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[Exclusive Report] Organic supermarket “15/e organic” co-produced by ONE OK ROCK Taka (Part 1)

In a back alley in the Omotesando area, a green house surrounded by lush vegetation is attracting a lot of attention. It is the soon-to-open organic supermarket “15/e organic”.

Taka, vocalist of a popular rock band ONE OK ROCK co-produced the store with ONPA JAPAN CEO Yuua Onchi, and when Taka reported his involvement on Instagram, the number of followers on the "15/e organic" account literally skyrocketed. Many fans are eagerly awaiting further news.

This new project is actually scheduled to start on "Makuake" on February 1. To learn more about the details of the project, we interviewed the couple at the store, which is currently preparing for its opening to rave reviews.

Please tell us about your relationship and how "15/e organic" was launched.

Yuua Onchi (pictured right): We are the same age, born in 1988, and have been dining together privately since our late 20s. When I was in my 20s, I lived my life without paying any attention to "food" at all, but when I turned 30, I began to gain weight with my diet and started to notice visible changes in my body.

Taka, on the other hand, was someone who cared a lot about food. One day while we were spending time together in Los Angeles, he told me about organic food, and I began to incorporate it into my own life by drinking fresh juices. As our knowledge of organic food deepened, we began to talk about how there were no organic supermarkets in Japan that we wanted, and the idea of creating our own started.

2. What kind of brand (supermarket) is "15/e organic"?

Onchi: We are an organic supermarket that deals only with naturally grown foods and 100% natural-derived cosmetics and supplements, providing only what we see, feel, and think is good.

For example, vegetables are uneven in appearance but delicious and nutritious. What kind of fertiliser do they use, not to mention no pesticides during the cultivation period? Furthermore, we check the details of seed disinfection and are particular about true peace of mind from the seed level.

Given the current food situation in Japan, what is in it? In Japan, there are still many situations where people do not know what is in their food. That's why we are proceeding with transparency and confirmation of all processes, including the cultivation environment.

3. Why did you insist on "100% natural and naturally derived" even if the hurdle is high?

Onchi: When even 1% of a chemical substance enters a product, we do not know whether it is good or bad. We decided at the beginning that we would not handle anything we did not know.

That's because we can't confidently recommend 99% to our customers. There are many other organic supermarkets, so if it's not 100%, there's no point for us to do it. It may be an unreasonable challenge, but I thought it was meaningful to try.

Actually, the concept of 15/organic started in May 2021. Not many businesses take this much time to open, I understand. That's how difficult it was to realise.

It was said that it was impossible to collect only natural products, but with the cooperation of various people, we were finally able to collect them over two and a half years.

4. There are many organic brands (supermarkets), but what makes "15/e organic" stand out in your opinion?

Taka-san (hereinafter referred to as Taka): People have a feeling of receiving it using their eyes, nose, mouth, etc. I'm a musician, so my creativity comes from my eyes and ears.

On the other hand, I like "food" itself, I cook, and I have more friends with chefs and communities related to "food" than others. Among them, I feel that the overall trend in the world is toward business in terms of "creativity in food", which is something you put in your mouth.

Of course, there is a balance between supply and demand, so it costs a lot of money and physical strength to prepare and provide what Eunji calls "100%". In addition, they must have influence in spreading such good things throughout the world. That's why I want to use it, if I have influence and the power to spread it, and my classmate's benefactor, Onchi, agrees and says he wants to do it together.

If no one is doing it, you should do it, especially if it's good for others. I really don't mean anything other than "for the sake of others". If I were doing it for myself, this wouldn't work as a business.

That's how I sing on stage in music, and when I do something for people, I think that it has to be 100% of the time. I'm not going to ask for anything in return.

Including the process of actually going to farmers and collecting products, I think there is probably no other store where all the working staff turn one direction and pursue "100%" so purely.

5. I heard that Taka was particularly interested in the idea of vegetables handled (taste and nutrition rather than appearance). Is the value that "the content is important, not the appearance" something you usually cherish?

Taka: I think that's probably what the essence is.It doesn't depend on appearance. It may be a world where beautiful things are considered good, but rather than looking pretty, the idea is to incorporate them into your body and make yourself beautiful. I think it is very important in life to convey a message to the world that focuses on such essential aspects of life, in a way that goes against the times.In this day and age, we need to do the exact opposite of what we are doing, or there will be no future. It is no use doing the same thing over and over again.

Of course there is a balance, but you can take it later. At the moment, I value the "essential nature of bare skin". I would like to share such messages with various people through "15/e organic", and I would appreciate it if you could sympathise with me.

6. You met with various farmers. What were some of the most memorable encounters?

Onchi: There is a farmer who originally cultivated agricultural chemicals (*1). When I asked him about it, he told me that at that time, he grew what his family would eat separately and used pesticides for general shipments that his family would not eat. He had always had doubts about the situation where "what is shipped to other people is not eaten by us". This is how he came to the realisation that he had to start growing his own food naturally.

Many farmers who are now engaged in natural cultivation have this opportunity. I think the thoughts of people who dare to challenge difficult natural cultivation are amazing.

There are producers all over the country who are challenging themselves, and I would like to carry out activities through brands that will increase the number of such people. If the number of producers increases and the amount increases, the selling price will be lower, and many people will naturally choose naturally grown vegetables. I often talk about that with Taka.

(*1) The method of cultivating agricultural products practised by many farmers in each region, which mainly refers to the use of pesticides.

Taka: I was impressed by a farmer in Yamanashi Prefecture, who is very particular and has craftsmanship. Every time I meet people like that, I feel that they are making good products, but they are not recognized.

Farmers are involved as craftsmen with a pure desire to provide good things. We should create an environment in which these craftsmen can focus a little more. I think it is hopeful that such people still exist.

Through this project, we have also learned a lot from human beings. That's why I met and talked to them in person and thought again that I would like to digest their attitude and feelings, or rather, break them down and convey them to everyone in an easy-to-understand way.

7. What do you mean by "what have you learned from me as a human being?"

Taka：There are many people who have left the workforce to become farmers, and after all, people come back to nature. There are many people who choose to live within the natural order of things.

In that sense, when I'm doing music, my surroundings are full of machines. The radio waves can be transmitted, and without them, it cannot be established.

That's why I realised once again that it is important to pursue the opposite in my private life. Living in a stressful society, it is difficult to get out of such a loop and control yourself.

But if you have time, when you go away from the city, where the sky is clear and the water is clear and the soil is very nutritious, there are a lot of things to feel. It's such a waste to be paralyzed as long as I'm alive.

Through this project, we would like to communicate that compatibility as we study and grow.

8. Is "thought" of farmers one of the criteria for selection?

Taka: I value passion very much.What kind of passion does the person have in growing and delivering the product?

No matter how good things are made, if we don't understand each other in essence, we can bump into each other. In order to prevent such a thing from happening, it would be good if we had the same feeling as ourselves. We can compete with each other.

Therefore, it is not about money, nor is it only about name recognition. As I mentioned earlier, there are those who are too particular about what they do and are stuck in their own way of doing things and are in a state of "Urashima Taro".

Instead, you should focus on what you need to do while understanding the current urban situation and environment. Also, even if you are not, please understand that there is a world like this and study on your own.

I hope we're at the centre of that.

9. Please tell us about your commitment to the exterior and interior of the store.

Taka: When we first came to see this property, it was really nothing but an empty house. You don't often see tasteful houses in the city now, do you? This is especially true of Omotesando, so when I saw this property, we were conscious of two things: "leaving the good points" and "transmitting the theme we were trying to do", so I introduced various people and proceeded with discussions.

First of all, the entrance door is a vintage item used in noble residences over 100 years ago in England. We would like you to enter the restaurant based on the world view that there is only one in the world, and feel a new world among them.

The symbol art displayed in front of us was created by Yuko Oto, a world-renowned master of green art. We've known each other for a long time, but this is the first time we've collaborated in this way, so we want to contact them and decorate their entrances with things that make us feel our lives and strong will. If you sympathise with our challenge, I asked you to make it.

Large trees are reused for the monument in the centre of the ground floor. We talked about what kind of tree would be good, and we looked for it ourselves. Not only the products, but also everything really comes from Ichi, and we collect everything that we see and think is good, and make it into a shape with a little accent scattered around.

#taka moriuchi #interview #translation

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