Salon de Shimaji, Katsuhiko Shimaji's Quote of the Week
2015.03.18 update

Shimaji's way of spending money

Mr. Shimaji has written a book titled "If You're Undecided, Buy Both!" (Asahi Shimbun Publications) , which I believe many of you have already read.
When signing the book, he apparently adds the phrase, "Culture is born from romantic extravagance."

"Is it not just wasteful spending, but romantic wasteful spending?"
The customer seemed unable to hide their surprise.

"Simply wasting money isn't enough. You have to experience and learn from various things. Wasteful spending is a step towards becoming a connoisseur of different things. It has to be a romantic kind of wasteful spending. Money is just paper if you don't enjoy using it. Culture can't be born without romantic wasteful spending."
The customer seemed satisfied with the clear and concise response.

The select shop owned by Mr. Shimaji, located next to the bar, is filled with items that embody Mr. Shimaji's aesthetic.
I wonder how much romantic spending went into finding these carefully selected items... There seems to be a lot of drama to be uncovered.

This week's quote
Money is nothing more than a piece of paper if you don't use it for enjoyment.




Profile - Katsuhiko Shimaji


Producer of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . Born in 1941. After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University, he joined Shueisha. He was assigned to "Weekly Playboy" and became its editor-in-chief in 1983, where he created a sensation with the "Life Advice" column featuring Renzo Shibata, Toko Kon, and Ken Kaiko as respondents, growing the magazine into a million-copy publication. He later served as editor-in-chief of "PLAYBOY Japan" and "BART." After serving as representative director of Shueisha International, he retired in 2008. He is currently working as a writer and essayist.

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