We are creating entertainment.
I have seen the phrase "What are you talking about?" I have read it. I know it. I have written it. It is possible that the number of people who have done so has increased in this town of note over the past year. I am writing this article with the hope that by recording the time and process spent over the four years leading up to today, it will lead to further development into something even more interesting.
A year ago, I asked the Creative Awards to make "#WhatAreYouTalkingAbout" a literary genre. "What are you talking about?" is currently used by over 700 people, and there are over 13,000 articles in this town of note. The main reason for the expansion of this single phrase is that I have been collecting articles that use the "What are you talking about?" tag posted during the period and introducing them all at once in a newsletter.
I have named the place where people who use "What are you talking about?" belong the "back alleys of the town of note." While hoping that all the writers would play an active role on the main stage, I defined it as a place where everyone can enjoy the joys, sorrows, and emotions of life while expressing their daily lives, saying, "This is trivial."
I wrote the above article with all my heart, hoping it would be the "beginning." The result was that I did not win the 2024 Creative Awards, but I was able to participate in the awards ceremony in the form of the Best Reviewer Award.
There is no doubt that this was a turning point. What I wanted to do was to have the management of note know about "What are you talking about?" through the Creative Awards, and to tell them that I wanted to make it even more interesting.
There is something I felt when I was able to talk directly to the management on that day.
"I don't know."
I feel like this was the answer to everything. "I don't know" what to do about what is happening now, in other words,We won't lend a hand, so you are free to do as you please.I believe this was the answer.
At this point, I decided to shift all my thinking. I realized that what I had vaguely thought would be nice to enjoy together with the existence of note was something completely different.
From now on, no matter how much time it takes, I must prove for myself the fact that many people are enjoying expressing themselves. I changed my approach to the idea that I must firmly shape it as entertainment and continue to present it.
I felt that this was the answer,You are doing something new. That is why we don't know. There is no answer as to what should be done.that this was the response.
That became clearly defined.
This trigger became a turning point for me to turn my consciousness outside the town of note. At this point, the number of people enjoying "What are you talking about?" was increasing every day, but after the 2024 Creative Awards ended, the direction of where to direct the energy that had been dissipated only within the note community was becoming ambiguous for everyone.
Similarly, a person who felt concerned about it as a content and genre made a proposal, saying that if things continued like this, it would become scattered and head toward dissolution.
They asked me to present a "Mission, Vision, and Value" to turn people's consciousness outward. That was necessary for us to clearly convey our intentions when appealing to the outside world.
What was necessary to convey to people that they don't know "what it is about" was to convey it in words in a serious and solid form. At first, I myself felt, "Why make such a big deal out of it?" but since I had already involved many people, I began to think it was important to properly prove that this phenomenon is not just something enjoyed within a small circle, but something that more people can enjoy freely. I felt as if my own resolve was being questioned.
To that end, I had to seriously worry about whether I could truly and clearly verbalize what "What are you talking about?" is, and whether I could clearly propose the world of entertainment I envision in words.
Is there a need to present a common consciousness to the back alley place where individuals were enjoying expressing themselves? I had to think a lot about whether it was really the right answer to break the exquisite balance that existed at that time.
When things move, distortion always appears.
Among the things that came to mind while I was worrying, I began to face my own heart, thinking that it is precisely because we break and create things that have form that new people will be able to enjoy them. Isn't that what is healthy as entertainment?
As a result, presenting these mission, vision, and values will become something precious that brings me back to my original intentions from here on out.
I am convinced that for me, mission, vision, and values are the guidelines to follow when I am hesitant about a decision.
Here is what I have clearly stated.
Enable everyone to express anything, no matter how trivial, in a fun and free way.
This mission was the very entertainment I was envisioning, and it was my resolve. And from around this time, the back alley and "Nan no hanashi desu ka" (What are you talking about?) began to change its form as an expression, not just limited to text, but with a single word.
Voice streaming, illustrations, songs, calligraphy, videos, and crafting. Each person, in their own way of thinking it is "silly and interesting," began to express themselves to the outside world using or being conscious of the phrase "Nan no hanashi desu ka."
By presenting the mission, the potential of the phrase "Nan no hanashi desu ka" expanded all at once, and it became the trigger that made me realize the gears had started to turn.
In the world, there is a phrase often used in creation: "You are free to express yourself. You can write whatever you like." A foundation for the phrase "Nan no hanashi desu ka" was firmly established as a response to this vague definition where neither the means nor the method is proposed.
If you use the phrase "Nan no hanashi desu ka," there are people who will think about how to enjoy what is expressed. Rather than whether the writing is good or bad, I believe a foundation was clearly created to think about the written or expressed work itself and where it is interesting.
"I was told I could write freely, but I don't know what to do."
"Then, if you add 'Nan no hanashi desu ka,' there are people who will enjoy it with you."
That is how it has changed. Even though it was proposed that one could write freely, there was no world of follow-up after writing.
I believe that the culture of first "enjoying the thing itself" is something we developed over time as an entrance to creation.
I think that if you play to your heart's content by writing happily with "Nan no hanashi desu ka" in the back alley, and you find the path you truly want to follow, you should go down that path with all your might. Before I could even enjoy it, I saw many people give up because they compared themselves to those who were good at conveying things.
Things that are correct, useful, rich in expression, or confrontational to someone—all of these are important, but I do not believe they should be placed on the same playing field and compared from the start.
I think we must not forget that the majority of people who read professional works and find them interesting are amateurs.
That is precisely why I believe there is a need for a place where one can enjoy playing while admiring those works. Before breaking the heart of someone who thought about writing even once in their life, I think it is fine to have a place where they can enjoy it.
For those who think such a soft world is unnecessary for someone aiming to be an author or writer, I think they should just keep moving forward. My life has been a detour until now, and I sincerely want to create a world in literature where we can say, 'These people are living their lives to the fullest,' even if it is soft, silly, and trivial.
There are many options for the path to becoming a professional, but there are too few paths that allow you to continue writing for fun. The literary world, which seems open and free, also seemed to be rejecting the birth of new expressions by being exclusionary.
This is just my opinion, but I was approached by someone who felt the same way and wanted to take "Nan no hanashi desu ka" from the back alley to the outside world. It was a proposal to turn "Nan no hanashi desu ka" into an e-book. From here, I was able to consult with others about my thoughts. And I will never forget meeting people who understood that. What I had been doing alone was no longer just me, and I was able to realize that it comes back to me like this.
When this project was proposed and started moving, we had a clear goal: to aim for a book that makes more people enjoy reading and want to write. Because so many people enjoyed it together and agreed with it, the genre called "What is this story about?" (Nan no hanashi desu ka), which until now had only existed in the back alleys of the note town, has truly taken shape and set out into the world. Giving it a form means that from now on, we can explain it by saying, "If you read this, you can understand what 'What is this story about?' is." Please read the article below to see what happened during this period.
The subtitle of the e-book here is a back-alley term that was born while we were expressing ourselves in a fun way. I was happy when it was released and ranked in various categories, including Japanese literature. I would be happy if someday someone reads this and says, "I wanted to try writing it."
At the same time, a concern arose while doing this project. To make #WhatIsThisStoryAbout a genre of literary expression, I wondered if it would be better to register #WhatIsThisStoryAbout as a trademark.
If it were to continue expanding in the same way, there was a fear that if a third party held the rights to the trademark #WhatIsThisStoryAbout, we might not be able to freely publish e-books or post on note. It was not for us to monopolize the phrase "What is this story about?", but rather that it would be better for me to hold it as a right so that it could remain open and everyone could continue to express themselves freely and happily.
This proposal was something I could never have thought of on my own, and it was an event that made me realize there are people who care about the phrase "What is this story about?" as much as I do.
So, we decided to collect designs from the residents of the back alleys and hold a vote to create a logo for trademarking "What is this story about?". Once an issue was born, a cycle of everyone participating in a fun way had already been created. It was an event that made me realize that a single phrase used by many people was beginning to have meaning.
Currently, you can confirm the trademark registration application mentioned above. And when the idea of trademark registration became a reality, I realized that registration fees and other costs would be incurred. I thought how to pay for these costs was also a chance to have people understand the change in the meaning of this phrase. It is a chance to publicly share what we have accumulated so far with the outside world.
We decided to take this opportunity to try raising funds through crowdfunding. I am seriously trying to create a genre of literary expression. I judged that the best way to gain understanding for that was to turn our consciousness toward the outside world.
As a result, we reached our target amount in a few hours on the first day and were able to raise over 400% of the funds. I believe this fact shows that there are people looking forward to this entertainment. And it is the result of them pushing us to go further. Around this time, the "What is this story about? Department" newsletter reached its 37th issue, and the total number of characters I had written in the newsletter had exceeded one million.
It is not about what happens because I wrote a million characters. I believe this is proof that a culture has been created where people enjoy the very process of it becoming history while finding it interesting, and enjoying things that are "unknown" while they remain "unknown."
What started with one person is no longer just one person, and the speed at which events in my head are taking shape has increased all at once. Each person used the note platform in a way they found "interesting," and from there, connections were made with each other, and it was established as a literary genre.
Next, since there was extra money from the crowdfunding, we presented a direction to visualize "What is this story about?". I believed that the entertainment I should aim for needed to be visible as an expression beyond the framework of text.
While enjoying writing, things are created, and then that is turned into an article titled "What is this story about?".
Write → Create → Sell → Write
I thought an entertainment cycle of this would be created. With so many participants, I began to learn that there were people who were good at expressing themselves not only through manufacturing and writing, but also through their works. I felt that such people should also be able to enjoy expression based on the phrase "What is this story about?". So, I created a separate account within note and opened the "What is this story about? Department," which specializes in merchandise.
Here, I made it possible for various people to sell merchandise through the phrase "What is this story about?". Currently, 14 shops are lined up in the back-alley shopping street. All of them are free to be expressed as articles.
Move something and propose it to someone. They think it's interesting and fun and participate. I think what we have continued has become a virtuous cycle. In terms of visualization, I wanted a main design to make it a brand of literary entertainment.
By clearly showing the design, I was able to explain it to people and open a shop that exists as a physical entity. Here too, I met people who cherish the back alleys, asked for designs, and while having repeated discussions, I was able to give the back alleys a visible form, which made me truly happy.
©Back Alley Back Street 🍄 Main Store
Everything is a derivative form of the mission to "enable everyone to express themselves happily and freely, no matter how trivial the matter."
The series of events that began with e-books evolved into a desire to meet everyone in person to express my gratitude.
So, we planned to hold an e-book publication party ourselves and celebrate together. The time we spent celebrating what we had created ourselves was a happy time, and I felt it was something unique to the Back Alley.
On the day of the event, a total of about 50 people gathered from all over the country, and many people worked for this day, such as by streaming on Stand.fm for those who could not come, or providing live coverage on X.
No one knows how far this flow will go. I don't know, but the phrase I used alone has certainly developed into a literary genre that many people can enjoy using.
The other day, I read the article mentioned above that considers note as a city. Many people agree with this idea and are building a city through creation via note. In a city where 10 million people participate, although we are only 700, we have certainly created a Back Alley in this city. "Nan no hanashi desu ka" (What are you talking about?), where all kinds of expressions gather, I believe complements the words I wanted note to be a city centered on creation. written in this article.
Some may think of this flow as "nothing, just playing around, something trivial." However, I also understand that when humans start from a place of denial, it is usually due to anxiety caused by environmental changes regarding something new.
When you are truly lost in writing, when you don't know what to do, when you want to write something even if it's trivial, or when you want to record something even if it's not organized, please try using it in an affirmative way rather than denying the act of writing "Nan no hanashi desu ka."
It should not be a mere armchair theory. Because we can write.
"If you try writing, it becomes fun."
Such a place is truly being created. A place actually exists where you can express yourself more happily and freely than anyone thinks, and where people think about "how to enjoy" the works and articles that were born and cherished.
What I have done is nothing more than a small accumulation of collecting articles and introducing them in an interesting way, but I hope that by reading this, you will feel somewhere, "Can't we do more things like this?" "Can't we do this kind of development together?" or "Why don't we create something together?" and I hope this reaches everyone who is active in the city of note and in the real world.
People's daily lives are irreplaceable. I want to deliver the slightly strange world of daily life called "Nan no hanashi desu ka," which is full of records, memories, and emotions, to more people.
At the beginning of this year, I wrote that I have a dream.
It is a dream that one day I want to read "Nan no hanashi desu ka" created by children. I believe that this foundation of "affirming what is written and enjoying it as it is" without anyone denying anything will expand more and more.
I can say for sure that what I have done alone is no longer alone. Each person is living while creating entertainment, enjoying their own expressions and cherishing the single phrase "Nan no hanashi desu ka."
I don't know if this is perceived as a business, but new entertainment is certainly being born here.
I think there are many people in the city of note who are active in the business field.
I want to try this kind of project with "Nan no hanashi desu ka."
There is a way to expand "Nan no hanashi desu ka" further.I can make "Nan no hanashi desu ka" even more fun.
I have something I want to try with products using "Nan no hanashi desu ka."
I hope you feel like "I want to enjoy it together." Trivial things, useless things, and what is inside people's heads are not worthless; when aggregated, they are a treasure trove that makes life a little more fun.
Even if it's just a little bit, I would like you to lend us your strength so that more people will know and say, 'This is really silly, but I love it.'
I have experienced that even if a voice doesn't reach, if you continue, people will eventually get involved.
Where people gather, something exists.
To enable everyone to express themselves happily and freely, no matter how trivial the matter.
After all, this is my ideal, having faced 'Nan no Hanashi desu ka' with all my might for four years.
And the reality is that by playing Konishi Kinoko with all my might for four years, I became an actor and ended up talking about 'Nan no Hanashi desu ka' on the radio.
Nan no Hanashi desu ka
I have written this much, but all of this is a grand creation by me in the town of note and the residents of the back alleys.
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
いただいたお気持ちは「なんのはなしですか」に関連する活動に使わせていただき、人に会いに行ったり、呑んだり、遊んだりとそれをまた記事にして有効に活用させていただきます。