Yoshitaka Haba

CEO, BACH; Book Director




──Your goal for 2012?



Forward.

'Because I Listened to Bach's Melodies at Night.'

Sakanaction

Victor Entertainment



I often find myself listening to BACH late at night, feeling a mix of confusion and delight.

'I Don't Blame Spring – Thoughts on the Earthquake'

Author: Natsuki Ikenami; Photographs: Kazuhiko Washio

Chuo Koron Shinsha


How do we anchor memories that we cannot forget? I believe finding solace in a book like this is one way.

'Herb & Dorothy'

Director: Megumi Sasaki

Distributors: Fine Line Media, TUMUGU



The persistence to pursue what you love. The joy of sharing it with family.

KOTORINGO

Musician




──Your goal for 2012?



I'm in the middle of producing an album, so I hope to deliver it to everyone soon!

'the lost and found'

Gretchen Parlato

Obliqsound



I started listening because I liked co-producer Robert Glasper, but I've listened to it so many times I've lost count. I love the songs, her voice, and the instrumentation.

'The Joy of Gardening'

Author: Hermann Hesse

Soshisha



There's so much to learn even from the plants I tend to on my small balcony, and beautiful swallowtail butterflies visit too. This book resonated with me, even as a casual gardener. The short story 'Iris' particularly stayed with me.

'Never Let Me Go'

Director: Mark Romanek

20th Century Fox



When I read Kazuo Ishiguro's original novel, I couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting. The film also had beautiful visuals and a world I loved.

Chiaki Yoshikawa

Beauty Expert / Organic Specialist




──Your goal for 2012?


I want to enjoy daily life more, like growing flowers well on my balcony, cooking, and enjoying morning walks. While enjoying the world of organic myself, I want to share it more with others.

'NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE'

Trinty Oosterhuis

EMI Import



This is a cover of my favorite Michael Jackson song, and Trinity's gentle voice is very healing. It includes many songs that everyone can hum, so I often play it when friends gather. It makes me feel calm and gentle.

'The Sayings of Nietzsche'

Author: Friedrich Nietzsche

Discover Twenty-One



Here is a bright and humorous Nietzsche. "127 Don't talk about your personality." "161 If you want a lover!" Exactly... The 232 sayings encourage me.

'Kamome Diner'

Director: Naoko Ogigami

Distributor: Media Suits



I love this film starring Tomomi Kobayashi. I often watch it when I eat alone at night. You can start watching from any point. I love the composure and purity of the people in it. The everyday life in Finland is also very stylish. Watching this melts away the day's fatigue.

Yoshiko Ikoma

Fashion Journalist




──Your goal for 2012?



Positive thinking above all! The era of thinking about things on a cosmic scale has arrived. I want to make it a year of trusting my intuition and moving forward, forward, GOGO! I want to make it a year of trusting my intuition and moving forward, forward, GOGO!

'Radio Ga Ga'

Freddie Mercury




This year marks the 20th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's passing. I wasn't a fervent fan during his active years, but listening to his voice now gives me so much energy and courage, and this year it particularly resonates deeply in my heart and mind. The sense of music being new or old is strange; sometimes, through the passage of time, we encounter moments that feel fresh again. This year, I had such an encounter with Freddie. Furthermore, the fact that Lady Gaga's name originates from 'Radio Ga Ga' makes listening to it even more impactful!

'Spontaneous Happiness'

Author: Andrew Weil

Little, Brown and Company



Dr. Andrew Weil is known as a pioneer in integrative medicine and a charismatic figure in the spiritual world, also recognized as the developer of the cosmetic brand 'Origins.' The main message of his latest book is that happiness doesn't come from anywhere else; it's something we weave from within ourselves – meaning spontaneous happiness is what matters. Dr. Weil's home in Arizona features a spiral installation of stones, which he walks through while meditating each morning. We too should build such a meditative space within our hearts.

'8 1/2'

Director: Federico Fellini

Distributors: Toho Towa, ATG



Marcello Mastroianni casting glances at women through his glasses──The film '8 1/2' with its unforgettable scene. Above all, the fashion of the actresses, including Anouk Aimée, is irresistibly wonderful. The sharp eyeliner, the way the eyebrows are drawn – check it out! Furthermore, the film is studded with the various ways women live – as wives, mistresses, lovers, and old women – creating a mature world that is simply captivating. It was the best film I've seen in recent years. I'll make it my mission to rewatch all of Fellini's films this winter!

Hiroyuki Horihata

Designer, 'matohu' (with Makiko Sekiguchi)




──Your goal for 2012?



I want it to be a year when a large, swollen bud gently unfurls and begins to open.

To keep my heart pure.

'clue'

Masato Hatanaka



An album from 2007 by the composer I deeply respect, Masato Hatanaka. The piano melodies, born from a pure soul in the northern lands, gently elevate the spirit.

'Learning from Flowers'

Author: Toshiro Kawase

Heibonsha



The living flowers of the rare flower artist, Mr. Kawase. These are freely arranged flowers that wonderfully embody the distant memories of the Japanese people. They bring peace to my heart every time I look at them.

'Meeting Venus'

Director: Alain Corneau

Nihon Herald Eiga



A masterpiece of 90s French cinema. It's a drama about a master and disciple in 17th-century French Baroque music, but it deeply explores life and art, love and death, conflict and reconciliation. The director was apparently influenced by Junichiro Tanizaki's 'In Praise of Shadows,' and the viola melodies blend within darkness and lamplight. The music is superb. Light a candle and watch it on a quiet night alone.

Terumi Hagiwara

Fashion Director




──Your goal for 2012?



Half full, both in stomach and in desires.


Without greed, with gentleness, warmth, and fullness.

'Love Letter from Montmartre'

ZAZ

Respect Records



ZAZ is a singer with a hybrid sensibility, blending jazz, chanson, Latin, and Manouche (Gypsy) styles. I've always been drawn to husky voices like this.

'How to Deal with Nuclear Power: A Decision for All'

Authors: Shinji Miyadai, Tetsunari Iida, et al.

Iwanami Shoten



Continue to use and pass down what you love. This is a book about a new fashion style considered through the lens of 'nuclear power.'

'Everything Is Terrible'

Director: Gus Van Sant

Warner Bros.



A love story depicting the precarious yet innocent feelings of boys wandering in the world of death. When I stepped outside after watching it, the cityscape looked completely different.