information

増田セバスチャンオフィシャルサイト/仕事依頼もこちらから →http://m-sebas.com/
 ・著書「家系図カッター」文庫本発売中 
http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4041032369
・ほぼ日刊イトイ新聞 ×糸井重里氏対談「なんとかするちから。」http://www.1101.com/sebastian/
・CINRA NET「増田セバスチャンが「カワイイ」で取り戻す、大人が忘却したもの」http://www.cinra.net/interview/201411-masudasebastian
・平成29年度文化庁文化交流使に指名頂きました。
・NYU客員研究員/京都造形芸術大学客員教授/横浜美術大学客員教授

【掲載】「Japan's post-quake kawaii cute movement」CNNに増田セバスチャンのインタビューが掲載! #m_harajuku

  • 2011.06.27 Monday
  • 15:11
CNNのwebサイトにて、
MIGHTY HARAJUKU PROJECTの
活動を中心とした
増田セバスチャンの
インタビューが掲載されました!


http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/life/planet-kawaii-rides-save-japan-suits-055663



タイトルは、
「Japan's post-quake kawaii cute movement」
震災に関する日本のカルチャーや芸術の今後について、
インタビューに答えています。

是非ご覧下さい!

★Sebastian's STAFF★

MIGHTY HARAJUKU NEWS! #m_harajuku

  • 2011.06.18 Saturday
  • 03:10
1)Sebastian from Harajuku's 6%DOKIDOKI writes in English about visiting the tsunami-hit areas of Japan.



MIGHTY HARAJUKU special column
"Visiting the victimized areas"

Please check it...!

#1 "I'm going to the victimized areas."
http://sebastianz.jugem.jp/?eid=566

#2 
The reality I saw at first-hand
http://sebastianz.jugem.jp/?eid=567

#3 
The Volunteer center
http://sebastianz.jugem.jp/?eid=568



2)MIGHTY HARAJUKU PROJECT has become a project officially recognized as the Harajuku Jingumae distric



It was very worthwhile for me to speak to people on a personal level after the disaster.
Although I got the support of people from 28 different countries, it took an a lot of time for me to organize everything in Japan.
When I think about it, I took part in district meetings and got support there, and then did a speech in front of the head of ward of Shibuya and head of the local police force.
I continued empathize the durability of this project while doing more meetings. I took steady steps with my effort.

People may wonder why I am so passionate about this project.
It's simply because I don't want to lose the Harajuku that people admire to a disaster like this!
 
This is simply what we have now, but I succeeded in taking this project to another level.
I am going to take one step away from the project, but I pray that it becomes bigger and puts enthusiasm into Harajuku.
 
From here, we will be able to observe events started by the younger generation, such as flea markets and fashion work.
When that happens, I want everyone to come to Harajuku!

I will update any information here.
 
Please keep supporting us!
 
We vow to Mighty Harajuku!

MIGHTY HARAJUKU column「Visiting the victimized areas #3」 #m_harajuku

  • 2011.06.12 Sunday
  • 15:04
 *日本語(japanese)での記事はこちらです。
 増田セバスチャン「東日本大震災、被災地へ」
 http://sebastianz.jugem.jp/?eid=564

MIGHTY HARAJUKU special column

"Visiting the victimized areas"



3) The Volunteer center

It is difficult for an average person to do large-scale volunteer activities, like the ones that celebrities sponsor, and are shown on TV every day. 
We have our own lives, and the reality is, that there is a limit to what we can do. 


I wondered if there was anything I could do to help, and headed to the volunteer center, located in Minamisanriku-cho. 


I was surprised at how organized the system for accepting volunteers was when I got there. 


As you get to the reception desk, you enroll in an insurance (all you have to do is write your name), and right after that you are assigned to a task.
So as long as you have the willingness to do so, you could easily go there and help out, even if it is only for a few hours.
There were people who came as teams, people who stayed there for a longer period of time, and people like us, who came to help out for the weekend.  There were about 300 people who came that day to do volunteer work. 


We were expecting to help out with removing rubble, so we were dressed appropriately for that task. However, we were given the position of "Finding Memories corp"; our job was to clean photographs and albums found in the rubble, and return them to their respective owners. 

This activity was started by the town mayor, who had lost all his albums and memories after being a victim of the tsunami that happened during the great Chili earthquake.
He did not want any more people to be victimized in such way. 

Huge albums covered in dirt, stretched out photographs, photo stickers(PURIKURA)… Time has passed since the earthquake, yet numerous soaking wet photographs were brought in front of the volunteer staff.  


We pick up a stack of these photos, and using various equipment such as paint brushes, tooth brushes and sponges, we begin removing dirt from them. When opening up the albums and opening the pages sealed together with sea water, a strong stench of salt and sludge comes from the them.  

When cleaning the albums one by one, I begin feeling as if I am getting closer to the owner's life.
A album documenting a baby's growth,
a photo of a father when he was young,
albums containing photos from weddings and family,
an album full of photos from a trip grandma had with her friends,
albums packed with photos of a pet cat…  



I try to put as much care as I can when doing this.
One of my staff members that had come with me quietly said;

"Isn't this is similar to what we do at 6%DOKIDOKI?"


The task that we were given were not obvious jobs that helped recovery such as removing rubble, but supporting important things like "memories".
When you think about it, items from 6%DOKIDOKI are not physically necessary for someone to live. 
However, the feelings people hold against the items sometimes save them, and make them happy.


I almost felt as if I was destined to get this task.
I wanted as many photos to return to their owners… 


When I was leaving the volunteer center, I decided to ask if I could directly hand the donations had collected all over the world to someone.
I was originally thinking of donating the money to Red Cross Japan, but I thought that it was a better idea to directly give the money to someone so I could see where the money was actually going, and what it was going to be used for.
I decided that I was going to deliver the donations directly to the locals. 


Fortunately I was able to meet someone from the public office, so I handed the donations I had collected during our west coast tour, 23356 Japanese yen. (I collected the donations in dollars so it may seem a little lower than what I had collected…)

The staff of the volunteer center kept bowing down and told us "Thank for coming from os far away!" 


This is a letter that was sent to us later on. A very courteous thank you note.  I am deeply touched when remembering about the site. 


After looking at the victimized sites, I started thinking, Now what do we need for recovery?

Fortunately, Tokyo was not affected too badly.
What is the thing we can do to step in a little deeper into the situation? 

On simple terms, there are a number of things that can be simply be solved by man power. The effect of man power, in other words, can help recover the victimized areas sooner as long as there are more and more people helping out. I believe that one of the ways of helping is by going to the site, and helping literally helping out with your own body. 

The reality is still going to continue.
It is going to continue for a very long time. 

There are problems with the nuclear power plants,  and I cannot irresponsibly tell people to go to the site. And I don't want anyone to go half-heartedly, or go there just to be curious bystanders.  

However, through this experience I did notice that what we can do is not to waste time, and becoming hysterical looking at news shows and informations coming from the internet. There are ways to be more productive and efficient, even for yourself. 

I hope that my report becomes useful for someone who is ready to take the next step. 
I myself intend to think about what I can do from here, now, as well…


ーSebastian Masudaー

家系図カッター発売記念対談<増田セバスチャン×大谷ノブ彦(ダイノジ)>公開 #kakeize_c

  • 2011.06.10 Friday
  • 13:26
 「子供は作らない。子供を作ると自分の問題が子供にトレースされてしまうから」…この衝撃的な帯文が話題を呼ぶ増田セバスチャン初の著書『家系図カッター』。80年代・90年代のカルチャーシーンを背景に、祖 母、母、自分、妹…と、増田家を巡る血の因果、同時に存在する原宿でショップを開いてからの華やかな世界。そのギャップに苦しみながらも自らの信念を貫 き、新しい「家族論」として光のある結論を出した本作は、様々な反響を呼びました。

そんな「家系図カッター」発売記念企画としてお届けしてきた、著者・増田セバスチャンとさまざまなジャンルの表現者との対談企画の最新版が更新されました!!



是非お読みくださいませ〜!

☆Sebastian's STAFF☆

MIGHTY HARAJUKU column「Visiting the victimized areas #2」 #m_harajuku

  • 2011.06.08 Wednesday
  • 23:54
 *日本語での記事はこちらです。
 増田セバスチャン「東日本大震災、被災地へ」(Japanese)
 http://sebastianz.jugem.jp/?eid=564

MIGHTY HARAJUKU special column

"Visiting the victimized areas"



2)The reality I saw at first-hand


After taking the local train from Sendai, we finally arrived at Kisennuma-station, which had finally recovered from the disasters.
From there, we took a taxi (which had also just recovered) to Shizugawa to get to Minamisanriku-cho.

The purpose was to see the site, and to take part in volunteer activities, so I could be some help to the local people. The taxi driver was born and raised here, and was an older gentleman who was familiar with Minamisanriku-cho.

 He told me;  "I'll explain what is going on in this town until we get to the site. As closer as we get there, you're not going to be able to believe in the scenery you see. I'll drive a little slowly so you can take pictures." 

The driver usually drove around a lot of journalists and photographers, and knew how important it was to "convey" messages. I could only do a little, but since i do have some influence on people, I was one of the people in charge of "conveying" a message. 
The things that the local people told me encouraged me a great deal. 

From here, I would like to show the photographs I took with things that the taxi driver told me as a supplement. 

However, I would like people to understand that photographs are only show a part of the reality, and this is what is happening 2 months after the initial disaster.  Photos cannot show everything.


We drove through a road alongside the ocean to Shizugawa.

The road is very close to the ocean. The roads are nice and clean, but the houses on the sides of the road were still rubble.   
There are some buildings that haven't been torn down, but you could easily see that there is a great amount of damage. Even areas not close to the ocean, people are getting affected by tsunamis that happen from the water from rivers.


I sometimes see "OK" written in front of the buildings. (I wonder if this means that this building has already been researched) 


Here, the whole village has disappeared. 

You can see that here, a bridge in the distance, has fallen down. When you look carefully, you can see that there is a house on top of the bridge as well. 

I arrived to Minamisanriku-cho, and around Shizugawa station. I got off the taxi, and started walking.





Quite frankly, I had no words.
Everything was worse than what I had expected.

In front of Shizugawa station.



This building has turned upside-down.






The platform of Shizugawa station.


 

This is the scenery seen from the platform.
I can see the turned-over building from here.

 


A hospital.

You can see that there is a ship on top of the building.




In front of the government office in charge of disaster countermeasures, I saw paper cranes, national flags, flowers and incense. 
I joined my hands in prayer using prayer beads that my mother had given me. 

I don't know how many times I sighed. 

Words are empty. 

After this, we headed to the volunteer center.
As I got off of the taxi, the driver told me
"Thank you for coming to help out from so far away. I will definitely pay back for this some how…" and bowed down. 

All I could do was to say in a brighter tone,
 "I'll come back as a tourist, to enjoy some delicious fish!"