The Matsuda family—Miyuki, Ryuhei, Shota, and Yuki—are known as a creative family. Their favorite place, where they all love to gather, is “Kong Tong.” This time, we speak with Miyuki and Yuki, mother and daughter. What is it about this bistro that captivates creators?

— Miyuki Matsuda, you are active in many fields as an actress, photographer, filmmaker, and singer. Yuki Matsuda, you are expanding your work to include commentary and narration while also pursuing your singing career. What first led you both to visit “Kong Tong”?

Miyuki Matsuda (Miyuki)I think my eldest son, Ryuhei, first brought friends here when he was hanging out with his film director friends. I have a tendency to become friends quickly with my children’s friends, and that’s how I started coming here often. It might surprise you, but I don’t drink alcohol. Yet, they never make a fuss and serve me delicious coffee, even late at night. Plus, everyone who gathers here is from the creative world. It’s a place I can feel comfortable visiting! It feels like home. (Laughs). That was about 18 years ago.

Yuki Matsuda (Yuki)I think I first came here around 17, when I was in high school. I was studying abroad at the time, and when I returned, Miyuki and Ryuhei were already hanging out together, so I joined them. Going to a place where adults gathered felt like participating in their world, and I remember feeling quite sophisticated. Also, I love that “Kong Tong” is tucked away on the fifth floor of a nondescript building. You step off the old elevator, and an interesting world awaits. The approach to the entrance itself was very appealing.

MiyukiThe interior of “Kong Tong” used to be lit by candlelight, and the lighting made every woman look beautiful. We used to call it “Kong Tong magic.”

YukiThen, as soon as you stepped into the elevator and were hit by the fluorescent lights, you were pulled back to reality. (Laughs).

MiyukiCruel lighting! That’s why women would quickly hide behind men when getting into the elevator. (Laughs).

— You’ve been visiting this place as a family for a long time. Do you each have any particularly memorable experiences at “Kong Tong”?

MiyukiOh, there are so many things I can’t talk about! Stories that will go to the grave with me. (Laughs).

YukiHmm, that’s true. (Laughs).

MiyukiBut Yuki, you performed a live show here, didn’t you?

YukiYes, when I was still nobody, I started my music activities and debuted as an artist at 23 or 24. Tatsuro Fukuda, who was behind the counter, said he wanted to hear my records and suggested I hold a live show at “Kong Tong.” In my late teens and early twenties, everyone around me was starting their creative paths as models, actors, filmmakers… and I think I sometimes watched them with a sense of awe. So, to perform at the place I’d been visiting since I was a high schooler, I remember feeling deeply moved, thinking, “My life’s journey is finally beginning.”

MiyukiFukuchan has watched Yuki grow up.

YukiYeah, he feels like family. (Laughs).

— What is it about “Kong Tong” that makes it unique, setting it apart from other establishments?

MiyukiHmm. Writers, actors, people in publishing, music… those involved in creative work gather here, so I feel a sense of ease. I’ve made many friends here, and I’ve even done portrait photography sessions as a photographer.

YukiI was once asked to shoot at a place with personal significance, and I chose this spot. Also, when my electronic music unit’s mini-album hit number one for seven consecutive weeks, I recorded an interview for a morning news program here. At the time, there were bottles of alcohol lined up behind me, and my mother scolded me afterward, saying, “You can’t have bottles of alcohol in the background for a morning show!” (Laughs).

— We’d like to hear more about your relationship as mother and daughter. Miyuki, what kind of presence is Yuki to you?

MiyukiWe’ve shared so many things that I can’t discuss with my sons, things that only women can understand. She is my daughter, my best friend, and a unique presence beyond the bounds of family.

— Yuki, what about you? Many people must envy you for having a mother like Miyuki, who is so free and creative.

YukiWhile some may envy me, I think my mother’s free spirit also led me to struggle with finding myself at times. If there had been a certain path laid out for me, I might have felt compelled to rebel against it. But because she respected and supported everything I wanted to do, praising me as she raised me, I sometimes lost my sense of identity. However, I can’t imagine who I am today without that process. I think it has its pros and cons, but I believe the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to my mother.

MiyukiNo matter how parents raise their children, the children will always find something to criticize. That’s just how it is. Even if you cook delicious meals 360 days a year, if you fail five times, they’ll say, “That was terrible,” for the rest of their lives. (Laughs). Parents are meant to be criticized. It’s part of the deal.

— Yet, I’ve heard that everyone who visits “Kong Tong” loves and respects you, Miyuki.

YukiYes, everyone respects Miyuki. But she doesn’t act like a senior figure; she enjoys herself with them. (Laughs).

MiyukiThe entertainment industry has its ups and downs, and young people especially tend to see everyone as a rival. But I live my life on a completely different vector, so perhaps I’m easy to be around. I understand the industry well, and I’m not a rival, so they might feel at ease.

— You yourself, Miyuki, have weathered the storms of the entertainment world. Surely there have been twists and turns to get where you are today.

MiyukiWhile my start was as an actress, I haven’t clung to that, which allows me to be free. I’m also a photographer, I shoot films, I write, and I do art direction—in short, I do anything. I also run an actor management company. In fact, yesterday I was holding auditions for new actors, and I had to narrow down 50 people from hundreds, and I was exhausted. I told each person who cried about not making it through, “Acting is a truly demanding profession. If you can’t be the best, staying in a place where you can’t win will only lead your life astray. You need to carefully assess whether it’s a world you can win in.” I felt a maternal instinct because so many people struggle in this field, but perhaps I didn’t want to crush their dreams… I regret saying too much.

YukiMiyuki has a strong maternal instinct, more than most.

MiyukiMy own children have grown up, so I enjoy nurturing others. (Laughs). If my advice can make someone’s life better, there’s nothing happier than that. I’m truly happy if I can be of use to someone.

— I hear you also travel together.

YukiWe travel together often. We’ve even met up in India.

MiyukiSince Yuki speaks English, she translates everything for me.

YukiWhen we go out for drinks at night, Miyuki is so popular, she’s constantly being hit on. The men are so persistent, asking me for her contact information or if they can drive her to the airport the next day. (Laughs). Even when I say, “We’re leaving!” they don’t listen, so I end up shouting, “She is my mother!” And they reply, “So?” (Laughs).

MiyukiIt was fun! A real adventure. But when we go abroad, I feel liberated. In Japan, I’m a mother, I have a social status, and something weighs heavily on me. But when I go overseas, it all just lifts away. The other day, Ryuhei and I went to a club in Indonesia, and that was incredibly fun too.

— As you’ve both aged, have there been changes, such as being able to have conversations as adults?

MiyukiHmm. Since I was little, I’ve always spoken to my children as equals, so not much has changed. But I think I spoke too much as an equal, because they used to say, “Mom, what you’re saying is too difficult to understand.” (Laughs). I don’t think I ever told them what to do. I see parents as living examples, so I’ve shown them how to live by saying things like, “I was happy because I did X,” or “I’m sad now because of Y.” If they liked it, I hoped they’d emulate it, and if they didn’t, I hoped they wouldn’t. “The choice is yours.” That’s how I raised them.

YukiIndeed, she never told us to do this or that.

MiyukiI believe that from birth, people already have their personalities and ways of thinking formed. For example, a tulip is a tulip; a rose will never bloom from it. But it’s up to the parents to make it bloom into the most beautiful tulip. I feel like individuality is already determined from the start.

YukiFor the record, I’m a rose, not a tulip. (Laughs).

MiyukiThat’s right. A beautiful rose! With thorns, too! Hahaha! (Laughs).

— What did you do to help the beautiful flowers bloom?

MiyukiSimply put, let them experience everything. That’s all there is to it.

YukiIf we heard there was a meteor shower, we’d drive far away to see it late at night, even if I had school the next day. For my siblings’ birthdays, she’d set out dishes and silverware we didn’t normally use in the dining room and serve a multi-course meal. For one of my birthdays, she said, “I’ll grant you all your wishes!” and we went from Disneyland to Mother Farm, to the Tokyo Sea Life Park, and then grilled fish on the beach and ate it at a low table. We did that.

MiyukiWe were grilling whole fish on a portable stove on the beach at night, and some concerned surfers offered to lend us their warehouse. Good times. (Laughs).

— A mother and daughter with a history. On the other hand, “Kong Tong” has been a place you’ve visited for about 20 years. Please tell us how you spend your time there.

YukiIn high school, I’d just have tea, but now I come for drinks. Miyuki loves sweets.

MiyukiYes, my go-to order at “Kong Tong” is always dessert. In the past, it was coffee, sweets, and friendship! Family. The people who gather at “Kong Tong” have witnessed all of our growth and changes, as well as our occasional mishaps over drinks. (Laughs). It’s like an extension of home, so I almost don’t want to tell anyone about it. (Laughs). I’m truly happy to have a place where I can talk with friends and family without worrying about being watched. Please keep up the great work!

Miyuki Matsuda (left)
After working as a model, she made her screen debut in Nobuhiko Obayashi’s film “The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi” in 1979. In 2005, she took on her first stage role in “The Dresser,” and since then, she has been recognized as an actress with a wide range. She is active in various fields, including photography, filmmaking, and chanson singing.

Yuki Matsuda (right)
As the vocalist of Young Juvenile Youth, she is responsible for writing all the lyrics and composing the melodies. In 2021, she began her full-time acting career, appearing in the drama “Control Z” (NTV). She currently has an illustration series in GINZA magazine and is active in various art scenes.

What’s Kong Tong
Location | Sankyo Bldg. 5F, 3-30-10 Ikejiri, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
https://garlands.jp/kongtong/

Today’s Drink and Food

• Gateau Classique au Chocolat (left)

• Iced Café au Lait
• Iced Tea (Earl Grey, left)
• Cold Brew Iced Coffee

• Seasonal Vegetable Bagna Cauda

Today’s Music Select

Natalia Lafourcade / Un canto por México

Lionmilk / Yums

Mo Kolours / Inner Symbols