The music unit Sukima Switch is celebrating its 15th anniversary since their debut and is currently holding a collaborative event with Mitsukoshi Isetan. They are featuring collaborative items with the lion statue at Mitsukoshi, which has been a popular meeting spot for the group, as well as their first photo exhibition, "SUKIMASWITCH 15th Anniversary Live Photo Exhibition At ISETAN MITSUKOSHI." The event will begin at Nagoya Sakae Mitsukoshi and travel to JR Kyoto Isetan. It will then start at Ebisu Mitsukoshi on November 3rd.

The event recently concluded after the highly successful exhibitions at Nagoya Sakae Mitsukoshi and JR Kyoto Isetan. At the venue, there was also content where people could write messages and post them on social media using the hashtag "Sukima15," which created a lot of excitement. Takuya Ohashi and Shintaro Tokita of Sukima Switch say they carefully check the messages they receive from their fans. With their solo live performance at Yokohama Arena and exhibition at Ebisu Mitsukoshi coming up, we spoke to the duo about their collaboration items, their debut days, and what the future holds.




FASHION HEADLINE (hereinafter, FH): Congratulations on your 15th anniversary! 

Sukima Switch (‎Ohashi Takuya · ‎Tokita Shintaro): Thank you! 

FH: How did you feel when you heard about the collaboration with Isetan Mitsukoshi this time?

Ohashi Takuya (hereinafter, Ohashi): This is something that could only be done on anniversaries like this, and we have songs that feature the Mitsukoshi lion, so it feels like there's a connection, and I'm happy about that. 。 English:

FH: In the song "Omoide Crawl," the lion statue is the meeting place. Did you actually use it as a meeting place? 

Ohashi:Yes, exactly! He would say, "In front of the lion."

Tokita Shintaro (hereinafter, Tokita):We usually met at either the "lion" or "Nana-chan." (laughs)

FH: Do you have any memories of the "lion statue," the meeting place?

Tokita:There's a karaoke bar near the lion statue, and I used to go there a lot. I also used to go shopping at Mitsukoshi with my mother when I was little. Nagoya has a lot of department stores, so we'd go to them all the time. (laughs)

FH: I never thought it would be made into a T-shirt with a lion statue on it!

Tsuneda:Yes, I thought, "There's a way to do a collaboration like that!" (laughs).




FH: Your collaboration items with Mitsukoshi include T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, and more. Are there any that you would recommend?

Tsuneda:I like the hoodie that shows a lion when you flip up the hood. But it seems like it's the lion statue T-shirts that fans really like. I see people wearing them and posting them on Twitter and stuff.

FH: I heard there's a space set up at the venue where people can write messages. I heard a huge number of messages have been uploaded to social media.

Tsuneda:Yes, a huge number.



Ohashi:I'm just happy that people have come out to visit like that.

Tsuneda:And everyone's so good at drawing! They're so intricate. I wonder if they all take their drawings home and draw them!? (laughs) I was also happy that there were so many men in attendance.

FH: You also recorded an in-house broadcast for this event, right?

Ohashi:That's right. It's a bit funny... I wonder if it's okay to talk like that because it has an image of Mitsukoshi.

Tsuneda:I shouted "Ping pong pan pong." I wonder how it must have sounded with that beautiful voice guiding us around the venue... We haven't heard it yet.

FH: (laughs) We're looking forward to the in-store announcements at Ebisu Mitsukoshi! 
I heard that photographer Iwasa Atsuki is exhibiting live photos he's taken over 10 years. What do you think looking at the old photos again?

Ohashi:It really does make you feel the history. When you see all the photos lined up, you remember things like, "This is what it was like at that time," and when we first debuted, I never imagined we'd be able to continue for 15 years like this, or rather, I never thought about it. When I look at photos of us innocently performing live in our younger days, I want to tell myself back then, "We've got another 15 years to go!"



■About Sukima Switch's 15th Anniversary

FH: Is there any story from when you first debuted that you can talk about now?

Ohashi:When I was younger, I had no choice but to work hard, so back then I went out on stage right away and greeted the audience with, "We're Sukima Switch, yay!" and ended up losing my voice. I wasn't thinking ahead at all, and I didn't understand anything (laughs).

FH: Is there anything that hasn't changed in those 15 years?

Ohashi:Our musical tastes haven't changed at all.

Tsuneda: (There's nothing we can't understand about each other. Even if we introduce something new and propose something, we'll just say, "That's great!" I think we're each expanding on what we don't have. Because we have such strong overlapping parts, we're also interested in areas outside of that.

FH: So, how's your musical style now, 15 years later?

Ohashi:Back then, our technique wasn't up to scratch, and there were things we couldn't express ourselves in. But 15 years later, we've mastered the technique, and some things have been lost as a result. For example, now we can organize our sounds well, so the quality has improved, but we've lost a certain momentum. But when I listen to my old songs, I feel like I was younger. But I've never wished I'd done it this way back then; I think, "That's how I wanted to do it back then."

The moment we create and release a song and it reaches the audience, it probably becomes theirs. The people who listened to our old songs were young back then, so they still have their own unique style. So when I listen to them again, I think I'm glad I made them.

FH: Do you have any dreams or things you want to do 15 years from now?

Tsuneda:I'd like to do lots more new things. Like a "Sukima Switch Festival" that we organize ourselves! Sukima Switch is just two people, so for example, we could team up with different people, or perform with a full orchestra or in an arena, or even do a quiet cafe live show just the two of us...I want to be mainstream in all of them, so that the audience who sees and listens to us can choose the one that they like. I want to create satisfying songs that you can feel the warmth of, and give great live shows that allow us to deliver that.



■About "Sukimano Hanataba ~Love Song Selection~"

FH: Your first selection album, "Sukimano Hanataba ~Love Song Selection~," was released on September 19th. What thoughts and feelings are put into this album?

Ohashi: The project started with the song "Miraika," and the album "Sukimano Hanataba ~Love Song Selection~" was created with the concept that music could be used as a gift. Just as flowers have their own language, each song is like a flower, like a bouquet of 13 songs, and I would be happy if this could be used as a gift.

FH: Gifting music sounds wonderful! 

Ohashi:When I was a student, I used to put my own selection of songs on cassette tapes and give them to friends or girls I liked, but now I can convert them to digital format and listen to them instantly on my phone. It's convenient and wonderful, but handing over a CD like in the old days feels like it carries the warmth of my own body heat.

That's why I thought it would be great if people could use music as a gift for various events, like Mother's Day, a friend's birthday, or a wedding. That's why we've included a space to write a message on the regular edition, and the lyric sheets are all separate, so if you place the song you want to give at the top, you can create a personalized jacket. When someone gives Sukima Switch music as a gift in this way, it makes me feel like I've added a little something to that person's memories, and as the creator, it makes me incredibly happy.

FH: The Ebisu store will open on November 3rd. Do you have any messages for the fans who are looking forward to the event?

Ohashi:When collaborating on T-shirts or clothing, I always think a lot. For example, I wonder if it would be difficult to wear if Sukima Switch was too prominent, or if it would be better if we were more subtle (laughs). This time, I feel like we were able to combine those two elements well, and we were also able to collaborate with a lion statue, so I hope that this will serve as a catalyst for people to come and see the event. I hope that people will think, ``This T-shirt is cute, so I'll buy it,'' or ``This hoodie is easy to wear everyday, so I'll buy it.''

I think music and fashion are closely connected. If something spreads from music, or conversely, we are inspired and express it in music, and that cycle continues, I think it will surely lead to all sorts of interesting things spreading. I would be happy if people are interested and as many people as possible come and see the event.

FH: Thank you very much! I look forward to your continued success.


>>Click here for event information at Ebisu Mitsukoshi

- A bouquet (melody) from Sukima Switch on the anniversary of you and your loved one -
Sukima Switch's first selection album, "Sukimano Hanataba ~Love Song Selection~"


"Sukimano Hanataba ~Love Song Selection~" Selection~"
Regular Edition (CD) UMCA-10060 ¥2,800 (excluding tax) Custom jacket
First Limited Edition (CD + DVD) UMCA-19057 ¥4,000 (excluding tax) Includes illustrated booklet Hardcover packaging
1. Parabolava
2. Kanade
3. Me, My Umbrella and Sunday
4. 1017 Bar Love Song
5. Revival
6. Boku Note
7. Little Hands
8. Ai
9. Ice Cream Syndrome
10. Last Scene
11. Just That Scenery
12. Miraika for Anniversary
-Bonus Track-
13. Arigatou re:produced by Tokita Shintaro






/>・"Miraika for Anniversary" Video Clip
・"Arigatou re:produced by Shintaro Tokita" Recording Making
・"view" 15th Anniversary take at Kariya City Cultural Center (July 9, 2018)