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January 17, 2015
NEWS | Satoshi Takamatsu Begins Training as Japan's First Private Citizen Astronaut to the ISS
NEWS | Creative Director Behind Space-Themed Commercials for Pocari Sweat and Cup Noodles
Satoshi Takamatsu Begins Training as First Japanese Civilian Astronaut to Visit the ISS
Satoshi Takamatsu, the creative director behind numerous famous commercials, is embarking on a journey to become the first Japanese civilian astronaut qualified to travel to the International Space Station. His training began in mid-January in Russia and other locations. He aims to convey the allure of space to people with a unique perspective only a creative director can offer.
Text by YANAKA Tomomi
Fulfilling a Childhood Dream: A Journey to Space—
Born in 1963, Satoshi Takamatsu is 51 years old. He harbored a lifelong fascination with space since childhood. After graduating from the University of Tsukuba, he pursued his dream of becoming an astronaut, but was unable to meet the visual acuity requirements due to his eyesight and had to abandon the pursuit. He then joined Dentsu, where he worked as a commercial director.
Among his notable works are commercials set in space. In 2001, he filmed a commercial for Otsuka Pharmaceutical's Pocari Sweat in space, and in 2003, he executed a space "location shoot" for Nissin Foods' Cup Noodles "NO BORDER" campaign. He has also directed commercials for Uniqlo and Olympus, earning numerous international advertising awards. In recent years, he has served as a jury president at international advertising festivals. He left Dentsu in 2005 to establish the creative agency "GROUND." In 2012, he founded "SPACE TRAVEL," Japan's first space tourism agency.
Unable to let go of his childhood dream of space, Takamatsu is now striving to realize his aspirations. His "journey" to space, making him likely the first Japanese civilian to be qualified for the International Space Station, is supported by Space Adventures, the sole American company offering human spaceflight.
Last year, Takamatsu passed the medical and physical fitness examinations required to begin astronaut training in Russia, and was certified as an astronaut during his training. He follows Toyohiro Akiyama, who became the first Japanese civilian astronaut in 1989, making Takamatsu the second.
Starting in mid-January this year, he will undergo approximately 800 hours of rigorous astronaut training at the "Star City" near Moscow, Russia, and with NASA in the United States. He is scheduled to be certified by the Russian government as an astronaut qualified for the International Space Station in September of this year.
The process leading up to his certification as an astronaut will be shared in real-time via social media and his blog. The creative perspective that spaceflight brings. Takamatsu's journey, a testament to never giving up on a dream, will undoubtedly convey new wonders of space to us.
SPACE TRAVEL
http://spacetravel.jp/