The depth of this corner seems to have become even deeper a little, too. Hereafter, I will introduce the part of Japan where you can never dive into only by yourself.
This time will be the first time that we introduce the woman. Her social title is "Pudding shop. " It was in June, 2004 that Amu-chan, this is her nickname, has started the pudding movement sales with his husband.
Story about her pudding shop has spread out to the western part of Tokyo and now some people got to know them quite well. But this time, what we would like to hear is not about the pudding shop, but herself and her future.
When I came to know her, she was already settled in Japan but before that, she had been hanging around in asia and africa as a backpacker.
She has really unique personality and in this island country, it is natural that people look at her as a strange girl. The great thing of her is she does aware of how people look at her totally.
This objectivity never arose with certain proportion of present Japanese girl who are all dressed up with famous brands from top to bottom.
This is just an interview of "lady at pudding shop" but it could never just be an interview of "lady at pudding shop" for its contents. What on earth remains when you remove your title?
*Please briefly explain about your youth days.
"I was born in Osaka, grown up in Sendai, but after that moved to Yokohama, we have moved like 10 times. Hence, I have no special mind at any of the places"
*What did you do after you finish the high school?
"I could not find anything I would like to do during the high school days, so I just go to the beauty college in the meantime. I feel shame as I recall it now, haha. But beautician was my first step, I was hoping to be an hair make artist. After the graduation, I worked for 3 years and I went to India when I was 22 yrs old."
*For what purpose?"
I worked for the beauty salon 3 years and I found I cannot make it. I mean, I had to have my own store if I do as I liked to. I also find I cannot work at the hospitality industry at all. Then I went to India wishing if I could find anything I can do by myself."
*So did you find it? "Nope, right after I came back to Japan, I got heavy manic depressive psychoses from 23 to 26 yrs old, 3 years of black darkness...."
*What is black darkness?"
"I cannot believe that how did I spend that 3 years but I was leading such a had days. It was painful just to stay awake. All I was thinking about was how to die without troubling others, then how to live, eat, getting along with others, and how to spend the day as quickly as I can...concretely speaking, as I wake up in the morning, I had one cigarette, then I had a chewing gum, then I smoke again. Keep doing that all day long. And at night, I took a sleeping medicine to go to bed. Awful!
So I do not remember much about those days. What I can say now is it's still all right 'cos I think I am leading funny life"
*Then after?.
"I was seeking for something. I was traveling around Africa, Cambodia, Thailand and Japan. While staying in Tokyo, I felt so upset, my mind was fully occupied. Then I went out to charge myself."
*What made you so upset?
"I do not know what but I always had a feeling that I was not relaxed, things did not sit well with me. I always have a desire that I like to keep in touch with the earth."
"In the extreme, I thought I was born in Japan by mistake. I was supposed to come to this world as an animal, for some mistake, I was born as a human."
So your anxiety goes out while you are in abroad? "Right, it was true that I was shocked by the diet of native Malawi people but I also got so tuned into it. There are only rice, young tomato, onion, sugar, salt, oil and corns at that market but people enjoy dining together, living together. I felt so comfortable with that, for everything! I thought I was supposed to born in here."
*So, 3 years of seeking. Then what period?
"I am still seeking for something in Japan, haha. I was seeking for something I would like to do. I actually happened to start pudding shop, my pudding was popular from former. My pudding was only the thing I owned which probably could be exchanged with money."
*With Katokichi(husband), right?" "Yes, originally I was planning to start the shop at the garden of my house, in freewheeling manner. But I could not get a permission and we decided to take tailgate selling style. If I do it for myself, I could do whatever I liked to. However, as I have to secure the sales for two people, I did arrange my pudding to be able to go over among every people. That's the pudding I have now.
I spent a year and I totally cannot be satisfied with my pudding now....I mean, I think my criteria has been changed a lot."
*Changed??
"In the beginning, I came up with the today's simple package design because i did not want to produce any trash and I just wanted the money purely for the puddings.
But still, trash is trash. I always complain about the trashes as I shop but I find I do the same.I just cannot stand this reality."
"So, I have started from the scratch. What was my ideal pudding, how do I like to lead my life, the circumstances...I thought about it without any restrictions like money, country, all other things.
Then I picked up Hokkaido.
To live in Hokkaido could solve all the problems related to my pudding, life and so on." *Hokkaido is really chilly land, are you okay with it?.
"I did not like it chilly, I knew by heart but when I see the movie of Heidi, I was shocked. There was a scene that Heidi took a bit of snow lies on the blanket and say ""How beautiful!"" I saw the light with it. I found it does not really matter if it's hot or cold in the end, it's the nature that I love.
I actually went down to Hokkaido beginning of this year and I did confirm that it's fine. I found it's quite natural, super-natural."
*What is your current ideal life in Hokkaido?
"The life that I do everything I like to do. I will devote into chasing my ideals. For example, puddings, Hokkaido is the best place for milk products and I can open the store there."
*What is your concrete picture of your days? "I will live like caveperson, early man, definitely."
*I will speak up some keywords, please answer to these.
*post-retirement years
"I may invite my parents and we can help each other among various ages. Very natural, To help up and take care of each other, this is the most important and the best way to go, I believe."
*Your life "I have to keep challenging to the things in order to accomplish my ideals. If I am not doing in that way, that equally means I am dead. No life without moving forward and forward at all."
*The earth
"It's tough than I have imagined. But I feel really sorry that human being are doing on their own and pollute the earth.
I recently also find to do the the things for me also leads to the things for the earth in the end."
*Your husband
"He is a perfect 10. Without Katokichi, my idea could not be realized. With his support, I can only think about my own ideals. He is like Peter in Hidhi in my life at last.
In a few years from now, the will rush into the action.
Its speed of action is just marvel as I explain.
They know well that their standard of happiness only lies with in them for 100%. They also pursue only that sense.
Without the doubt, Amu-chan, strange girl, will be leading the "caveperson" life within 3 years with selling enough-to-live-amount puddings.
