I Broaden My Hobbies Under the Guise of Work

Tomoki MatsudaMr. Koyama, you work as a broadcast writer and in various other fields. Today, I'd like to hear about the driving force behind that, your perspective on work.

Kundo KoyamaThis is an analogy I often use: I'm a "birthday present maniac." I love the joy I get from the joy of others when I give them a birthday present.
So, when I think about how to make people happy outside of their birthdays, in my case, I believe that by creating programs or getting involved in new shop projects, various people can be made happy in various ways.
I suppose I work to feel the joy of others as my own joy. It's a very beautiful, albeit hypocritical, way of putting it (laughs).

MatsudaNot at all.

KoyamaAlso, I do feel like I'm broadening my hobbies under the guise of work. Rather than taking on commissions from clients, my stance is more like, "I'm doing this because I like it." When it's work, I don't get scolded for playing around.

For example, if I were to attend a soba-making dojo because I want to eat delicious soba, people would say, "He's just playing around instead of working." But if I were to say, "I'm going to open a soba restaurant," they'd think, "He's working." It's similar to that (my diverse work). I like wine, so I'll open a bar. I don't make much money doing only that (laughs).

MatsudaBecause you like it, it naturally expands from there, doesn't it?

KoyamaYes, if I have my own pond, then when I go to a different pond or the sea, I meet completely unexpected people there, and from there my world expands into yet another pond or sea. That's the image I have.

Kundo Koyama

I Want to Share Good Things, But Keep Them to Myself

—Since we're on the topic of food, I'd like to ask: for the TV show "Iron Chef," did you introduce restaurants you discovered through your own dining experiences?

KoyamaNo, the honest truth is I was reluctant to reveal the restaurants I knew. To put it this way, I didn't want to lose my territory (laughs). It's difficult, isn't it? I want to introduce good restaurants, but I don't want to introduce the good restaurants I go to.

MatsudaFinding that balance is indeed tricky. Actually, John Lobb has also not done much advertising. There are long-time customers who agree with that approach. For such customers, it seems there's a sentiment of "I don't want it to become a brand everyone knows."

KoyamaIt's a delicate balance. In the case of restaurants, even if I have the desire to keep a place to myself, if it's too much of a "hidden gem" and it goes out of business, it's meaningless. It's best to have a moderate level of exposure (laughs).

MatsudaSpeaking of which, the other day during my lunch break, I went to "Tokyo Curry Lab" (a curry restaurant in Tokyo Tower produced by Mr. Koyama). It was delicious.

KoyamaThank you.

MatsudaTokyo Tower is getting a lot of attention right now, isn't it? I heard it was very crowded during Golden Week too.

KoyamaYes, but Tokyo Tower itself doesn't have stylish shops like Midtown, Hills, or Marunouchi Building; it's full of old-fashioned souvenir shops. I think that's a missed opportunity.

MatsudaIt's like Nakamise-dori in Asakusa there. Only Curry Lab stands out (laughs).

KoyamaIt really does stand out (laughs). The customer base is just a bit different there. So, I do suggest that they should increase the number of modern-style shops, but...

Tokyo Curry Lab
http://www.tokyocurrylab.jp
Kundo Koyama

Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1964. Representative of "N35" and "Orange and Partners." Gained attention as a broadcast writer for his work on "The Humiliation of Canossa," and subsequently worked on numerous popular programs such as "Iron Chef," "World Heritage," and "Tokyo Wonder Hotel." Currently involved in programs like "Toshigai" (NTV) and "E-Collabo" (Fuji TV). He is active in a diverse range of fields as a radio personality, novelist, and consultant for Kanaya Hotel Nikko. His published works include "Film" (Kodansha), "Isshoku Ichinichi" (Pia), "Hint for Not Thinking" (Gentohsha Shinsho), and the picture book "Waiting." (Chikura Shobo).

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