Tokyo’s Ultra Nightlife Veteran: Meet Hayao Matsumura
There are very few things you can count on in life, especially in a city as erratic and ever-changing as Tokyo. Yet, one thing is for certain, Hayao Matsumura will make an appearance, sooner or later, at whatever club event or DJ set you're attending- that is, if it’s worth going to.
Shot by Mayu Uchida
Hayao is completely unassuming at first, usually seen bobbing his head to the beat in his natural habitat: Shibuya underground clubs. But upon deeper investigation, he turned out to be not just an avid raver but lowkey at the helm of an entire nightlife empire and vintage shop.
Above: Hayao’s recent Insta posts, where he’s pictured with a multitude of visitors/party people at Nude Trump, his other businesses, and life in general. Famous faces pop up, from Virgil Abloh to Kunichi Nomura.
Equipped with with a vast web of connections to almost every musical artist in Japan and beyond, his dynasty includes the gone but not forgotten Trump Room and a slew of still operating subcultural hubs, such as Bar Piano and Red Bar, venues pretty much guaranteed to be on the itineraries of any international creative passing through Tokyo, from Dua Lipa to A$AP Rocky, who visit as a tribute to Hayao’s status as Shibuya nightlife veteran, grand maestro of after hours debauchery, and surprisingly a down to earth guy emitting “cool uncle” vibes.
Seriously, checking Matsumura-san’s Instagram [which posts frequently and seemingly indiscriminately] is a mirror for exactly what happened at last night's ragers and an unofficial alert for knowing when your favorite celebrities have just touched down in Tokyo.
Hayao Matsumura inside Bar Piano shot by Mayu Uchida
Hayao first emerged as an enigma the sabukaru team did not know how to untangle, after being spotted in the background of numerous hazy “the night after” photos on our camera rolls or in the audience of some of our favorite events over the years. It got the sabukaru team thinking, who is this mysterious figure? Why without fail does he wear his signature uniform of a newsboy hat and 70s Wrangler flares? How does he seemingly know everyone, from Urahara OG’s to the new guard of creatives barely in their twenties? In general, what makes this elusive figure tick and what’s the story behind his status as the MVP of Shibuya nightlife?
Aside from clubs, Hayao’s the founder of some curiously named “trump” centric ventures [plotwist: not named due to Hayao’s admiration for Donald Trump] including Trump Lounge and Trump House as well legendary vintage store Nude Trump. Arguably one of Tokyo’s best second hand stores and definitely one of Hip-Hop’s favorite underground gems for costumes/generally fantastic drip probably worn by your favorite musical artist in their music videos. Pharrell Williams, Rosalia, and Lady Gaga are just a few names to drop, who are regular Nude Trump customers, as well as some of Tokyo’s best dressed people.
Hayao is such a local legend, that he has his own fan T-shirts, shot by Mayu Uchida
Simply put, Hayao is pretty crucial to Tokyo nightlife development, outlasting every micro trend, subcultural scene, and subgenre of music, while watching all of these things grow into the new generations “next big thing”. Most likely if you're a foreign musician or part of the global hip-hop community and you happen to be in Tokyo, you’ve had a drink with Hayao at some point or are wearing something from the vast Nude Trump archives.
The answer to all of our questions about where and how his legend started is far more convoluted than we first expected, and although not all these questions were answered and quite a few of the responses could not be included due to fear of legal repercussions, sabukaru presents the first full length English interview with Hayao Matsumura, the unexpected mastermind behind a nightlife empire, unparalleled club legend, and a champion of chronicling youth culture one event at a time for over three decades.
Hayao Matsumura inside his thrift shop Nude Trump, shot by Mayu Uchida
Let’s dive in.
Hey Hayao, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. For those who don’t know you can you introduce yourself to the sabukaru network?
自己紹介お願いします。
Shot by Mayu Uchida
I'm Hayao Matsumura. I have been running second-hand stores and it all started 35 years ago in Koenji. I was the first person to run a second-hand store in Koenji in 1988. Due to my passion for second-hand stores I traveled to places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, London, Paris, Spain, and Germany. At these places I picked up an interest in music, fashion, and culture. Personally, I was more interested in music [laughs], and went to clubs and discos. I enjoy listening to street music and felt involved in these communities.
松村ハヤオと言います。まあ、古着屋を元々やっていて、今でもやっているんですけど。３５年間やっていまして、高円寺って言うところから始まった。1998年に高円寺で最初に古着屋を開いたのが僕です。それがきっかけで、ロスアンジェルス、サンフランシスコ、ニューヨーク、シカゴ、ロンドン、パリ、スペイン、ドイツ、行ったりいろんなところに行くことになった。そこで、音楽カルチャーも好きになったし, ファッションも好きになり、ファッションより音楽が好きでしたけど（笑）、それでクラブ行ったり、ディスコ行ったり、ストリートミュージックが好きだから、そこでコムユニティが生まれた。
Shot by Mayu Uchida
I thought about starting a vintage interior shop but before that I ran a record shop from around 1992 to 1995 called Sunshine Music Mart, for a very short time. During this time there were only about 10 or 20 record stores in Tokyo. However, around the time when I decided to stop, there were thousands and thousands of record shops that I could not compete with anymore.
自分は古着のインテリアショップをやろうかなと思っていて。その前にレコード屋をやっていたのですけど。ちょうど 1992年から1995年、３年で短かったのですけど、ヒップホップのサンプリングなどハウスの音楽のレアグループ、元々のソウルやロックやデスコ、などの曲を売っていたんですかど。まあやっていた時は１０件や２０件しかレコード屋がなかったんですけど、気がついてやめる頃にはレコード屋何千件できちゃって、太刀打ちできなくなってやめちゃったのです。
Shot by Mayu Uchida
After that I kept running my second-hand store and moved from Daikanyama to a small area in Shibuya. Using the items I had collected for my vintage interior shop, I tried to create a space that people could lounge in and come dressed up in. I wanted to be able to create a space where a community could be formed with people from all over the world. And that place I created is the Trump Room. I made the Red Bar, Piano Bar, Trump Room, Trump House, and Trump Lounge. Here I played club music, at the time it was electro, hip-hop, techno, and house. People like Skrillex, Rihanna, ASAP Rocky, Bella Hadid, the Weekend, Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Tarantino, Lily Collins, Chloe Sevigny, and the Japanese rapper Verbal, came to my vintage store Nude Trump.
Pharrell Williams filmed his promotional video inside the shop and so did Kid Cudi, Virgil Abloh came to DJ at my club Trump Room too. Gay culture was also formed here and there was an international community. Fashion, music, and street were all mixed into this one club.
Hayao outside of the. building of Trump Room and Nude Trump
その後しばらく店も小さくして代官山から渋谷にうつりました。インテリアショップのために集めていたものでラウンジみたいな場所でみんながおしゃれして行くところ、コムユニティ、世界中の人が集まれるところを作りたいなと思って、作ったのがトランプルーム。レッドバー, ピアノ, トランプルーム、トランプハウス、とトランプラウンジって作ったんです。そこでいろんなクラブミュージック、その時だとエレクトロ、ヒップホップ、テクノ、やハウス、いろんなのがかかっていた。そこにスクリレックスが来てくれたりとか、ファレル, リアーナ, エイサップ・ロッキー。ファレルはPV撮ったり、キッド・カディもPV撮ったし。ヴァージル・アブローもDJしてくれた。ベラ・ハディッド、ザ・ウィークエンド、レオナルド・ディカプリオ、クエンティン・ジェローム、リリー・コリンズ、クロエ・セヴィニー,
日本のラッパー、バーバルさんとか。外国からいろんなひとを呼んでくれる人たちがコムユニティを作ってくれたりとか。そこで、ゲイカルチャーが生まれたりインターナショナルなコムユニティが作られました。ファッションと音楽とストリートをミックスしたクラブをちょっとやっていたんですよ。
After about 15 years I had to close the club, now I just focus on second-hand stores. I want to be able to offer my vintage pieces for music videos, movies, or for designers to wear the clothes. Some artists performing at Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic Festival wore some of my pieces and so did Lady Gaga’s backup dancers.
15年ぐらいでクラブを閉めて、今は古着だけをやっています。ミュージックビデオに提供したいとか、映画に提供したいとか、デザイナーが着て買ってくれて。フジロックやサマーソニックのアーティストが着てくれたり。レディー・ガガさんのダンサーが着てくれました。
You’ve got a lot of things happening! What is the secret behind maintaining your energy?
行動力と元気の秘訣はなんですか？
Shot by Mayu Uchida
Maybe if I could speak foreign languages better, I could have been a BIG president [laughs]. I'm not very good at English, and I'm the type of person who speaks with nuance, so I kind of understand what people are saying, no matter where they are from. It all started when I was in the hospital when I was a little kid. The hospital where I was hospitalized was an American hospital, a Baptist church hospital, and there were many American soldiers there, so they played with me there and held Christmas parties, Halloween parties, and birthdays for me. I didn't understand the language at all, but the music made everyone friends.
多分言葉がもっと話せたら、もっとBIG社長になれたかもしれない[笑]。英語も苦手だしニュアンスで喋っちゃうタイプなので、どこの国の人でも何言っているのかが何となくわかるって言う感じ。それが始まったのは、ちっちゃい時に病院で入院していた時です。入院していたところはアメリカの病院でバプティスト教会病院でアメリカの兵隊さんがいっぱいいたから、そこで遊んでもらったりしてクリスマスパーティーや、ハロウィンパーティー、誕生日してくれました。言葉は全然わからないんだけど、音楽でみんなが友達になれた。
I believe that music can bring together people and introduce people to new fashion and culture. I love seeing moments like this, moments where a certain fashion trend starts or moments where music can bring together people from totally different cultures. I like seeing the unfinished products such as clothes that are in the midst of being created or the beginning of movies and wondering what will happen next.
音楽によってファッションやカルチャーが生まれるなど民族が仲良くなれる。僕はその瞬間瞬間を見るのが好き。無名な人など流行ってないファッションが流行る瞬間などが好き。完成されたものより未完成のものが好き。洋服を作っている途中とか料理を作っている途中とか。映画も最初の方が好きだったりします。
By the way, how old are you?
ハヤオさんは今おいくつですか？
Shot by Mayu Uchida
I am 59 years old. My body is not doing great, but my mind is about 18 years old [laughs] because I keep searching for new things to pick up on.
59ですけど、多分もうぼけも始まるのかな。だんだん体が取れて行くけど、頭だけは自分で18歳ぐらいの感覚で新しいものを常に追い求めている。新しいものを見るのが好き。
Why is Nude Trump called Nude Trump?
ニュードトランプってそもそもなんでヌードトランプ名前なんですか？
At first, we all said let's go around the U.S. together, and we decided to go to the U.S. in January/February 1988. At that time, I went to Las Vegas and bought a lot of playing cards as souvenirs [Trump is a reference to the phrase “trump” card and not Donald Trump].
I wanted to create a kind of local American restaurant in Japan that was not famous and had a nice atmosphere.
最初みんなでアメリカ一周しようって言って、1988年の一月二月にアメリカに行くことになった。その時にラスベガスに行って、トランプカードをたくさんお土産用に買って。
アメリカの地元の、有名じゃない雰囲気のいいレストランのようなところを日本で作りたかった。
On your instagram you’re known for your iconic way of taking spontaneous shots of everyone from up and comers to celebrities who stop by your stores. How did this arise?
インスタで様々な人と一緒に写真を取ろうとなり始めたきっかけはなんですか？
Bella Hadid and Yoon Ambush at Trump Room - Photo via @trumproom_official
I always loved to listen to music and take photos. Even at the hospital I stayed at, I constantly asked the American soldiers to let me take their photos. When the Trump Room had to close down I was in a lot of shock. When I thought about why it shut down, I realized that Instagram was not big yet. I think if I had taken more photos and videos of Trump Room, it may have never closed down. Publicity is important.
やっぱりね、僕はずっと音楽と写真撮るのばっかりやっていたんですよ。病院でアメリカ兵隊に写真撮ってと言われて、カメラ渡されて全部写真を撮っていました。トランプルームなくなったことがすごいショックだった。なんでなくなったんだろうと思った時に、まだインスタがちょうど流行る時だったから、もうちょっと動画や写真を撮っとけばトランプルームはまだあったんじゃないかな、古着屋も。
Shot by Mayu Uchida
I think the same about my second-hand shops. I don’t have photos from the past because I do not like looking at things from the past. So whenever I moved places, I would just throw them away. However, ever since the closing of Trump Room I thought that maybe saving these memories as photographs was the right thing to do. So now I post photos on Instagram and enjoy looking at others’ posts on Instagram too. I am not good at expressing myself with words so I think it's nice to do so through pictures.
過去を振り返るのが嫌いなので昔の写真はない。過去はもういいやっていう感じでいらないと思って、引っ越した時に写真を全部捨てた。トランプルームがなくなってから残りの人生の中で記録を残しておかないといけないのかなと思うようになった。そして逆にみんなの記録も見たい、ダンスや音楽や洋服だったり見たい。文字を打つのも苦手だしラインもしないし、写真でお互い分かり合えたらいいと思う。
When did you first gain interest in music and fashion culture?
一番最初に音楽とファッションのカルチャーに興味を持ち始めたきっかけは何ですか？
I guess I was in kindergarten. I was listening to rock and soul, those were the types of records American soldiers played in the hospital. After WWII, the U.S. returned Okinawa to Japan [after it’s occupation post-WWII from 1945–1952] and all the American soldiers from Okinawa came back to mainland Japan. 1972, Okinawan soldiers suddenly came to our class. I grew up with children who were half black and half white because of the presence of American soldiers who were in the area during WWII. When I went to their homes, I heard the music that their fathers listened to, like disco for the first time.
幼稚園の時ですかね。ロックとかソウルとかアメリカの兵隊が病院で聞いていて。日本ではGSとかGOGOダンスでジュークボックスにお金かけて踊ることをして。そこからアメリカが 沖縄返還して沖縄からアメリカ兵が全員日本に帰ってきた。1972年からいきなり沖縄兵がうちのクラスにやってきて黒人と白人の兵隊さんのハーフの子たちが。その子達の家に遊びに行ったらお父さんがDJしたりとかディスコをそこで初めて聞いたりした。
Shot by Mayu Uchida
Ever since I was in kindergarten. I got into rock and soul when I was young. That was the music the American soldiers played on records at the hospital. When I came to Tokyo I went to a lot of discos too. I dropped out of high school and joined a biker gang where I would design shirts and team jackets.
東京に来た時に色々なディスコに行ったりしました。いい学校に行っていなかたので、高校落ちちゃったのですよ。だから僕は地方の学校に行って暴走族ばっかりいる学校。そこで暴走族のtシャツ作ったりチームジャンパーでなんか名前を書いてあげたりとか、タンクと車とヘルメットになんか描いてあげたりとかそんなことをしたりして。でその人の子たちと ああ 大阪とか神戸や京都のディスコ行ったりとかして。
Trump Room was an underground club favorite in Tokyo, what did that space mean to you?
数多くの方とかに愛されてきたトランプルールはハヤオさん的にトランプルームってどういう場所ですか？
Photo via @trumproom_official
I didn't really feel like I wanted to do this, so I had various people help me plan parties in Trump Room. I was especially impressed by the parties held by foreigners. They brought various cultures and brought people together. Fashion students, hairdressers, and many other people helped make these parties a lot of fun. On the other hand, it was nice to have foreigners, well, famous or not, such as Steve Aoki or Skrillex, etc. They are famous abroad but not so famous in Japan. I met them, talked with them, and ate ramen noodles with them. I wish I had taken more pictures. I was too embarrassed to take a lot of photos, so I didn't take any.
俺はなんかあんまりこれをやりたいっていう感じじゃなかったから、いろんな人にやってもらった。特に外国人のパーティーが印象深い。いろんなカルチャーを持って来てくれたし、人をつなげてくれた。ファッション系の学生の子達とか美容師さんとか色々パーティーやってもらって盛り上げてもらった。逆に外国人の人が まあ有名無名問わずあっていい良かったかな。Skrillex などスティーブアオキとかも来てくれた。海外で有名だが日本ではそんな有名じゃないから普通に会って普通に喋って普通にラーメン食う、そんな感じでした。写真をもっと撮れば良かったと思う。逆に写真撮りすぎたりして乗っけることが俺自分の中ですごく恥ずかしくて乗っけなかったのよ。
What was the “last party” at the Trump Room like before it shut down?
ラストパーティーってどういったものでした？
I had to close it down so suddenly that I wasn't really able to prepare anything. But the people that loved the Trump Room gathered and celebrated on their own.
もう急に辞めなきゃいけなくて何も準備ができなかった。やるつもりでずっと考えていて 融資してもらうとお金を貸してくれる人を探していたのですが、話がまとまらず無理でした。でもトランプルームを愛してくれたみんなが勝手にやってくれたっていう感じ俺は特に何もしてない。
What is something you keep in mind while running your businesses?
全体的に お店を経営していく上で何か心がけているものとか ありますか？
Shot by Mayu Uchida
I'm always in search of what will be trending in the next 5 or 10 years. As I mentioned earlier, I’m interested in abstract things, things that say, "this is it," don't sell so much anymore. I wonder what this is all about. It's like the future and the past colliding are popular. Like the movies Blade Runner or Mad Max. Before, beautiful things were fashionable, but now it's dirty things, like ripped jeans or graffiti. Before, it was all about good cake, good food, and staying at a hotel. But now it's about pictures of broken glasses and piles of cigarettes after a party.
5年後から10年後にはやるものを探しています。さっき言ったように 抽象的なもの、これですっていうのが売れないから。これ一体なんだろうみたいな。まあ未来と過去みたいな感じ。ブレイド インナーとかマッドマックスみたいな感じ。前まで美しいものがファッションとして取り入れていたのだけど、今は汚いもの、破けてるジーパンとか落書きとかね。なんか前のインスタだったら美味しいケーキとかおいしい料理だとかホテルに泊まっているのがよかったり。でも今はパーティーの後にグラスが割れてたりタバコが山積みになっている写真。
What is one thing you would like to tell the younger generation?
若い世代の子に言いたいことはありますか？
Before it was common to learn from those older than you, but now it is common to learn from those around you…That being said, I think that when you are still young you should experiment with exploring old things in second hand stores because they have the potential to change your future/the path you will take.
昔は先輩に教えてもらうのが普通だったのだけど、今は横の世代だけで付き合っている、同世代と。若い時に特に古着屋とレコード屋に行くことです。将来につながるかもしれないから。いい曲作っている人は古着も何千枚と持っているしレコードも一万枚持っている。
Shot by Mayu Uchida
Really good designers or artists have thousands of thrifted items and thousands of records. Some designers will look through each article of clothing and pick out items that no one would buy. They take these items home, even children sized clothes, and use them as samples to create something an adult could wear.
今のデザイナーも全部古着屋の服を見て、誰も買わないような服や子供の服などサンプリングとして使って、大人が着られるデザインを作る。
Do you have any last words or pieces of advice?
最後に一言お願いします。
Shot by Mayu Uchida
I want people to come visit my shop [laugh]. Come to my shop and learn new things and ask me questions, whether it be about fashion or music I will do my best to explain. Whenever someone visits my shop I always ask them what they do, what their favorite music is and what hobbies they do.
お店に来て欲しいです（笑）。お店に来ていろいろ質問を聞いて、年代のことだったり、デザインのことだったり、音楽のことだってなんでも説明します。このお店に来た全員に「何やっている人？」って聞いて、好きな音楽とか趣味とか聞きます。
Shot by Mayu Uchida
I think that these second-hand stores are a way where the older generation and the younger generation can connect. I love music, art, and fashion but what is most rewarding is the friends and connections I can make through them.
古着屋は若い世代と世代が古いおじさんたちを繋ぐことができると思う。服もアートと音楽も好きなのですけど、それをきっかけに知り合えたり友達になれたりするのが好きかな。
Hayao Matsumura x The Sabukaru Team - Photo via @hayao_matsumura
Interview by Adrian Bianco and Casey Omori
Words by Ora Margolis
Selected Photos by Mayu Uchida
Article Design and Layout by Sadaf Omari
