This page exists outside the articles. It’s where the reasons behind what I write become a bit clearer, not just what I focus on, but how I’ve come to see things the way I do.
A lot of that comes down to paying attention. Over time, I’ve found myself drawn less to obvious conclusions, and more to patterns. In people, in culture, and in the way things are said rather than what’s said. That probably comes from my experiences, but also from how I spend my time outside writing.
I’ve spent time working with various politicians, where communication is deliberate and everything carries weight. Being in those environments made me more aware of how narratives are shaped, and how people present themselves depending on the situation, something that has stayed with me in how I observe and write.
More recently, I’ve also had the opportunity to explore these interests through practical experience. I completed an editorial internship at Metropolis, an English-language magazine in Japan, where I worked on articles covering life in Japan. I’ve also taken part in volunteer activities in Noto following the 2024 earthquake, which gave me the opportunity to engage with local communities and hear about experiences beyond my own. Both experiences have influenced how I approach stories, particularly the importance of understanding the people and contexts behind them.
Music has been a constant. Since I was fifteen in 2020, I’ve kept a listening log, documenting every album I’ve listened to each year on an online forum. It’s grown into hundreds of albums annually, across different genres, languages, and cultures. Over time, it’s become less about quantity and more about understanding sound, context, and perspective. I’ve kept a listening log of every album I’ve heard over the years, as well as lists based on different topics. It’s casual and just for fun, so don’t expect proper analysis or perfect English. It’s mostly quick reactions rather than detailed reviews. Alongside that, I also keep other lists, things like music from different countries, yearly rankings, and more specific themes, all part of the same habit of documenting and exploring what I listen to.
That same interest carries into film and books. I’m particularly interested in British and Japanese cinema, especially social realism, as well as films that rely more on atmosphere, subtlety, or strong dialogue than spectacle. With books, I usually gravitate towards autobiographies and non-fiction, especially those that offer different perspectives on society, politics, and lived experience across both international and Japanese contexts. Autobiographies include those written by actors and comedians, to activists and world leaders.
Visually, I’m drawn to things that aren’t always considered “worth noticing.” I like drawing portraits, often of public figures, and I tend to leave in imperfections rather than starting over when I make a mistake. With photography, I focus on everyday objects such as crows, street posts, and cranes. Things people might overlook or not immediately see as beautiful. For me, it’s about finding the right angle, the right light, and re-framing something ordinary. Approaching photos as if they could be album covers for hip-hop releases was my entry point into photography, and it still shapes how I think about composition.
I also make hip-hop style beats occasionally. It’s not something I do with the intention of building an audience. More just a way of creating and experimenting for myself. Each one reflects a different period of my life, from the sound to the artwork I made for it. I can usually remember exactly where I was in life when releasing each one, and together they represent a kind of progression that probably only I fully understand.
None of this is separate from the writing. It’s where it all comes from, and how I try to make sense of what I’m seeing. A lot of these things exist quietly, without much intention of being shown or explained, but they all contribute in some way. Whether it’s something I’ve listened to, watched, read, or made, they build into a perspective that isn’t always obvious on the surface, but is always there in the background.
