One day in December

I'm right in the middle of the annual year-end extravaganza, attending meetings and working on texts that all have to be finished "within this year". But somehow I also manage to attend a preview screening of "I'm Not There" at Cinema Rise in Shibuya. I really wanted to see this portrait of Bob Dylan with six different actors in the title role, directed by one of my favorites, Todd Haynes. With Dylan footage being thrown in every here and there, the real thrill of this movie is to see how people as different as Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett in men’s clothes impersonate the musician, although in my view the gimmick effect is a bit too strong. Anyway, Cate Blanchett’s Dylan is a true highlight. This gifted actress’s bottomless acting skills keep sending shivers down my spine.

After this short escape into the world of imagery, as soon as I leave the theatre I find myself back in the cruel reality, and eventually spend the rest of the night writing emails and brushing up manuscripts.

Sakamoto Ryuichi at the commmons office

Two days later I attend a company-internal event of Sakamoto Ryuichi’s "commmons" label at a conference room at the Avex headquarters in Aoyama. It’s a rare opportunity for direct communication between celebrity musicians and record company representatives in Sakamoto’s own presence. Details (in Japanese) you can find on the commmons website that I'm directing. It’s very interesting to hear what artists think about the record industry, and what record company people think about artists. In today’s music business, where the relationship between artists, record companies and listeners is everything but fortunate, this is surely a meaningful attempt with the aim to improve the situation.

After the event I gingerly ask Sakamoto for his opinion on my book "The Edit of Tokyo", and I'm relieved to hear that he apparently liked it. The book contains various editors' comments on their work with Sakamoto, so the question what the man himself thinks about it has been bothering me for a long time. Sakamoto will be working on a new solo album in 2008, and I'm really looking forward to hearing his first new music in a while.

There are a few other people whom I sent a copy of "The Edit of Tokyo" with a similar feeling. One of them is Shinoyama Kishin, who called me directly to say that he found the book "very interesting" and that he read it in one go. Once again, a big relief! With this book the sense of tension is really much different from my previous work as an editor…

December 26

Yasumoto Masako wearing a Suzuki Takayuki dress

I'm directing a fashion photo shooting around the very end of the year. I was asked to take charge of the fashion corner in an eco-themed magazine that’s going to be launched in March. I select some brands from Japan and abroad on the keywords "eco" and "ethics", and in order to realize my idea of a dynamic sort of image I choose dancer Yasumoto Masako as a model. Yasumoto is one of the hottest contemporary dancers around these days, and I'm sure you've read about her on Realtokyo in the past. With a mixture of unpredictably innovative movements and chartming looks, she has been fascinating audiences also outside the realm of dance. I guess I'm only one of many who were totally captivated by her guest performance at Shimizu Yasuaki’s recent live concert.

Yasumoto Masako taking off in the studio

Photographer Tamagawa Ryu shoots Yasumoto while dancing in dresses by Suzuki Takayuki and Stella McCartney, and with his sophisticated lighting and focusing, he manages to capture the dynamic motion down to detail.

I'm really glad that I chose Yasumoto because that combination of physical beauty and acrobatic movements is something you can't get from an average fashion model. While usually there are various things that don't go as planned in a photo shooting, this time I'm totally satisfied with the results, so it’s one of the rare experiences that make me feel the thrill of being an editor. Just give me a job as pleasant as this once a year and I'll surely keep going!