Interview with Taro Fukukawa, representative of Danjo Denim
Taro Fukukawa’s background
What did you study at university?
Fukukawa (name omitted)
I’m from Ibaraki Prefecture, where agriculture is thriving, and I had wanted to become a farmer since I was in junior high school.
So I went to the agriculture department at a university in Hokkaido.
However, the agriculture department wasn’t the kind of farmer-training school I had imagined. A class I took in my first year made me feel that studying agriculture was not interesting.
At the time, personal computers were beginning to become widespread.
With internet access becoming easy, I was more fascinated by the convenience of computers than by studying agriculture.
I kept up with my agriculture studies while spending my days immersed in computers.
Could you tell us about your time working for a company?
Fukukawa
After graduating from university, I got a job at a major electronics manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo.
I had joined the company because I was interested in computers, but once I started working, I met people who were far more capable at their jobs than I was, including graduates of engineering graduate schools and technical colleges.
My junior colleagues were also talented, and I felt I couldn’t make a contribution there.
I quit after two years because I could no longer see a future in continuing the job, and I wanted to pursue music seriously with local friends, a hobby we had started together.
What got you started in music?
Fukukawa
After returning from Hokkaido to the Kanto region for a job at an electronics manufacturer, a childhood friend from my hometown in Ibaraki asked me, “Want to make music?”
When I played my friend a rap melody that had come to mind, everyone praised it.
I was also feeling stuck at work, so I decided to quit my job and focus on music.
At one point, to enter an audition, I sent a major record company a tape of a song I had written and recorded, titled “Danjo.”
At the time, rock bands such as BUMP OF CHICKEN and female vocalists such as Kumi Koda were popular, but the song’s unexpectedness appealed to the judges, and it was selected.
Later, an unknown university student turned “Danjo” into an animation and posted it on Nico Nico Douga, which sparked a huge buzz.
Walking from Tokyo to Kojima
Why did you wear a denim jacket and walk to Kojima?
Fukukawa
I wanted to make an interesting music video, and came up with the idea of walking from Tokyo to Kojima, the birthplace of domestically made jeans.
I had always liked denim jackets, so I thought it would be interesting to use time-lapse footage to show the jacket fading as I walked a long distance.
I made the denim jacket for that project after borrowing a book on sewing from the library and teaching myself.
I remember how difficult it was to start from scratch, with no knowledge or skills.
I chose Tokyo Tower as the starting point because everyone knows where it is.
For about two months, staying in guesthouses and other places along the way, I walked 20 to 30 kilometers every day dressed in denim from head to toe.
What did you feel as you walked?
Fukukawa
When you walk, you can see towns from the perspective of everyday life, unlike when traveling by train or car.
Even in areas near urban centers, I sometimes saw run-down scenery once I left the city.
In everyday life, I only spend time in places with lots of people, so I hadn’t noticed. But when I went to places I don’t usually visit, I realized that it’s true that towns in Japan are disappearing.
Also, as I walked long distances, I felt that the buildings in residential areas all looked alike, and the scenery was becoming uniform.
When we prioritize convenience and efficiency, places probably lose their distinctive features.
I felt that we need to actively preserve the individuality of towns.
What did Kojima look like to you?
Fukukawa
Kojima has the facilities people need for daily life, such as supermarkets, as well as beautiful sea and mountain views and old streetscapes.
The kind of Setouchi scenery that people living in cities admire is the scenery you can see in Kojima.
And with denim there too, I felt I could make denim jackets and build a life there.
His passion for denim jackets
When did you start liking denim jackets?
Fukukawa
When I was in junior high school, there was an older student I admired.
He was in the fencing club with me and also played drums in the light music club.
I admired that he wore a denim jacket, and started wearing one myself.
We wore our own clothes to school, so students expressed their individuality through what they wore.
I decided, “I’m going with a denim jacket,” and wore one every day.
I’m also slim, so I chose a denim jacket because it made me look more solidly built.
Like equipment in an RPG (role-playing game), a denim jacket was something that powered me up.
Why did you decide to make denim jackets?
Fukukawa
I felt that ready-made denim jackets had similar designs, and that many had a baggy silhouette.
So I wanted a denim jacket with a design that would suit someone slim like me.
In the “Practical Jeans Sewing Course,” you make a pair of jeans in four days.
After taking the course and acquiring knowledge and skills in denim sewing, I felt confident that I could make denim jackets on my own.
So I began making denim jackets with my own designs at “Designers Incubation,” a facility in Kurashiki City that lends out sewing workspaces, sewing machines, and other equipment to support designers and others in the apparel industry who want to start businesses.
What would you like to share after taking on so many challenges?
Fukukawa
To succeed as a sole proprietor, you need to take care of things beyond your main work, such as managing your health.
It suits people who can set their own goals and move forward without someone managing them.
Perhaps a happy life is one in which you find something you can become absorbed in.
Some people may feel that making a living on their own is a high hurdle, but even if things don’t go well, you can always return to being a salaried employee.
The experience of earning money through your own efforts helps you take ownership of your work, which also makes you attractive to companies.
If you’re in your twenties and have something you want to do but are unsure whether to take the plunge, you can always start over in your thirties, so I hope you’ll try all kinds of things and find your calling.
After hearing from Taro Fukukawa, representative of Danjo Denim
Behind the creation of these uniquely designed denim jackets were the many experiences Mr. Fukukawa had gone through.
I got the impression that Mr. Fukukawa thinks deeply about the meaning of the events that happen at each stage of his life.
And while valuing the things he likes and finds appealing, he decided which direction to take and put his plans into action.
I feel that the experiences he has accumulated have nurtured his individuality and led to the creation of these uniquely designed denim jackets.
As I listened to Mr. Fukukawa, I felt he had shown me how to find my way to the things I love.
I’m looking forward to seeing what designs of denim jackets Mr. Fukukawa creates in the future, and what he does next.
Danjo Denim information
| Name | Danjo Denim |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-9-31 Shimotsui, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Parking | Available |
| Hours | 1:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. *Please make an advance reservation through the website |
| Closed | Irregular holidays |
| Payment methods |
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| Website | Danjo Denim |
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