Tokyo's Hidden Gaps: Hiroyoshi Tomite on the City's Temporary Frequencies
In a piece for Sleek Magazine, music journalist Hiroyoshi Tomite, who resides in Berlin, contemplates the distinct sense of time in modern Tokyo, where freedom manifests as a performance. Having spent ten years in the city, he observes its tightly regulated layout and capital that render permanent voids unattainable, although areas of extraterritoriality, such as Kabukicho in Shinjuku, persist—an inspiration for photographer Daido Moriyama. He highlights the impending closure of DUG, a jazz bar after 65 years, and Kōen, a gallery that hosted musicians Kenta Tanaka, Takuro Okada, and Shoei Ikeda. Tomite juxtaposes Tokyo’s rigid structure with Berlin’s community-oriented vacant areas and concludes by reflecting on the Japanese notion of 'iki', capturing the complexities of navigating life in both cities.
Key facts
- Hiroyoshi Tomite is a Berlin-based music journalist and editor, formerly based in Tokyo for a decade.
- Tomite moved to Berlin six years ago, just before the 2020 Olympics influx.
- DUG, a jazz bar in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, announced it will close after 65 years.
- DUG was described in Haruki Murakami's novel 'Norwegian Wood'.
- Kōen is a gallery in Nakameguro, Tokyo, where a live performance by Kenta Tanaka, Takuro Okada, and Shoei Ikeda took place.
- Martha is a listening bar in Ebisu with a no-talking, no-laughter rule.
- Daido Moriyama is an iconic photographer known for his obsession with Kabukicho, Shinjuku.
- Yuki Aizawa is a Tokyo-based photographer who runs NUGG FILM and published 'Tokyo Monochromes'.
- Tomite is a Contributing Editor at GRIND Magazine.
- The essay discusses the concept of 'yohaku' (余白), a space that wasn't there before.
- Tomite describes Tokyo's freedom as a performance, not a place.
- The essay is published in Sleek Magazine.
- Photography by Yuki Aizawa accompanies the essay.
- Tomite contrasts Tokyo's structure with Berlin's vacant spaces.
- The Japanese concept 'iki' is mentioned as quiet generosity or inner chicness.
Entities
Artists
- Hiroyoshi Tomite
- Yuki Aizawa
- Daido Moriyama
- Haruki Murakami
- Kenta Tanaka
- Takuro Okada
- Shoei Ikeda
Institutions
- Sleek Magazine
- GRIND Magazine
- NUGG FILM
- DUG
- Kōen
- Martha
Locations
- Tokyo
- Berlin
- Kabukicho
- Shinjuku
- Nakameguro
- Ebisu
- Shibuya Crossing
- Akasaka
- Seijo
- Neukölln
- Japan
- Germany