like a frog in a well.
But still, it's my homeland, and within my thought process, the language being processed in my brain is ultimately Japanese. With Japanese as the base, I think what we do in creative work is important. Yeah, I want to cherish the creativity born from that thinking. I think it might be good to challenge myself overseas with that. But in the end, my native language is Japanese, and that's the basis of my thinking, so yeah. Yeah, I'd like to find hope in Japan through creativity. Right now, it's despair.
To be honest, watching election results and breaking news was tough. Pure despair. Well, ultimately, I love people so probably because this country has the most acquaintances, and I have many important people here, I don't think I could easily abandon them. I don't think I could just abandon this country and go somewhere else.
Yeah, that's right. In the end, everyone should be in despair now, I think. So, I'm probably in a country that's only going to decline from now on. I don't know what to say to not abandon it, but yeah, I think I'd like to protect my loved ones. Ultimately, I think wanting to protect my loved ones is what makes me want to do my best in this country, and it's what I think trying to find hope is about.
It was really fun! Thank you!
It's easy for anyone to dwell on negative situations or thoughts. However, Sakutaro possesses a passion that prevents him from staying in a negative state. It’s clear that this passion is always fueled by creativity. In the interview, he mentioned that he likes people. Thinking about it, we might become more creative by interacting with others and gaining new perspectives. I sincerely hope that his journey of passion enriches those around him!