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YAHOO NEWS: Interview with Takeshi Nakano, VARTIX President, featuring GACKT

My Awesome Watch：President of the Company behind the watch GACKT wore on Geinoujin Kakudzuke makes an appearance

There are probably many readers who were wondering what brand of sunglasses and watch was GACKT, who defended his legendary undefeated status on 「DownTown Geinoujin Kakudzuke Check!」, wearing when he appeared on the program.

We met with President Nakano Takeshi of VARTIX, Inc., where acts as GACKT’s design supervisor, and headed towards Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s Maduro Bar.

VARTIX, Inc. Managing Director and CEO　Nakano Takeshi
「A watch, to me, is like a wife…… Without it I feel troubled but, it’s difficult to deal with, something like that (laughs)」

You’ve probably seen jewellery advertisement on billboards with the likes of GACKT, Kamenashi Kazuya, Nishino Kana, Koda Kumi and many other popular entertainers on them. He produces both the GemCEREY and Bijoude brands, manages ReBoot Inc. and VARTIX Inc., where GACKT is the design supervisor, and operates stores and online shops nationwide and overseas.

When mentioning presidents of jewellery companies, one would typically conjure an image of a person who smells of money but, the man who was at Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s Maduro Bar, was not what we expected.

30 years in the industry. 24 years since he became an entrepreneur. Recently, he just celebrated his 54th birthday.

He began his career as a mechanic for a major automobile manufacturer. However, shortly after that, he was involuntarily transferred to the sales team. Following that, he, who once said that business was probably fitting for his personality, went on to work in another company dealing in Kimono and jewellery, and got himself the position of Sales Director around the age of 24.

「Because I’m originally an engineer, I like to think about the processes used to manufacture cut gems, watch making and functionalities, and similar topics. I like the ticking sounds of the watch hands. Putting a clock in a silent room, and listening to the hands ticking second by second, I feel alive in that moment and feel that this is what I work so hard for」

Of all the watches bought so far, the biggest purchase is a Vacheron Constantin Malte Tourbillon. It is now being owned by a well-known singer at a value of around 17 million yen. So how did the VARTIX brand, where GACKT is the design supervisor, come about?

「Going back to the beginning, it started from the question of whether or not to enter the real estate business. As GACKT is exceptionally particular when it comes to home renovations, he said, shall we collaborate on an interior design business? From then, we’ve moved on to the watches’ leather straps.

I love watches, and eventually I decided to recruit Japan’s top watchmaker to create the finest watch ever to be “Made In Japan”. From there, after I gifted him with diamond-encrusted watch, we earnestly began to proceed forward」

Then, Nakano continued.

「GACKT’s flaw-finding is amazing. Even if he’s presented with something that has been improved on dozens of times, there are still changes that can be made. Eventually you’ll become more and more annoyed (laughs), it makes you feel like if he’s going to be that particular, we’ll never be able to complete any products for sale. However, when you look at the final product, you’ll be surprised by its degree of perfection」

When a group of men who seek to master perfection to the extreme, extraordinary creations are made. In this, we find those who are thoroughly particular, without allowing compromise.

「I’m older than him but, I’ve learnt a lot from him. It’s strange for me to say this too but, I think that his work isn’t complete. Similar to his lives, when you watch it the first time it appears to be already complete but, when you watch his 10th live, there’s more polish in it than in the first one」

After the program 「Geinoujin Kakudzuke Check」 ended, they were inundated with orders for DESIR’s VX Series (1,500,000 yen～（without tax)) from within the country and overseas as well, the 5 limited edition pieces of the GACKT LIMITED MODEL (8,640,000 yen (with tax)) were immediately sold out.

It would not be a stretch to say that the first Japanese-made tourbillon (※) is a crystallisation of man’s spirit of romance and their hard work, and it has gathered calls for such a timepiece from both within Japan and abroad. This summer, the long-awaited VARTIX brand chronograph will be released.

※A technology invented by French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in the 1800s to overcome the weakness of mechanical watches where minute deflection occur under the influence of gravity. It is said that less than 10 watchmakers in the world can replicate this technology, and the Japanese-made tourbillon is created for the first time through a collaboration between VARTIX Inc. and MEMORIGIN Co., Ltd.

Then, we asked Nakano about thoughts on management. What we could see from there was
―――

「With the headquarters building being a hotel as well, we can survive just by collecting monthly rentals but, there’s a period of time when I drifted away from that kind of operations. It’s just that, only making profits from that one flow is not my style. It’s because I want to be continuously challenged. I’ve often been asked, what kind of opponent I would like to fight the least.

That would be someone who refuses to give up until the end. Regardless of what it is you’re pitting yourself against, whether or not you do well is not a matter of talent. No matter how little talent you have, as long as you continue at what you’re doing, you can always get somewhere. If there’s something I can teach the younger generation, is that even if you don’t have talent, just by continuing without being frustrated, you can definitely accomplish something」

Continuation becomes a strength. To continue something is far more difficult than starting something. Similar to GACKT, what he pursues is not the complete form.

「If I look at myself from my 24 year-old standpoint, I can’t even imagine myself in my current position, and I’d want to praise myself. When I was around 37 years old, I drew sales worth 10 billion yen, and had an ordinary income of 16 billion yen. But, from the standpoint of the me back then, my present self is no good.

Maybe it’s because I’ve grown older. Back then I chased after supremacy in the amount of sales but, now I’ve probably reached a point where the definition of good work is based on how outstanding a piece can I produce」

For the sake of realising that goal, health became his all of his capital, and he has continued training his body without fail for close to 10 years. At age 54, he can easily perform 30 chin-ups. In addition, with advice taken from GACKT, he strives to maintain a diet that includes mainly vegetables and protein.

「When one gets to this age, you’ll start to develop a variety of (health) problems, like getting diabetes, or gaining weight in your middle. But, I don’t want my own daughter to say that I look bad, and I want be able to become a cool guy in his 60s」

There are 6 more years until his 60th birthday. Looking back in his life as an entrepreneur, the sluggish financial performance that took place for a period of time, was also because there was arrogance in himself.
2 years ago, the company’s name was changed to 「ReBoot」, and until the celebration of his 60th birthday, he said enthusiastically that he will give his all carry things through.

「There is a saying by Picasso which goes 『Everything you can imagine is real』. I think that until now, the construction of our head office building, the nationwide expansion, is everything that I’ve envisioned becoming reality. However, becoming overconfident turns it useless. The most important thing is to do your work everyday, and continue on with humility.

With the company’s name change to 「ReBoot」, I turned over a new leaf, and there’s also a sense of inspiration in returning to the starting point in my 50s. You can probably say that the company itself is like my life. Because I consider the company as one of my creations, it’s useless to keep thinking about myself all the time. But, even if I retire, I think I will always want to be involved in watch making」

―You really do love watches. To Nakano-san, what is the charm of a watch?

When I asked that question, he touched the watch worn on his left wrist with his right hand, looked at the time for a while, then answered.

「Isn’t time, the only thing that is given equally to everyone, regardless of whether you’re born to a rich family, or like me born to a poor family. Everyone spends the same 24 hours in a day, and now, this moment has already become the past. Once that time has passed, we’ll all die someday.

The only ones who can measure this passing time with such accuracy are humans, and I think it’s a great invention. I think that the thing which connects that flow of each moment in time together with us, is the watch. I like that such ideas surround it」

After retirement, he wants to visit the countries that he’s never been to, and see a world that he’s never seen before with his own eyes. Whether he can completely retire his mind, he doesn’t know either. However, because he had devoted all his energy into his work all this time, he wants to see a world that is different from the one he lives in now… … because life is short, he said to me with a smile.

＜Interview collaboration＞
Maduro
Opening hours ： 19：00 - 01：00 (Fri/Sat -02：00)
Tel：03-4333-8783
Seating capacity：108 seats
A chic bar for adults where live music can be enjoyed. Aside from the usual champagne, wine, port, and cocktails, we also have a whisky room with a lineup of rare stocks. We welcome you with the flickering flame of a gas lamp.
Music cover charge ￥2,000 (After 20:00)

Source: zasshi.news.yahoo.co.jp

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA

by SaiKaiAngel

BARKS.JP: YOSHIKI×GACKT, both of them are like brothers

2016-mag23-yoshikiGACKT-barks-34

On May 23, YOSHIKI and GACKT made live appearances on NicoNico Live, and a rare talk between them developed.

◆＜YOSHIKI CHANNEL× OH!!MY!!GACKT!!＞ video

The live broadcast named ＜YOSHIKI CHANNEL× OH!!MY!!GACKT!!＞, is a one-night-only collaboration between YOSHIKI’s official channel 「YOSHIKI CHANNEL」 and GACKT’s official channel 「OH!!MY!!GACKT!!」, that was held at Roppongi Nicofarre. Since before the program started, over 20,000 viewers gathered, causing server itself to scream as well.

Slightly past 21:50, MC Okuhama Reira showed YOSHIKI in, and Nicofarre’s 360℃ LED screen was covered in a barrage of 「X」. YOSHIKI, who just returned to Japan on May 22, shared his packed day-to-day activities mentioning 「I had dinner together with HYDE（L'Arc～en～Ciel）… while drinking wine, that was really fun」 and 「I went for Kimuro Kyousuke-san’s final concert day at Tokyo Dome」, then he said 「Earlier in the dressing room GACKT was naked (laughs)」, suddenly bringing up a hilarious topic. It seems that somehow, just at the time when he was changing his clothes, YOSHIKI showed up.

On this day, YOSHIKITTY made an impromptu appearance and while comments like 「Oh, it’s moving!」 were flowing in, it was reported that in the presently ongoing Sanrio Character Ranking, YOSHIKITTY is now in 8th place (12th place last year). In addition, in order to increase its ranking more, YOSHIKI himself placed a vote via his phone, collected points by patting YOSHIKITTY on his smartphone and also he made YOSHIKITTY run on his smartphone by tapping on it continuously. He said 「If YOSHIKITTY gets 1st place, we’ll release a new X JAPAN album」but, on the other hand, “if it doesn’t get 1st place does it mean that there won’t be a release?” is an idea too scary for anyone to delve into.

After that, when GACKT appeared the screens were covered in a barrage of 「8888888」, the two of them hugged, delighted at reuniting. It has been 11 years since YOSHIKI and GACKT co-starred together on the media in Fuji TV’s 『HEY!HEY!HEY! MUSIC CHAMP』. This is the first time that they’re co-starring in a live broadcast.

While tilting Y by YOSHIKI wine in the glass, their conversation naturally flowed in a relaxed atmosphere. The two of them spoke of the episode when they first met, they revealed that they hit it off the first time they met, and finished off 16 bottles of champagne between the two of them. At the first meeting, GACKT has the impression 「So YOSHIKI is this interesting」. While he continued 「Until the next morning he still had to do (X JAPAN’s) editing」, YOSHIKI who drank the night away said while laughing 「It’s GACKT’s fault that X JAPAN’s album was late」. 「Hey… spare me. Be reasonable already!」 GACKT said with a perfectly timed jab. The sight of the well coordinated talk that bounced between them, flaunted a groove sense akin to YOSHIKI being the “boke” and GACKT being the “tsukkomi” of a comedic duo.

Even though GACKT was laughing as he said of YOSHIKI 「It’s like “pull yourself together!” (laughs)」, he said 「In the world of our genre, there is a strict hierarchical relationship. At that time I didn’t even touch the lowers level at all. But ever since I met him for the first time, he was so interesting, and by the time I realised it we became like brothers」. YOSHIKI said 「He’s the younger brother but he does things properly. There’s a lot I have to learn from GACKT」, the respect they had for each other surfaced. 「But it’s amazing, you’ve even put out an album properly」 (YOSHIKI), 「That’s. Nor-mal.」 (GACKT) they said, and the conversation quickly collapsed into comedic banter.

The conversation then touched on S.K.I.N. . YOSHIKI, whose “head was all about S.K.I.N. ” at the time, said that talk about X JAPAN’s reunion was brought up at such a timing. YOSHIKI poured out, 「Just as everyone gathered and I switched into the mindset of “Well! Let’s get into S.K.I.N.!“, (talk about X JAPAN’s reunion) exploded so, it became a question of “which should I go with?”. It was going well until then and I reached a point when I couldn’t write music or lyrics, the conflict I felt back then was tremendous」. To YOSHIKI being in that state, GACKT at the time said「It’ll be fine as long as YOSHIKI does it however he likes」, sounding as if he understood what was happening, and gave him the push he needed. YOSHIKI, who had breathed in the atmosphere of the band S.K.I.N. to his heart’s content and was brimming with energy, then directed that heat straight into X JAPAN. X JAPAN’s breakthrough events which followed is known to everyone. To that, GACKT said with understanding 「In a good way, I think S.K.I.N. became something like a stepping stone」.

The point that they were in the same S.K.I.N. community became clear. Comparing with GACKT, who aims to deliver a perfect live stage with proper rehearsals, YOSHIKI is the type of person who will instinctively perform a live using momentum and passion even if rehearsals aren’t done to his satisfaction. To be able to show harmony in a band that constitutes these two personalities of extreme ends,various strains would form and they would be forced to take undiscovered adjustments, similar to how HIDE was YOSHIKI’s maternal figure in X, it can be seen that GACKT played that exact same role in S.K.I.N. . There has probably never been another collaboration which had such a collection of 4 distinctively stoic personalities like GACKT, SUGIZO, MIYAVI（雅-miyavi-）, and YOSHIKI put together. S.K.I.N. pressed ahead with a live at＜ANIME EXPO AX2007＞, but the incredible fact of it is that the 1 week of rehearsal time that was prepared did not even get used, and in the end, with only… 2 hours of unsatisfactory rehearsals done in one day, they got on stage. That and other unknown facts were revealed one after another.

On one hand, GACKT shared that he felt YOSHIKI’s attractiveness as a drummer through S.K.I.N. .

GACKT── 「Because I’m the type who has to do rehearsals properly, I get annoyed with people who don’t do rehearsals like YOSHIKI, and it became something I really hated. But, during the actual performance, I turned and faced the back halfway through singing, and when I saw YOSHIKI playing the drums, I thought “He’s really cool”. Despite that I hated him that much (laughs). I thought, so it turns out that there is such a person who I, as a vocalist, can rely on without worries. Something like this is like a blessing for a vocalist」

Also, through such a YOSHIKI, GACKT gave the evaluation 「In the first place, because (we’re) musicians and have ideas floating around everywhere, there’s no need to be too firm. If this can commonly be fit into a pretty box, it’s the end of us. In that sense, YOSHIKI is what a musician should be」, he then added his thoughts on the inspiration of the present music scene, 「It’s only natural for a musician to create whatever you think of. Everyone, go a little crazier」.

We don’t see any movement from S.K.I.N. after their one and only performance in America but, is there any possibility of a restart? After the program ended, I had the opportunity to listen to the 2 of them talking to each other directly but when asked, 「So we’re not going to restart?」, GACKT said with a laugh 「Be it a restart or anything at all, nothing has begun at all (laughs)」. However, GACKT said 「If YOSHIKI says we’re doing it we’ll move forward」. GACKT stated that he would go all out if they were to do it, and assured the the depth of its endless potential, saying 「If you were intending to take the world by storm, you won’t have time to create a band from scratch. There’s no choice but to gather powerful individuals and create the ultimate band. In that sense, the band that is closest to catching hold of the world is S.K.I.N.」.

The two of them, heartily enjoyed the contest for the first time in a long while, were messing around like brothers, occasionally engaging in deep conversations, and even the wine flowed with their high spirits. While taking a commemorative photo, GACKT was teaching YOSHIKI the 「duck face」 and showed a side of their boisterous friendship. When YOSHIKI promoted GACKT’s new album 『LAST MOON』 with a 「best regards」, GACKT was elatedly beaming with smiles as he said 「For the first time he did something for me that’s like what a big brother would do」. Incidentally, after the program ended, the first class entertainer GACKT said that the Y by YOSHIKI wine that they cheers to was 「an exceptionally delicious wine」.

YOSHIKI will be holding his Dinner Show on the 30th (Tue) and 31st (Wed) of August at The Ritz Carlton Osaka, and on the 2nd (Fri) and 3rd (Sat) of September at Grand Hyatt Tokyo. GACKT’s＜LAST VISUALIVE＞, which kicked off in March, will mark its final performances on 2nd and 3rd July at the Saitama Super Arena.

Source: barks.jp

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA

by SaiKaiAngel

BARKS.JP: GACKT Wears a White Coat, Advises Men with Thinning Hair

GACKT Wears a White Coat, Advises Men with Thinning Hair

The TV commercial for 「AGA Skin Clinic」, starring GACKT, goes on air in Tokyo and Osaka on June 1.

◆CM video

This time, 2 versions, the 『「Isn’t that AGA? Beginning」』 and 『「In front or on top」』 versions, have been produced, with GACKT being challenged to play a doctor’s role in a white coat for the first time. The commercial features GACKT cooly giving advice and a diagnosis to the mannequins who represent the estimated 12 million people (※) who are troubled with AGA (thinning hair), he cooly gives advice and a diagnosis. Also, with regards to co-starring with mannequins, GACKT gave the comment 「When I was told that they (mannequins) were my co-stars I was most surprised though. It’s a strange feeling.」.

In addition, on the same day, the 「AGA Self-diagnosis」page opens on the official site for 「AGA Skin Clinic」. Here, you can find out about your level of AGA just by answering questions posed by GACKT (http://www.agaskin.net/).

※From a survey done in 2015 by 「AGA Skin Clinic」. Through a survey answered by men aged 20 and above nationwide (n＝1,030 people), it was found that approximately 12 million people are troubled with thinning hair.

■CM information
『「Isn’t that AGA? Beginning」』
『「In front or on top」』
Starring：GACKT
Broadcast starts ：June 1 2016 (Wed) ～
Broadcasting area：Tokyo, Osaka

Source: barks.jp

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA

by SaiKaiAngel

ORICON.CO.JP: GACKT, highlight of the unconventional hero's movie is "SM scene"

GACKT, highlight of the unconventional hero's movie is "SM scene" 「I was in a laughing fit」

On the 26th, singer GACKT appeared at the premiere event for the 『Deadpool』 movie held in Tokyo. With its extreme portrayal, the hero movie has been rated R, and a highlight from it that he mentioned with a smile was 「There’s an SM scene, he ends up on all fours… I quite like this part. I was in quite a laughing fit」.

　The movie, which is an 『X-MEN』 series spin-off, is a live-action action movie of the Marvel comics 4th-wall breaking hero. It is a story about an ex-special forces mercenary, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who gets an immortal body and superhuman combat abilities.

　With regards to the charm of the main character, GACKT emphasised 「More than a dark hero, he’s a brainless hero. But he’s strong!」. He then highlighted 「In any case, its crazy, and has a considerable amount of black humour. In the action scenes, you also wonder who’s getting injured, its amazing」.

　During the event, professional baseballer Yomiuri Giants pitcher Miles Mikolas and his wife Lauren, Creepy Nuts (R-Shitei, DJ Matsunaga), and Takano Tomomi made appearances as well. The movie will be released on June 1.