Self-Introduction & Profile
An Unforgettable Photograph: Student Days
In my childhood, I was deeply shocked by a photograph on television of a mixed-race Black girl in Okinawa being bullied at school. Around the same time, I began to question why there were so many mixed-race white people featured on television and in magazines. I spent my student years during the 80s and 90s, when hip-hop and gospel were gaining attention, and I was deeply moved by the 'beauty of Black' depicted in Ruiko Yoshida's 'Hot Days in Harlem.' This led me to start thinking about what 'beauty' really is.
Learning About Many Kinds of 'Beauty': After Becoming a Writer
After graduation and many twists and turns, I began working as a freelance writer for beauty-related advertisements in my local Kansai region in 2005. Through interviewing many people in the beauty industry, I found myself researching the 'true nature of beauty.' Additionally, while covering a ballet book in Russia, I was able to fully experience the ultimate 'beauty of white.' After starting a dual-residence life between Tokyo and Kansai in 2013, I edited hair and makeup articles and kimono dressing books for a beauty publisher. While handling a massive number of photographs, I learned about 'Japanese beauty' and the 'patterns of beauty.'
The Mission to 'Change the Standards of Beauty': A Revelation
Even while encountering many forms of 'beauty' through my work, the 'beauty of Black' remained on my mind. While I questioned whether the standards of beauty were flawed, I spent my days hesitant to write about Black women as someone who was not part of that community. Then, one day, I learned that the singer of the classic song 'Lovin' You,' which I had loved since I was a teenager, was a Black woman. In that moment, I decided that by writing about Black women, I would 'change the standards of beauty.' Since then, I have studied Black women's history at university, covered a Black dance troupe in New York, and engaged with organizations for African-descended children living in Japan, building as many connections with Black women as possible and continuing my research from a unique perspective. My emotional support comes from the words of a mixed-race Black girl who said, 'It makes me so happy when someone other than my parents compliments me.' My favorite thing to see is 'the process of a woman becoming beautiful,' although I personally have little interest in becoming beautiful myself. My main profession has been as an industrial writer since around 2004, and I am the author of 'The Mechanism of Batteries' (Shoeisha), which is scheduled to be published in two overseas countries. My ultimate life goal is to write a biography of a woman, have it adapted into a morning drama (by purchasing the publishing rights and becoming the publisher), and release a translated version in the English-speaking world.
Contact Information
For business inquiries, please feel free to contact me at non-chan★kcn.ne.jp (replace the ★ mark with @).