4th generation CEO of Tailor Ginza Takahashi, a shop that has been present in Ginza for over 100 years.<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I understand that Tailor Ginza Takahashi is a very long-standing shop that has been in Ginza for over 100 years. Could you tell us the shop\u2019s history?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- I always thought I was the third generation CEO, but I found out recently that isn\u2019t the case. I was told that my grandfather left home and started his own business when he was 20, and opened the shop in 1903, but when I looked a little deeper, many things did not add up (laughs). I asked my 101-year-old grandmother about it, and she told me, \u201cYour grandfather did not start his own business.\u201d The truth is a little complicated, but what actually happened was that my grandfather became an apprentice to a cousin of my great-grandfather\u2019s, was eventually adopted by him, and ended up succeeding the business. So my grandfather is actually the 2nd generation and my father the 3rd, making me the 4th generation CEO.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I see. That\u2019s very interesting.<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- The actual date the shop was founded is also dubious. According to official records, it was founded in 1903, but when I looked at a map of Ginza from 1902, my adoptive great-grandfather\u2019s shop, Takahashi Jiro Yofuku Saiho-ten (=Jiro Takahashi\u2019s clothing tailor) was shown on Ginza 1-Chome. So the shop was not founded in 1903, and must have been founded by 1902 at the latest. I have no idea when the shop actually opened here, so I am keeping 1903 as the year of its founding. And yet, when I checked old business magazines, I found a record of the shop having been founded in the late 1880s or early \u201990s. So I believe that the original shop was opened around 1890.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_01.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_02.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_03.jpg\")
<\/p>\nInterior of Tailor Ginza Takahashi\u3000Walls lined with fabrics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nA suit to a businessman is like armor to a samurai in the Warring States period.<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Is there any particular point for tailoring that has been passed down since the shop opened?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Compared to clothes made by other long-established Japanese tailors, our shop creates what you might refer to positively as simple tailoring, or negatively as cutting corners.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Really? What do you mean?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- In the words of my grandfather, \u201cClothing is not improved by excess labor.\u201d We don\u2019t fiddle with it more than necessary.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Are all your products haute couture?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes. We don\u2019t sell any ready-made products. Every step from measurement to delivery is done completely by hand. For first-time customers, it takes at least five weeks.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What do suits mean to you?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Clothing is made to be worn. Clothes are of no use if they aren\u2019t easy to wear. As I often say, I believe that a suit to a businessman is like armor to a samurai in the Warring States period. If a samurai wore a flimsy suit of armor, he would be killed. Similarly, if a businessman wears a slipshod suit, he will perish in the business field. For this reason, I always tell people who need to wear a suit to wear the best suit they can. You do not need to own many suits or the latest trendy styles \u2014 just \u201ccherish a good suit for a long time.\u201d I believe that helping people achieve this is the mission of a tailor.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I guess I should get a good suit for my husband too (laughs). I\u2019m sure you must wear suits every day. How long does one usually last?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- You can wear a suit for 10 years.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Really?? They last that long? Don\u2019t trends and designs change over 10 years?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- I feel that men\u2019s suits should not have trends. There may be some minor trends, like wide lapels, but they should not be a fashion item. It is important to establish the person\u2019s own style.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_04.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_05.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\nWe have started giving tailoring technique instruction classes to pass down the traditional techniques.<\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I understand that you began offering classes to train tailors in 2003.<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes, we did. Around the time I graduated from University, about 40 years ago or so, there were lots of different tailoring schools. Then the custom tailors began disappearing, and the demand for technical experts began dropping. I thought if the situation continued as is, there would eventually be nobody left to make suits. Then, the shop was approaching its 100th anniversary and I wanted us to do something to give back to society, so we decided to start teaching the skills of tailoring to the younger generation, though only about 4 or 5 people each year. Counting those who finished the course and our current students, we have taught about 30 people in total. Some of them even began sewing clothes for our own customers.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That is wonderful!<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- I am very proud that, for a custom tailor that sells suits for about 300,000 yen a piece, the average age of our craftspeople may be the youngest around. Of course we count some veterans among our staff, but there are many craftspeople in their early 30s here.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Younger people have good eyesight, so they would probably be well-suited to tailoring.<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes, certainly. For the job of darning the button holes, there is absolutely no match for someone with good eyesight.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Those are hand sewn?! I assumed they were sewn by machine\u2026<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Everything here is done by hand. Holes sewn with a sewing machine are no good. Incidentally, you can tell who sewed the suit by looking at the button holes. Younger craftspeople become more skilled just by doing it. Older craftspeople are of course very skilled, but their eyesight gets worse, so they are no match for younger people when it comes to button hole darning.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_06.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTailoring technique instruction class<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_07.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s the people that run a business in Ginza that determine its image.<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Were you born and raised in Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes. I lived in Ginza until I got married at 30. Ginza is my legal domicile.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s amazing. Was Ginza very different back then?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes, it was much more laid back.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Was there anywhere to play in Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Sure. On weekends and holidays we played catch in the street or played in the toy department of the department stores. The roof of Matsuya was also a great place to play.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- As your hometown, could you tell me your thoughts on Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Since the Meiji era, Ginza has encompassed a \u201cfree to come and go\u201d style. Today as well, businesses or trends that don\u2019t match Ginza\u2019s style are eliminated by natural selection, and the opposite is equally true. I hope that Ginza continues to improve even more through this repeated process of regeneration. That\u2019s why I believe it\u2019s wrong to think Ginza was better in the olden days. Ginza is a district that has evolved through repeated regeneration in the past and continues to do so in the present, and this is a prime feature not seen in other areas. I also hope that Ginza will remain a special place to those who visit.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I understand how you feel. Whenever I set out for Ginza, I always feel like I should get a little dressed up.<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- In that sense, I think Ginza is a place where you can enjoy some good tension. What makes me a little happy is when I tell my sons to come to Ginza and they say, \u201cWhat should I wear?\u201d To keep Ginza as a place with such allure, those running a business here have to straighten up. What I strive for is to never cause trouble for the other shops in Ginza. If this one shop does something vulgar, the entire image of Ginza is brought down. If we act decently, Ginza\u2019s reputation improves. It\u2019s the people that run a business in Ginza that determine its image.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_08.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe next guest will be\u2026<\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Could you tell us about the next guest?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s Yusuke Harada, the president of Sagamiya Fine Arts and Antiques. His shop is a long-standing art shop in Ginza, and he always exhibits absolutely wonderful works by a range of artists from those that can be considered masters to young artists. I am sure you will hear many stories about art.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_15_09.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nChisako Takashima\/h4><\/p>\n
Violinist. Started playing the violin at age 6. After playing abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, and gives concerts all over the country. Although her current focus is on performing music, she also appears on TV and radio programs. Thanks to her much-loved personality, she is appearing in more and more venues.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I understand that Tailor Ginza Takahashi is a very long-standing shop that has been in Ginza for over 100 years. Could you tell us the shop\u2019s history?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- I always thought I was the third generation CEO, but I found out recently that isn\u2019t the case. I was told that my grandfather left home and started his own business when he was 20, and opened the shop in 1903, but when I looked a little deeper, many things did not add up (laughs). I asked my 101-year-old grandmother about it, and she told me, \u201cYour grandfather did not start his own business.\u201d The truth is a little complicated, but what actually happened was that my grandfather became an apprentice to a cousin of my great-grandfather\u2019s, was eventually adopted by him, and ended up succeeding the business. So my grandfather is actually the 2nd generation and my father the 3rd, making me the 4th generation CEO.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I see. That\u2019s very interesting.<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- The actual date the shop was founded is also dubious. According to official records, it was founded in 1903, but when I looked at a map of Ginza from 1902, my adoptive great-grandfather\u2019s shop, Takahashi Jiro Yofuku Saiho-ten (=Jiro Takahashi\u2019s clothing tailor) was shown on Ginza 1-Chome. So the shop was not founded in 1903, and must have been founded by 1902 at the latest. I have no idea when the shop actually opened here, so I am keeping 1903 as the year of its founding. And yet, when I checked old business magazines, I found a record of the shop having been founded in the late 1880s or early \u201990s. So I believe that the original shop was opened around 1890.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n
Interior of Tailor Ginza Takahashi\u3000Walls lined with fabrics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nA suit to a businessman is like armor to a samurai in the Warring States period.<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Is there any particular point for tailoring that has been passed down since the shop opened?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Compared to clothes made by other long-established Japanese tailors, our shop creates what you might refer to positively as simple tailoring, or negatively as cutting corners.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Really? What do you mean?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- In the words of my grandfather, \u201cClothing is not improved by excess labor.\u201d We don\u2019t fiddle with it more than necessary.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Are all your products haute couture?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes. We don\u2019t sell any ready-made products. Every step from measurement to delivery is done completely by hand. For first-time customers, it takes at least five weeks.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What do suits mean to you?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Clothing is made to be worn. Clothes are of no use if they aren\u2019t easy to wear. As I often say, I believe that a suit to a businessman is like armor to a samurai in the Warring States period. If a samurai wore a flimsy suit of armor, he would be killed. Similarly, if a businessman wears a slipshod suit, he will perish in the business field. For this reason, I always tell people who need to wear a suit to wear the best suit they can. You do not need to own many suits or the latest trendy styles \u2014 just \u201ccherish a good suit for a long time.\u201d I believe that helping people achieve this is the mission of a tailor.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I guess I should get a good suit for my husband too (laughs). I\u2019m sure you must wear suits every day. How long does one usually last?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- You can wear a suit for 10 years.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Really?? They last that long? Don\u2019t trends and designs change over 10 years?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- I feel that men\u2019s suits should not have trends. There may be some minor trends, like wide lapels, but they should not be a fashion item. It is important to establish the person\u2019s own style.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\nWe have started giving tailoring technique instruction classes to pass down the traditional techniques.<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I understand that you began offering classes to train tailors in 2003.<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes, we did. Around the time I graduated from University, about 40 years ago or so, there were lots of different tailoring schools. Then the custom tailors began disappearing, and the demand for technical experts began dropping. I thought if the situation continued as is, there would eventually be nobody left to make suits. Then, the shop was approaching its 100th anniversary and I wanted us to do something to give back to society, so we decided to start teaching the skills of tailoring to the younger generation, though only about 4 or 5 people each year. Counting those who finished the course and our current students, we have taught about 30 people in total. Some of them even began sewing clothes for our own customers.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That is wonderful!<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- I am very proud that, for a custom tailor that sells suits for about 300,000 yen a piece, the average age of our craftspeople may be the youngest around. Of course we count some veterans among our staff, but there are many craftspeople in their early 30s here.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Younger people have good eyesight, so they would probably be well-suited to tailoring.<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes, certainly. For the job of darning the button holes, there is absolutely no match for someone with good eyesight.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Those are hand sewn?! I assumed they were sewn by machine\u2026<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Everything here is done by hand. Holes sewn with a sewing machine are no good. Incidentally, you can tell who sewed the suit by looking at the button holes. Younger craftspeople become more skilled just by doing it. Older craftspeople are of course very skilled, but their eyesight gets worse, so they are no match for younger people when it comes to button hole darning.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/p>\n
Tailoring technique instruction class<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nIt\u2019s the people that run a business in Ginza that determine its image.<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Were you born and raised in Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes. I lived in Ginza until I got married at 30. Ginza is my legal domicile.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s amazing. Was Ginza very different back then?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Yes, it was much more laid back.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Was there anywhere to play in Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Sure. On weekends and holidays we played catch in the street or played in the toy department of the department stores. The roof of Matsuya was also a great place to play.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- As your hometown, could you tell me your thoughts on Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- Since the Meiji era, Ginza has encompassed a \u201cfree to come and go\u201d style. Today as well, businesses or trends that don\u2019t match Ginza\u2019s style are eliminated by natural selection, and the opposite is equally true. I hope that Ginza continues to improve even more through this repeated process of regeneration. That\u2019s why I believe it\u2019s wrong to think Ginza was better in the olden days. Ginza is a district that has evolved through repeated regeneration in the past and continues to do so in the present, and this is a prime feature not seen in other areas. I also hope that Ginza will remain a special place to those who visit.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I understand how you feel. Whenever I set out for Ginza, I always feel like I should get a little dressed up.<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- In that sense, I think Ginza is a place where you can enjoy some good tension. What makes me a little happy is when I tell my sons to come to Ginza and they say, \u201cWhat should I wear?\u201d To keep Ginza as a place with such allure, those running a business here have to straighten up. What I strive for is to never cause trouble for the other shops in Ginza. If this one shop does something vulgar, the entire image of Ginza is brought down. If we act decently, Ginza\u2019s reputation improves. It\u2019s the people that run a business in Ginza that determine its image.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
The next guest will be\u2026<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Could you tell us about the next guest?<\/dd>\n
- Takahashi<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s Yusuke Harada, the president of Sagamiya Fine Arts and Antiques. His shop is a long-standing art shop in Ginza, and he always exhibits absolutely wonderful works by a range of artists from those that can be considered masters to young artists. I am sure you will hear many stories about art.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n\n
Chisako Takashima\/h4><\/p>\n
Violinist. Started playing the violin at age 6. After playing abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, and gives concerts all over the country. Although her current focus is on performing music, she also appears on TV and radio programs. Thanks to her much-loved personality, she is appearing in more and more venues.<\/p>\n