MARLMARL, operated by Yom Co., Ltd. (the parent company of CHIRUDA), has opened a new store in Sapporo, Hokkaido. This is the first store to open in the Hokkaido region and it’s equipped with touch monitors for children to watch and enjoy the brand’s first animated short. The animation, “Owl’s branch,” was directed by CHIRUDA and produced under the theme of “artistic learning”. We interviewed Maya Sekine, the project’s Ainu advisor, about the production process. We also discussed the Ainu from two perspectives: from society’s point of view and from the youth’s point of view. We dig into what ethnicity and culture really are, while unraveling the “Ainu” taboo and prejudice that still remains today.

It’s no exaggeration to say that thanks to the Internet, we all live in a state of “quick information” and “quick and easy research”. This benefits us by increasing efficiency, connecting us to worlds we never knew existed, and creating new values. There’s no doubting its convenience- it’s very gratifying! But has this easy access caused us to lose something? Is that readily available “answer” you found really 100% for you?

“If you can’t beat them, join them”. This proverb is commonly used in Japan, but I think we are too comfortable using it. To unquestioningly follow something that has been given us, means to judge everything through the narrow lens provided by that piece of information. Before we know it, our individuality is diminished, and the distortion caused by that may inadvertently hurt someone else. If we could take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, we might be able to see insights and possibilities that we were not aware of.

What do you imagine when you hear the word “garbage”? Unwanted? Dirty? Throw it away ASAP? What if you could find new value in the “garbage” that you thought was unnecessary? If you look at it from a different perspective, you may find unexpected possibilities in your “trash” and it might be very attractive to someone else. We interviewed Shinya Ishida, a scrap artist who prolongs the life of “garbage” by finding new value in discarded objects. We explored his activities to date, his own perception of “garbage”, and the various insights and connections he feels are derived from it.

Can you describe “anata” (you) without saying your name, age, personality, or occupation? Can you do it without words? I wonder what expressions you would come up with. Parents, children, friends, partners, work, home, society, air, time… The world around you is made up of many people, things, and elements that we take for granted, but I wonder if we have forgotten their importance. — We interviewed Shinichi Tsutsui, a photographer living in New York, and asked him about the significance of expressing ourselves through our daily lives and the people we pass everyday, and how he perceives the “world.”