A lot of people think they choose their jobs, but I think a job is something that is chosen by the job.
Interview with Shuichiro Sakaguchi - Part 2 -

The second part of "Megumisashi", an interview with Sakaguchi Shuuichirou.
In the first part , we spoke in detail about OK PROJECT , Sakaguchi's connection to Monosus.
In the second part, we will take a deeper look at his work style, which is a marble-like style that achieves a work-life balance without barriers, which he arrived at after much trial and error, his concept of "GOOD NEIGHBORS," which he values his neighbors, and the outdoor event " GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE " that he holds in his hometown of Kagoshima.

(Interviewer: Kensaku Saguchi)

Profile of Shuichiro Sakaguchi

Representative of BAGN Inc. Born in Kagoshima in 1971.
In 1993, he formed the stateless band Double Famous . Since 2010, he has been organizing the outdoor event GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE in his hometown of Kagoshima. He also participates in Landscape Products and co-founded the direction company BAGN Inc. within the company. He also produces a variety of events across genres.

A life of traveling came before music or work.
The feeling of being guided by something and a path being created.

The more I hear about Mr. Sakaguchi's free-spirited way of life, the more I feel that he cannot be summed up in a typical title.

"The thing that bothers me the most is when people ask me what my title is. When I'm interviewed, they often write that I'm a musician/producer. But producer sounds a bit suspicious, and I don't really want to say it, but I don't know what else to say. I'm always wondering what to do."

As mentioned in the first article, Sakaguchi's work style is unique and extends beyond what can be described by a general title.

"For example, there's no work-life balance. It's like everything is one and the same. Sometimes I play music, so I'm a musician, but sometimes I'm a behind-the-scenes worker and a producer."

Is this a style you were aiming for?

"It was a process of trial and error, but I had a vague idea of what I wanted it to be like. I started my career as a musician. I got really into music when I was a student, and the economy was still relatively good at the time, so even though I didn't have any money, I was able to tour and travel around.

I realized that, and I thought, this is good. I want to try harder. I'm not good at staying in one place all the time, so music is a big part of being able to go to different places. My motivation was very impure. But because of that, I started to think that if I could travel and go to different places, it didn't have to be music.
Musicians' travels are quite poor. They go, play, and then move on, so they don't have time to get to know the town, and musicians who tour dozens of places a year barely remember where they went or what the town was like.

I thought this was somehow wrong. It would be nice to go for music, but it would be a waste if it wasn't just about that. I wanted to have more fun, so I started planning and producing events. So a life where I could travel came before music or work. It's the other way around."

It's not that I had the work first, but rather that as I was searching for a life that suited me, it became the work.

"They're like farmers. Farmers are involved in agriculture, they make their own farm equipment, they do other things, they play drums and flutes at festivals, they do everything.
In other words, my life and work are one. I think I'm close to that now. I'm often asked, "What is your title? What do you do?" and I have trouble explaining, but it doesn't feel strange to me at all. It's the same as a lifestyle where you plow the fields on sunny days and play the flute at festivals."

Sakaguchi, who lives this way, has a unique outlook on work.

"Because of the phrase "freedom of choice of occupation," many people think that they choose their own job. They think, 'I'm doing this job because I chose it myself.' But I think that a job is something that is chosen by the job.

If you find that the job you chose is a perfect fit for you, then you are the lucky one who was chosen by the job. It is a happy case of mutual love. It happened to me, but some people quit their jobs because they thought they chose it themselves but it didn't work out. That means they weren't chosen by the job. But there's no need to be depressed, just move on to the next one. The day will come when the job will choose you.

The reason why I don't turn down offers is because when an offer comes, it means that I'm being selected for the job. I hit back as hard as I can, and if all goes well, it's a mutual love affair and the job becomes a success. Of course, there are times when it doesn't go well.
It's also a matter of trial and error, and as you make choices, something guides you and a path opens up. That's the feeling I get."

If everyone had the same fun,
This will spread and eventually the whole town will be happy.

"It may sound strange, but I feel like my way of life is pre-determined. I believe that somewhere deep down, and rather than forging my own path, I stick to my role and go along with it without resisting it. When I was younger, I tried to go against the flow, wanting to become a certain way, and it was quite difficult and painful. In that respect, it's much easier now."

It was because they chose to go with the flow and be themselves that the outdoor event " GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE " was born, which was held in their hometown of Kagoshima.

GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE 2015 In front of the large camphor tree at Kawanabe Mori no Gakko. There are many programs across a wide range of genres, including music, crafts, art, food, literature, and film, and both adults and children can participate in them in various ways.

"Seven years ago when I was thinking about doing the festival that would become 'GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE', I initially thought about doing it in Tokyo.
But holding it in Tokyo would be like running into a traffic jam. There are already so many events going on, it's like a festival every day in this city, so what's the point of adding more?

At that time, I suddenly thought that I should do it in Kagoshima. Rather than driving a sports car into a traffic jam, it feels better to ride a bicycle on an empty road, and you can reach your destination faster. Maybe this is the path that I have been chosen to take. I didn't want to go against that, and I wanted to go back to my hometown, Kagoshima, so I made a good errand for myself.

So, when it comes to errands, the more troublesome the task, the better. That's because there will be things you absolutely cannot do on your own. You have no choice but to ask others for help, and when you ask, you will have a responsibility. Then, you have to do it yourself... and so the cycle begins to turn. And the more difficult it is, the higher the chance of it becoming work."

Artists performing live (GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE 2015)

"Normally, festivals are places where you go to enjoy music, so the musicians are usually at the top, and there are food booths for people who get hungry at the venue, so there's a vertical structure. But there are also food festivals like curry festivals. Essentially, each has its own content, and there's no hierarchy. So I wanted to do a festival where everything is on the same level.
When I mentioned this to Okamoto-san (Okamoto Hitoshi, editor-in-chief of Relax who joined Landscape Products in 2009), he said, 'Why not make it a festival for Good Neighbors?' So that's how we came up with the name 'GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE.'"

"I didn't set out to make it a festival that would draw tens of thousands of people from the start. From experience, I think 2,000 people is the limit. Any more than that and you won't be able to see the people's faces in person.

Even now, there are people who I can't meet at the venue on the day. If it gets any bigger, it will become too crude, and we'll have to create a lot of prohibitions on what you can't do. I don't want that to happen as much as possible.
First of all, JAMBOREE is not about profit. So, why did I start it and why do I continue it? I do it because I want the town I chose to liven up. It wasn't that I wanted to revitalize the town from the beginning, I started it because I wanted to liven up my hometown.
And in order for you to have fun, your friends and neighbors need to have fun too. If everyone is having the same fun, that feeling will spread and eventually the whole town will become fun.
It's fun for me to come back to a town that's bustling with life like that."

This year's (2016) GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE Eve Party. The BBQ band that Sakaguchi formed with young local musicians was a big hit.

It's tough when one person has to rely on the other. If you're not a good neighbor, others won't be nice to you.

In creating Sakaguchi's marbled style, the presence of people he is connected with - friends, colleagues, neighbors - is essential.
They work together, but it's not just a business connection; they play and have fun together. The relationships that Sakaguchi has built with the people around him are fascinating, but it's a mystery how such connections are even created.

"As I said earlier, I'm like a marble. I don't have an on and off time, so there's no boundary between business partners and friends. Of course, there are some people I meet through work who want to have a businesslike relationship. But I don't find it very fun to just have a business relationship. I try to cross boundaries as much as possible. I think it's important to have a wide range of connections and a low barrier to entry."

So, is there a difference between a friend, a colleague, and a neighbor?

"I think they are nearly equal. However, it is tough if you rely on each other too much. Each person should be independent and stand on their own. That relationship is the basis. The closest thing to that image is being next door to someone.

For example, people in business relationships tend to take a hierarchical position based on clients and such. I may receive money from my client, but I provide something that he doesn't have. That's why I get money, so it's not a vertical relationship, but a horizontal one. Neighbors don't have vertical relationships either. Neighbors are next to each other, so they're horizontal. People who can have that kind of flat relationship. That's what neighbors are, and people who have similar hobbies become friends. I don't think there will be many people who can only build vertical relationships.

However, the phrase "Be a Good Neighbors," on which BAGN Inc is based, is not my own phrase, but was found by my colleague Okamoto-san. In Japan, restaurants have signs saying things that are forbidden, such as "Please do not make noise as it will disturb the neighbors," but in America, signs saying "Be a Good Neighbors" and "Respect your Neighbors" are seen on the street.

I thought this way of thinking was interesting. If you make noise, you're noisy. In Japan, the approach is to try not to cause a nuisance, and one solution is that even if someone is making noise and feels it's annoying, if you invite them over and do something together, they might no longer think it's noisy.

"You can choose your house, but you can't choose your neighbors. If you're not a good neighbor, other people won't treat you well. So be a good neighbor."

For Monosus, Mr. Sakaguchi is definitely a good neighbor. Conversely, from Mr. Sakaguchi's point of view, is Monosus a good neighbor?

"I interact with people from a variety of companies, from big to small. Each group has its own personality. In that sense, I feel like Monosus is a place where it's easy to make friends.

Although we have a domain as a web production company, we can interact with people without being conscious of such things. I don't know what I do, and Monosus doesn't know what he does, and there are people who are fun to be around, even though you don't know what they do. I think it's a place where people like that gather together.

Mr. Sakaguchi attended Monosus' 11th anniversary party ( November 2015 ).

After the interview

We would like to have a leisurely conversation with people who we feel are "people we want to live with." This "Meguru Monasashi" was started from that idea.
This time, I felt that the way of life that Mr. Sakaguchi talked about, the way "GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE" is, and his understanding of "neighbors" overlapped with the image of "working with people who want to live together" that the CEO, Mr. Hayashi, spoke about. What kind of ruler will the revolving ruler be? It was a happy time to confirm the starting point again.

Finally, I would like to conclude with a message from Uemura, who interviewed Sakaguchi.

Sakaguchi-san is "cool." He's not just good-looking (though he is wonderful in that sense), but he's also gentle, friendly, flexible, and sometimes has the sharpness to get to the point, but he always looks like he's having fun... In short, the way he works is "cool."

When describing Sakaguchi, it is always difficult to say what his occupation is. Sakaguchi has many nicknames, such as "Double Famous's...", "BAGN's representative...", and "GOOD NEIGHBORS JAMBOREE's leader...", and there are many different faces that make people say "Oh, I know you!"

I first met him in May of last year. He was the moderator of an event called "New ways of working with local people" held by Innovation Tohoku. I remember that the team members at the time spoke of him as if he were a god, saying, "He's a really nice person," and "I've never seen him angry."

About a year later, in June, OK PROJECT, which Sakaguchi launched to support the victims of the Kumamoto-Oita earthquakes, and Innovation Tohoku decided to co-host an event called the Kumamoto-Oita Open Meeting, and this was the first time we worked properly together.

Stakeholders and volunteers from various companies gathered at Sakaguchi's office every night, finding time between their regular jobs. They worked tirelessly, knee-to-knee, saying "Let's do this! Let's do that!" until nearly midnight. All the members were moved by Sakaguchi's enthusiasm, happily got involved, and moved forward with excitement every day.

The more I get to know Mr. Sakaguchi, the more I realize that he is a unique person whose name can only be described as "Occupation: Sakaguchi Shuuichirou."
I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with Mr. Sakaguchi, who is amazing but doesn't pretend to be so, and I'll continue to work hard to get him involved in all sorts of things (laughs).

(Producer: Nao Uemura)