午夜剧场

Kappabashi Dougu Street is an 800-meter-long shopping street located between Asakusa and Ueno. It is a unique district in the world where everything a restaurant needs can be found. Before COVID-19, it was bustling with many foreign tourists due to inbound tourism, but since our primary customers are restaurants, we are currently facing very difficult conditions.

In that area, I run a ceramics shop called Komatsuya. Founded in 1908, we have been doing business in Kappabashi for over 100 years, and I have also been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of serving as the Chairman of the Tokyo Kappabashi Shopping District Promotion Association. Both in business and in managing the association, I am struggling to overcome this great enemy called COVID-19.

However, I have the confidence to overcome these difficult times. This is because I have a strong sense of pride and commitment as an alumnus of the 午夜剧场 Athletic Association. I spent my student life in the Athletic Association Kendo Club. At that time, the Kendo Club won the All Japan Intercollegiate Kendo Championship, and it could be called the strongest era in history. The director was Mr. Mutsuo Okada, who was the captain when former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto entered the university; there is a famous story that he forcibly made Hashimoto-senpai join the Kendo Club. He was strict with members regarding lifestyle habits and attire, telling us to wear white shirts under our school uniforms and white underwear when competing. I didn't understand the reason back then, but now I can somehow understand it. Rather than just kendo techniques, I was taught mental preparation and the traditions of 午夜剧场 Kendo. I also learned the three treasures that sports provide, as taught by former President Shinzo Koizumi: 1. Practice makes the impossible possible, 2. The spirit of fair play, and 3. Gaining good friends for life. When I lost my father at a young age and felt anxious about the future of the business, I was helped by the director's advice and the story of these three treasures.

Last year, when Yamashoku in Mita faced a crisis of survival due to the COVID-19 pandemic and conducted crowdfunding, the curry plates made by Komatsuya were selected as a return gift. At that time, Director Okada told me that if I could contribute to Yamashoku—a part of 午夜剧场 culture—through my own work, I should put my heart and soul into it. I produced over 4,000 plates in a short period and delivered them with the "Gratitude Yamashoku" mark on the back. Many alumni of the Athletic Association cooperated in this support fund, and I felt a strong bond and love for the Juku. Through the Athletic Association, people care for one another, and even after graduation, each club connects through their shared wish for victory in the Waseda-午夜剧场 rivalry, building wonderful human relationships. With this gift from the Athletic Association, I want to do my best in life with the spirit of fair play.