Six years have passed since 3.11, and here are my current feelings about Iwaki City.

"This was before the earthquake, but I actually dislike the countryside, and when I returned to Iwaki City, acquaintances told me, 'Kida will go back to Tokyo again,'" Kida laughs. "On the day of the earthquake, I was on the subway heading to Tokyo for a meeting about an exhibition. I got an email from my sister, and at the time I thought, 'Was it really that big?' Since the subway wasn't running, I walked to Asakusa where an acquaintance who is a shoemaker lives, and that's when I first learned that the epicenter was off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture. I stayed at the craftsman's house, and that's where I saw footage of the tsunami." The nuclear power plant exploded when he had no way to get back to Iwaki City, and he stayed in Tokyo for about two weeks.


"When I called a friend to ask if I wanted to go home, she said, 'Everyone else is fleeing, why would you bother coming back?' When I finally returned, my studio was in ruins from the earthquake. Seeing such a terrible situation, and knowing that the local residents were contributing to the community in some way, whether through food service or construction, I felt a sense of unease and guilt about whether it was right for me to be making shoes."

It was around that time that he was introduced to Toshimi Watanabe, and he started organizing music events in Fukushima. He then became involved with the Fukushima Bunka Hasshin Project "Fukushima + Mirai = 'Fukumirai'," which is run by Hideshi Kaneko, editor-in-chief of the web magazine "TYO magazine" and a native of Fukushima Prefecture, and that's how he started DJing.

"We still hold music events with the meaning of reconstruction, but we've come to think that instead of blaming the city for the lack of excitement, and instead of complaining if it's boring, we should try to make it interesting ourselves. Six full years have passed since then, and the population of Iwaki City has increased, and interesting people have returned since the earthquake. I myself used to be indifferent, but now I'm starting to see what's going on around me," says Kida.


"At +SOLE, we make many discoveries and gain new insights by customizing materials that customers bring in. We want to continue creating original soles and challenge ourselves with interesting things by utilizing our shoemaking skills," he continued.

+SOLE Sneaker Repair
This repair service replaces the soles of worn-out sneakers or sneakers whose soles have deteriorated due to hydrolysis, restoring them to their original condition. The soles used are made from rubber soles, the same type used for repairing leather shoes, ensuring excellent durability and the possibility of future repairs. *Only leather sneakers can be repaired due to the need to attach a welt. □September 13th (Wed) - 18th (Mon/Holiday), closing at 4 PM on the final day □Main Building, 6th Floor = Event Hall ■Price: Sole replacement from 19,440 yen (per pair)
■Delivery: Approximately 2 months

*All prices include tax.

inquiry
Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , B1F = Men's Shoes
03-3352-1111 (main representative)