{"id":358,"date":"2025-09-09T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=358"},"modified":"2025-09-24T15:45:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T06:45:38","slug":"travel-art-from-what-the-eyes-see-to-what-becomes-art-interview-with-sakeharasu-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=358","title":{"rendered":"Travel & Art: From What the Eyes See to What Becomes Art \u2014 Interview with Sakeharasu, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Following Part 1<\/mark><\/a>, we continue our conversation with Sakeharasu. In this second half, we step away from his creative process to explore his values, daily life, and the passions that currently inspire him.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encountering Shifts in Perspective Through Horror Films<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Outside of your creative work, how do you usually spend your time?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong>Most days I spend at my desk, which serves as both my home and studio. I don\u2019t draw a clear line between work and private life\u2014I\u2019ll often keep working while watching movies or videos. (laughs) My schedule is irregular as well. For instance, today I woke up at midnight and worked straight through until noon. Outside of that, I love traveling, and I also enjoy going for walks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow, you\u2019re really good at multitasking! That\u2019s impressive. What kinds of movies do you usually watch?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong><\/strong>Most days I spend at my desk, which serves as both my home and studio. I don\u2019t draw a clear line between work and private life\u2014I\u2019ll often keep working while watching movies or videos. (laughs) My schedule is irregular as well. For instance, today I woke up at midnight and worked straight through until noon. Outside of that, I love traveling, and I also enjoy going for walks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another fascinating aspect is how what we fear in horror films changes with the times. In the \u201980s and \u201990s, some horror films used cursed videotapes as their central motif. Later, the focus moved to cell phones, then smartphones, and more recently, to the darker side of social media. As new digital devices keep emerging, these stories also seem to challenge us\u2014to reflect on our own literacy in how we use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So by following horror films, you can actually see cultural turning points\u2014that\u2019s fascinating. I\u2019m still a beginner myself, but do you have any recommendations?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong>Hmm\u2026 I\u2019d say The Cabin in the Woods<\/em> by Drew Goddard. It takes all the classic tropes of horror and reworks them through a meta perspective, almost like breaking a taboo. In a way, it completely overturns the very values of horror itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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the film “The Cabin in the Woods”<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Apart from horror films, are there any other works that have influenced your art?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong>In terms of pure visual influence, Makoto Shinkai has been significant for me. I first discovered his work through The Garden of Words<\/em> (2013). His ability to render everyday scenery with such beauty is incredible. But when I finally visited Shinjuku in real life, I was surprised by how stark the contrast was between his luminous imagery and the actual cityscape. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you enjoy drawing from a young age?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong>When I was in elementary school, Yu-Gi-Oh! cards were all the rage. I used to hand-draw my own original cards and play with friends. Looking back, that might have been my very first creative experience. (laughs) I also loved copying my favorite manga and even gave the characters imaginary lines to make my friends laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Memorable Taste: Shellfish Soup from a Night Spent in the Car<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You must have traveled to many places. Was there a meal that really stood out to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong>I recently traveled through the San\u2019in region, and in Yamaguchi I had the most incredible clam soup. There\u2019s a service area where locals often gather, and I drove there from Tokyo and slept in my car overnight. The soup, rich with clam broth, really warmed me to the core. The facility was spacious and even had hot springs\u2014it\u2019s easy to see why locals keep coming back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Clam soup set meal enjoyed during a trip to Yamaguchi Prefecture
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I love picking up souvenirs when I travel. For a while, I was into collecting bottles of local sake after finishing them. Lining them up on display gave me this funny little sense of accomplishment. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has there been a particular turning point in your career as an artist?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong>I think the biggest turning point came when I struck out on my own as a freelancer. I realized I\u2019m better suited to building something from scratch\u2014going from zero to one\u2014rather than working within established frameworks. Back when I was with a company, only a handful of people with years of experience and trust could be part of those pivotal projects. Of course, there\u2019s great value in honing a single skill to perfection, but I came to see that my own style lies in experimenting and trying out different approaches. In 2019, I published a guidebook titled Landscape Illustration Through Photo Processing<\/em><\/mark><\/a>. At the time, some people criticized it\u2014saying things like, \u201cIsn\u2019t this just taking the easy way out?\u201d But as time passed, what once felt controversial has now become common practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cStroll\u201d<\/em> \u2014 a work by Sakeharasu that captures the quiet beauty of an ordinary moment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Contributing to Society Through Small Actions<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I really admire how reflective you\u2019ve been throughout this conversation. Recently, I noticed you shared some thoughts about elections on X. How do you think about your own connection to society?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong>I\u2019m originally from Tottori Prefecture, and since the time I lived there, the population has decreased by more than 100,000. In my work with local governments, I\u2019ve also come face-to-face with a range of regional issues. At first, I thought the only path was to keep making steady, grassroots efforts. But eventually I began to wonder: unless we address things at the root, will it really make a difference? That\u2019s when I started to take a deeper interest in politics and society. Even so, what I can do remains simple\u2014vote, have conversations, listen to local voices, and stay engaged in community activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since joining ASOBI SYSTEM, I\u2019ve been introduced to opportunities and projects I could never have accessed on my own. I was honestly taken aback when I was first approached about management. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illustration is my tool\u2014my weapon\u2014and if I can create something, even in a small way, that contributes to society, I\u2019ll be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, do you have a message you\u2019d like to share with aspiring artists and your fans?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sake – <\/strong>I\u2019d say this: don\u2019t feel boxed in by the idea that you have to do something just because you\u2019re an illustrator. Try shifting your perspective a little, explore new ways of expressing yourself or sharing your work. Whatever your position or background, I\u2019d love for us to come up with fun ideas together and grow illustration culture as a community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sakeharasu, the illustrator. His travels inspire works filled with a deep love for place and community. Believing in the brighter, more inspiring future he envisions, we too can find ways to take action alongside him.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following Part 1, we continue our conversation with Sakeharasu. In this second half, we step away from his cre …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_block_theme_hide_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,7],"tags":[131,99,130,137,138],"editor":[75],"photographer":[],"class_list":["post-358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-culture","tag-artist","tag-illustrator","tag-interview","tag-sakeharasu","tag-travel","editor-ryo-hamada","with-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t