--The image that Americans love junk food still seems to be deeply rooted. What do you think about that?
Food habits are polarizing. While there's a growing hipster population pursuing high-quality organic food, there are also many people who can't or won't quit junk food. It's hard to break ingrained habits. No matter how much you tell someone who's been eating fast food for years that it's bad for their health and they should stop, I don't think they'll change immediately.
When I was in my twenties, I was broke and ate a lot of junk food. That kind of food is addictive, and I crave it wherever I am. But when I'm traveling and there are so many things I can only eat in that place, it seems silly to want a Coke. For example, if you eat three meals a day and think about how many times you'll have left in your life, it's better to eat something that you truly enjoy each and every meal. Even though it's a little more expensive than junk food, I've started to be more mindful of what I eat, both for my health and for my mental satisfaction. In the past, this kind of thinking was rare in America, and school lunches were terrible. But now, everyone involved in the food industry, from producers to school lunchmakers and restaurant chefs, has become vocal about "valuing food," and the food environment has changed considerably.
--What do you think about Japan's living environment, including food?
The new American lifestyle described in "The Hip Lifestyle Revolution" shares many roots with Japanese culture. Generations before our grandparents used reusable furoshiki wrapping cloths instead of disposable bags to carry things. The culture of enjoying seasonal foods is also alive and well in Japan.
While cherishing this heritage, one of Japan's great things is its active adoption of foreign cultures. In Tokyo, in particular, you can eat delicious food from all over the world, and the quality is generally high. There are countless opportunities to experience cultures from all over the world.
On the other hand, even though Japan appears to be so safe and prosperous, I sometimes sense a strong sense of helplessness among young people in Japan, which is disappointing.
--When do you feel this way?
Japanese students sometimes send me requests on Twitter, saying things like, "I'm going to New York soon, so please tell me about it." When I talk to them, I'm surprised to find that many of them aren't optimistic about the future, saying things like, "I'm worried about the future, so I want to find a stable job."
I think one of the reasons for this sense of helplessness is that Japanese society isn't showing young people the good things about Japan. Japan is a peaceful country blessed with plenty of material things, but somehow I get the impression that things are stagnating. With so much negative news reported on television and in the newspapers every day, you may feel a sense of heaviness in your heart. For example, in Latin America, there are many places where unemployment rates are far higher than in Japan, and security is poor, yet people are incredibly optimistic about the future and full of positive energy.
--I hope that reading "The Hip Lifestyle Revolution" will change the mindset of people who feel hopeless about the future.
The reason I wrote this book was because, in the wake of the Lehman Shock, I witnessed artists and musicians around me who didn't make much money see the products they had been steadily creating come into the spotlight, or how, after being laid off from corporate jobs, they decided, "Maybe there's something we can do ourselves," and changed their lives. This applies to everyone, not just these people. I believe that anyone in Japan can change their lifestyle to be hip in their own way.
I'm sure there are many people in Japan who are already creating things and enjoying life in various creative ways. This publication commemorative talk tour will visit five locations across the country: Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Osaka, Kyoto, and Niigata. I'm really looking forward to discovering "Japanese hipness" in each of these places.
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