Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2010
Where are you from and what brings you to Tokyo?
I was born in Chiba. I came to Tokyo for work, and have lived here for more than ten years now.
What do you do?
I run a company which mainly does packaging design and producing photographs for advertisements, and of course also manages Surutokoro.
Tell us about Surutokoro.
Surutokoro literally means “place to do.” Designed as a flexible play space for children, it is actually located on the second floor of a printing factory. Since we opened in October last year, we have been holding workshops once or twice a month that are aimed to offer a kind of playtime that is often not possible at school or at home. The teachers invited for each workshop are designers and artists who are currently active in their field. Also, we are excited to announce that as of next month, Surutokoro is officially becoming a nonprofit organization.
Do you get many foreign kids at the workshops?
Unfortunately, there haven’t been many. We believe that when children play, there should be no borders, so we are gradually making Surutokoro news and updates available in both Japanese and English. We hope that kids and families from other nationalities and backgrounds can mingle and play together.
Tell us about your upcoming event.
We have invited a few Dutch designers to teach at our workshop this month, which coincides with Surutokoro’s one-year anniversary celebrations. The special guests are well-known in the world graphic and interior design scenes, and they will come with traditional Dutch games and stories for us to enjoy. This workshop is made possible by Amsterdam’s Lloyd Hotel and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It will be held on Sunday, October 24, and there is free entry for the day. We would like to extend our invitation for you and your family to come along and play!
What’s something everyone in Tokyo should do?
I would always recommend the Izu Islands, south of Tokyo, such as Niijima and Shikinejima and Hachijojima. There you will find brilliant beaches, friendly people, delicious seafood and abundant nature. You will realize that there is a different side of Tokyo even if you only stay just for one day. It only takes one or two hours by plane or boat, so getting there is quite easy.
Surutokoro Children’s Workshop
Kids can participate in a crafts workshop taught by guest designers from the Netherlands in honor of the playspace’s first anniversary. Oct 24, 2-4pm, free. Surutokoro, Ryogoku. http://surutokoro.jugem.jp
