Shinya from LUNA SEA
I heard that Shinya, the drummer for the rock band LUNA SEA, has passed away.
Why would I, someone who is completely hopeless with sports and music, write about such a thing?
Actually, over twenty years ago, a certain person (let's call him Mr. A) organized a design competition for Shinya's private residence. Since I was acquainted with Mr. A, he told me, 'Mr. Yoshida, you should enter too,' so I decided to submit a proposal. I met Shinya on the day we were told the 'design requirements.' My young staff members were delighted to tag along, as it seemed he was someone they wouldn't normally get to meet.
The design requirements were to have a 'house with absolutely no sense of daily life' and to adhere to religious conditions. Regarding 'daily life,' he didn't even want a bag of rice sitting in the kitchen. 'I want you to be thorough about it.' Also, regarding religion, it seemed he believed in something, and I was handed a paper with about 30 'conditions to avoid' written on it.
When I actually met him and heard him speak, he was a very pleasant person. I completely agreed with his rejection of 'daily life' as well.
So, I was enthusiastic and worked hard on it. I perfectly adhered to all the 'religious conditions' as well. I designed a rather eccentric house, which I believe was inspired by Izumo Taisha. And I made 'a house without a kitchen' the theme. It was one of my best works in recent years. Mr. A told me that Shinya was also very pleased, saying, 'It looks like it's going to be Mr. Yoshida's design.' However, just at that time, his marriage to Aya Ishiguro was announced. And so, the announcement of the competition results was delayed a bit... but the news that came in was that Aya was 'an incomparable cooking enthusiast'... Oh no!!
She couldn't live in a house without a kitchen! Oh no!! I was soundly rejected.
In the end, whether it was from Mr. A or Shinya, I don't know, but I received a special prize of 100,000 yen with the reason being, 'Mr. Yoshida's proposal was just too good.' It is a bittersweet memory. I pray for his soul from the bottom of my heart.