Fashion
January 26, 2015
Onitsuka Tiger x SPACE SHOWER TV | "Fukuoka Chapter" Featuring SHOGO (175R), Now Airing!
Onitsuka Tiger
Onitsuka Tiger × SPACE SHOWER TV "BACK TO HOME supported by Onitsuka Tiger"
Part 3
SHOGO (175R) "Fukuoka Edition" Now Airing!
Launched in April on the music channel "SPACE SHOWER TV" (CS broadcast), the new program "BACK TO HOME supported by Onitsuka Tiger" features a different artist each month returning to their hometown. With "BACK TO HOME" as the keyword, the series explores their fashion, music, origins, and present. For the third installment, airing in June 2010, the artist is SHOGO of 175R, who is entering his prime at 30 years old. He speaks about Kokura, where he lived until he was 22, and Hakata, which holds many memories.
※ The "BACK TO HOME supported by Onitsuka Tiger" segment within SPACE SHOWER TV's new program "スペシャエリア" will air "Fukuoka Edition Part 2" on June 9th (Wed), "Fukuoka Edition Part 3" on June 16th (Wed), and "Fukuoka Edition Part 4" on June 23rd (Wed), from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM! (Rebroadcasts: Mondays and Wednesdays 12:00 AM–, Sundays 6:00 PM–, also airing at all Onitsuka Tiger stores!)
A gift selected by SHOGO during the program is also being offered.
Text by OPENERSPhotos by Emiko Hara
SHOGO, BACK TO HOME in Fukuoka
175R, who released their new album "JAPON" in February, their first in about two years, and will perform all their singles from past to present at their annual summer concert at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall on July 18th (Sunday) – "Kōtei! Natsu no Yaon Matsuri ~Kotoshi wa Single Zenkyoku Yacchaimasu ka!~" – visited Canal City Hakata, home to Onitsuka Tiger Fukuoka, for the first time in a while.
I used to come to Canal City often when it first opened (in 1996). It was close to Hakata Station, it was new, and it had everything. It was always part of my date route in high school.
This time, I'll visit two cities, Hakata and Kokura. Kokura is where I was born and raised, and where I lived until I was 22. The food is delicious, and it's a town with a human warmth and a love for festivals. It's a passionate town. I'd like to visit the live houses I used to frequent and the Uomachi Gintengai shopping arcade.
In junior high school, I commuted by highway bus to an acting school in Fukuoka, and I'd come here from Kokura, about an hour away, to buy clothes. Breaking into the Fukuoka scene was a big step for our band, so playing in Hakata back then felt like a status symbol. It brings back memories. I'd like to visit the studios where we recorded when we were an indie band.
If the weather forecast is rain, a rock band makes it sunny!
We're holding our annual Yaon concert again on July 18th. It's becoming a tradition for our fans, so I want everyone who supports us to come and feel like they're at a festival. Last year was the 175R 5-hour, 50-song LIVE "175R vs 175R ~Natsu no Owari no Yaon Matsuri~", and this year it's "Kōtei! Natsu no Yaon Matsuri ~Kotoshi wa Single Zenkyoku Yacchaimasu ka!~". Yaon is a challenge to do things we couldn't before, and it's also a gift to our fans.
It's rained for two years straight on the day of the Yaon concert, so I really want it to be sunny this year. A senior artist told me, "If the forecast is rain, a rock band makes it sunny!" So this year, I absolutely have to make it sunny! I want people to enjoy all the different sides of 175R.
I always wear white leather sneakers on stage. I like sneakers, especially leather ones, and I wear them to match my outfits. Today, I chose a pop shirt from Onitsuka Tiger that's refreshing for summer and enjoyable even for a 30-year-old, so I picked a mature leather sneaker to go with it. I usually wear black, but I'm trying something a little adventurous today (laughs).
What does BACK TO HOME mean to SHOGO?
When I think of the keyword "BACK TO HOME," I think of returning to my roots. It's definitely the town of Kokura. Even when I released CDs as an indie band, I was living in Kokura, so it holds a strong emotional significance for me. Kitakyushu has the Yawata Steel Works, and if I were to describe it with a color, it would be gray. That's part of Kokura's charm, and I like its down-to-earth, gritty feel.
BACK TO HOME──
What do you feel when you revisit the town where you were born and raised?
My driving force is the town where I was born and raised. Kokura is a place I can always return to, but it's also a place I don't want to return to defeated.
Last year, when I turned 29, I thought, "I'll think carefully until I turn 30, and then start things then. I'll take the first step towards what I want to do in my late 20s." I thought about a lot of things. And then in March, I turned 30. How do I feel about being 30? I feel optimistic.
175R Official Website
http://www.175R.com
<ON AIR INFORMATION>
In July, SEAMO will be BACK TO HOME in Nagoya!
Look forward to it!
SPACE SHOWER TV "BACK TO HOME supported by Onitsuka Tiger" Official Website
http://www.spaceshowertv.com/backtohome/
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Irregular Holidays
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