Public eye #38

Mayu Tsukazaki, fashion college lecturer

Do you often come to this particular area?
MT: Quite often. I’ve been coming here for about eight years now; although, lately, work has been pretty busy so I’ve only been managing to come on Sundays recently. I help out at a bar called Jamb Jamb. I really like this area, although I’ve never actually lived here.

Whereabouts are you living now?
MT: In Ekota. When I come to Asagaya, I come by bicycle. It takes me about 20 minutes.

Why Ekota?
MT: I got married recently and Ekota is a single train ride away from both of our work places, it’s not too far from here, and it’s also pretty cheap [Laughs].

What kind of work do you do?
MT: I teach at a fashion college. I’ve been a teacher for about eight years now. I graduated and then continued on to become a teacher.

So you didn’t have any particular aspirations to become a fashion designer, or something similar perhaps?
MT: Even from a very young age, I’ve always thought I might be suited to become a teacher, but then I went on to also have an ambition of becoming a designer; however, I couldn’t really imagine myself actually working in the fashion business. Then I remembered about my childhood aspirations to become a teacher.

Now that you’re a teacher, how do you find it?
MT: I like the school, I like teaching, and I like people. So I think I’m pretty well suited to it [Laughs].

Are there any differences between the students you taught soon after becoming a teacher and the students you teach now?
MT: The number of students who can think for themselves seems to have decreased. Also, I think students nowadays are less versed in how to interact with other people, or perhaps they just have less interest in interacting with others; although, I think that, basically, everyone of them is good at heart [Laughs]. Ah, also, I think the number of students making the kind of clothes that they themselves could wear in an everyday environment has increased.

Did you grow up in Tokyo?
MT: No, I grew up on Kyushu, in Shizuoka – where I lived until high school.

What brought you to Tokyo?
MT: I wanted to get away from the country – not from the places I grew up as such, but rather, away from the rural inaka [country] way of life; the great outdoors makes me feel uneasy… In Shizuoka, our house was kind of out in the sticks so there wasn’t really much going on. After finding a college that I wanted to attend in Tokyo, I just decided to pack up and go.

Have you made anything new recently?
MT: I like to sew and make things when I can find the time. Recently, rather than make things for myself I’ve found it more enjoyable to make things for others, so I’ve devoted myself to making new shirts for my husband. So far I’ve made one long-sleeved and three short-sleeved shirts.

More from Mayu:

‘I love liver sashimi. I can eat nothing but liver sashimi until I’m full [Laughs]. The key is to understand that oil and salt are completely unnecessary. Adding them is unforgivable. Liver sashimi should be enjoyed with vinegar and soy sauce.’

‘I think I earn less than a regular OL [office lady], but my work is pretty fun… I think that however much you earn, there’s always a feeling of dissatisfaction.’

‘Alcohol doesn’t have that much of an effect on me, so I don’t have many alcohol related stories to tell; however, I did once chip a front tooth on a shot glass whilst going a bit wild during a drinking competition. [Laughs]’