I posted this on Instagram as well, but I recently visited Kanekichi Industries. We’re currently working on a project I’m really fired up about—it might even end up being the culmination of my career—and as part of it, we’re developing a new TSURIAMI loopback fabric. The goal is to create shades of grey and navy that feel like they could exist but that you almost never see—not through dyeing, but through knitting methods and techniques. 

For the past few months—actually, it’s been close to half a year now—I’ve been exchanging ideas and brainstorming with CEO Minakata-san. To the point where it’s left us completely drained.

There’s a saying that failure is the foundation of success, but over the past 26 years, we’ve built up an archive of both. There are certainly successes in there, but I’d say the ratio of failure to success is about 9 to 1.

We’ve always been in the business of creating something from nothing—going from zero to one. In that process, we find many hints, and sometimes it’s important to revisit, break things down again, and pursue possibilities where we see them. It can be discouraging at times, but it’s the repetition and accumulation that really matter.

From experience, I know that if you face the challenge head-on, something will always reveal itself—though the time it takes depends on how difficult the fabric is to create. What we’re working on this time will undoubtedly be something no one else can replicate. I don’t know exactly how much value it will hold, but I’m certain there are people who will understand it. I think Minakata-san’s smile and thumbs-up say it all. We’re almost there… I think. We’ll push through to the end of the month.

As for this Chinese noodle dish, I can’t remember exactly how many decades it’s been since I first tried it. It’s the signature dish at a place called Yamatame Shokudo, and while its unforgettable taste is reason enough to remember it, I think what really makes it “Yamatame” is the layout of kamaboko fish cake, naruto, and chashu pork. If you’re hungry, I highly recommend having it with rice and pickles—it’s a taste you’ll probably never forget. The flavor is intense—pure Wakayama—so you might love it or you might not… but I’m sure you’ll want to come back.

By Satoshi Suzuki