Time flies—this is already the final installment of this Town Talk series.

Looking back on July, it was a month full of memorable moments.

I run a music event called “Bootleg Bunny Show” here in Amsterdam. I often co-host it with musician and DJ friends based in the city. Our go-to venue is always the beloved De Nieuwe Anita—a cozy space with a chilled lounge at the front and a basement dancehall tucked in the back. With delicious cocktails and an intimate, house party-like vibe, it’s truly one of our favorite places.

In July, we organized an event themed around comedy and krautrock. The night kicked off with a hilariously chaotic stand-up set by one of our favorite American comedians/DJs, Nina Tarr. That was followed by a special six-person krautrock jukebox ensemble formed just for the occasion. With Bo Ningen’s Kohei, Jacco Gardner, and myself among others who deeply appreciate the genre, we launched into Neu!’s “Hallogallo” and traveled through space with “Echo Waves” in a non-stop cosmic trance. It was the kind of night that wipes your mental slate clean—in the best way.

July also saw Haruomi Hosono’s long-awaited European tour. Unfortunately, he didn’t perform in Amsterdam, so I couldn’t attend, but shows were held in Paris and London. In conjunction with the tour, limited-edition merchandise pop-ups were held in each city, thanks to the collaboration with Kiko Mizuhara and Yuka Mizuhara.

Through a wonderful connection with them, we’re thrilled to host a pop-up here in Amsterdam as well.

The event will take place at Future Days Shop from August 7th for about a week. We’re currently working on a range of one-of-a-kind, exclusive items just for our store.

I’m truly excited to share this cultural moment in Amsterdam, wrapped in the warmth of a European summer, and I hope you’ll stop by if you’re in town.

In this final entry, I’d like to share a bit about the mural inside Future Days Shop 🙂

The mural was created by the Dutch artist duo Frieling & Wouters—Gijs Frieling and Job Wouters.

Based on the colors of the shop’s exterior, we wanted to bring some of the Art Nouveau character of this 1880s building into the interior design.

Historically, the building once housed a unique shop that sold both seafood and fruit. Inspired by that, we created an octopus design that incorporates both elements. The “kite” that the octopus holds is also a symbolic gesture toward good fortune and casting our shop’s roots into the future.

Gijs Frieling and I previously collaborated on Kikagaku Moyo’s final album “Kumoyo Island.” Every time I visit his exhibitions, I come away inspired. He even painted a special design on my cello.

It’s a true honor to run a shop surrounded by such artists I deeply admire. Simply being in this space every day, I’m immersed in an energy of art and creation that naturally fuels my own inspiration.

Their works are exhibited not only in the Netherlands but all over the world—definitely check them out if you get the chance.

To close, I’d like to share a few of my favorite 7-inch soundtrack records from my collection:

1. Toshi Ichiyanagi – “Jazz Rock” from *Eros + Massacre*

This track comes from the black-and-white film *Eros + Massacre*, directed by Yoshishige Yoshida in 1970. The film blends surreal imagery with psychedelic direction, and the music by Toshi Ichiyanagi is incredible—it was a turning point for me in getting into filmmaking. This particular track, “Jazz Rock,” is both improvised and addictive. It was performed by the band April Fool.

2. Gabriel Yared “C’est le vent, Betty”

The theme from the film *Betty Blue*. My partner Eloïse used to listen to this every morning, and eventually I found myself dreaming about it. I loved it so much that I decided to create a cover version, which was included in my solo album *Dream of the Egg* released last year. It was a great honor to have the blessing of the original composer Gabriel Yared to release it.

3. “Last Tango in Paris” soundtrack

From the 1973 classic film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The original soundtrack is by Gato Barbieri, and that sensual melody has been covered by many artists. One of my favorite versions is by Cuban musician Mongo Santamaria, who released an Afro-Cuban rendition in 1973. A seductive melody with a slow, grooving rhythm!

Over the past four installments, I’ve introduced my shop “Future Days Shop” in Amsterdam and some of my favorite 7-inch vinyl records.

If you’re ever visiting Europe, I hope you’ll stop by in Amsterdam!

And this November, I’ll be touring Japan. Last November, I gave my first solo performance at the Tokyo Art Book Fair held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. In June, I toured Europe performing mainly in churches and art spaces. I’m now planning a Japan tour focusing on similarly unique venues 🙂

This performance tour will be centered around *Dream of the Egg*, the picture book and record I released last year. I’ll be performing as a trio with Kotsuguy, the bassist from Kikagaku Moyo, and Jonny Nash, an Amsterdam-based musician.

Since Jonny has also released a new album this year, this will be a co-headline Japan tour by two solo musicians.

Please check my website or Instagram for more details.
Looking forward to seeing you all in Japan.

Thanks so much for reading until the end 🙂

See you again somewhere!