"Shoeshine Craftsman Exploration" Part 21 Mr. Shuji Kawaguchi (BLUE SUEDE SHOESHINE)
This is the series "Shoe Shine Craftsman Exploration". There are many wonderful shoe shine craftsmen in the world! The 21st installment is Mr. Osamu Kawaguchi, who started a shoe shine shop in the nature-rich "Tokainaka" area of Nabari City, Mie Prefecture. The passion of a shoe shine craftsman who loves his hometown. Please read it.
Hasegawa : Thank you for joining us today. First of all, please tell us what prompted you to start a career as a shoe shiner.
Kawaguchi-san : Yes, thank you very much. I started shining shoes when I was a student. I was playing soccer at the time and wore cleats made of kangaroo leather and cowhide. So I started shining shoes with the pure desire to make the leather beautiful. It was fun, so I did it almost every day.
After I went to university, I became interested in fashion and started wearing nice shoes. Even after I started working, I really like taking good care of them at home. The time I spend polishing them makes me feel like I'm facing myself, and it calms me down.
Hasegawa : I see. So what made you decide to become a professional shoe shiner?
Kawaguchi : My hometown is in the countryside, so there were no shoe shine shops. But I had the opportunity to go to Tokyo, and I thought, "I'd like to either go to a shoe shine shop or a barber shop while I'm there." But barber shops are expensive (laughs). So I decided to ask "Chiba Special."
So I had my shoes polished by a professional for the first time, and it was a shock. I thought, "So this is what shoe polishing is like!" As I watched my shoes getting cleaner, I had a strange feeling that even my mind became more positive.
Hasegawa : Does being polished help you to refine your mind?
Kawaguchi : That's right. When I realized that, I thought this wasn't just maintenance, it was an expression. At that moment, a switch flipped somewhere in my mind that made me think, "Maybe I want to make a living shining shoes."
Hasegawa : That's where you actually learn.
Kawaguchi : Yes. But of course, it didn't work out at first. I was using the method that Chiba's apprentice had polished for me, but I couldn't do it the same way at all. It was frustrating.
So I bought a set of tools and practiced at 4am every morning to recreate the scene. I chose that time because I had small children at the time and didn't want to cause trouble for my family.
From your shoes to someone else's
Kawaguchi : At first, I started by polishing my own shoes, but as I got better and better, I realized that wasn't enough. So I started buying worn-out shoes from second-hand shops, polishing them carefully, and selling them on Mercari. But I couldn't sell them (laughs).
So I thought, "I have no choice but to shine people's shoes." So I thought, "Where should I do that?" And I realized I had no choice but to do it on the street. I started shining shoes on the street for about three hours at night at Yamato-Yagi Station in Nara. On a busy day, about 10 customers came.
Hasegawa : Weren't people wary of you being on the street at first?
Kawaguchi : I was treated like a pig (laughs). But one day, a high school student called out to me. He said, "I'm going to go pick up some girls, so please shine my shoes!" (laughs). That's how I gradually started to make contact with people.
Starting out as a shoe shiner
Hasegawa : How did you go from there to opening your own store?
Kawaguchi-san : I quit my job, decided to do it seriously, and started preparing to open while working part-time. It took about half a year. I started preparing at the end of the year and opened in May.
At first, I hadn't even decided on a location, and I had many discussions with my wife and children, asking myself, "Can I really do this?" My wife even told me to go work (laughs). But now she's really supporting me.
The reason for doing it in our hometown, Nabari City
Hasegawa : Why did you decide to open a business in your hometown of Nabari?
Kawaguchi : For me, there was no "cool place" in my hometown. There were no cool adults, and no cool atmosphere. So when I was a student, I went to Osaka to absorb that kind of thing.
But in the end, that means I'm leaving because there isn't one in my hometown. So I thought it would be better to just make it myself.
People often say that there is nothing in Nabari, so I thought it would be cool to create something there.
Hasegawa : What is the appeal of Nabari?
Kawaguchi-san : It's rich in nature, the townhouses still remain, and there are vestiges of an old-fashioned shopping street. Many of the stores have their shutters closed now, but I hope to make it a place where people can feel "this is a nice place" just by walking around.
Also, since it takes only an hour and a half to get to Osaka, there are actually a lot of people who move here. I think Nabari is a great place to come back to for people who are tired of the city.
What I want to convey through shoe shining
Hasegawa : What are your particular concerns when it comes to shoe polishing?
Kawaguchi-san : I don't think that shoe polishing is just about making shoes shiny. I try to create a finish that is easy to maintain and less likely to crack, so that shoes can be used every day. It's not just about making them shiny, it's the beginning.
Many of our customers don't even own a shoe shine kit, so we polish them to make maintenance as easy as possible. The finish is also designed to make it easy to care for on a regular basis.
Hasegawa : Have you had any memorable customers?
Kawaguchi : There's someone I'll never forget. He was a homeless man who had recovered and was living in his car with only a suit, a Berluti bag, and one pair of shoes.
To be honest, I didn't even know what brand the shoes were, but he said, "I just couldn't let go of these shoes." For him, they were a "symbol of recovery."
I got goosebumps when I heard that story. Those worn-out shoes had a lot of weight to them. He was so happy when I polished them and they were shiny again. His words "Thank you" have stayed in my heart.
I want to change the atmosphere of the city through shoe shining
Hasegawa : Finally, please tell us your dream.
Kawaguchi : To me, shining shoes is a form of expression. It's not just about making shoes shine. It's about expressing a person's way of life and their current feelings. That's why I want to express myself more freely through shining shoes.
Ultimately, I hope that this street in Nabari will become a place that people think is "cool." I had a dear friend who passed away last year. He also said, "I want to open a store here," and "I want to make this a cool town."
So I'm here to take over that tradition. It's not about giving something back to my hometown or making the town better or anything big. But I want to create a place where I want to be. That's what I want to do.
I was very impressed by the reason why Kawaguchi chose Nabari City, where he was born and raised, as his territory, as it has some similarities to the countryside where I grew up. He is always smiling, and you can feel the flame of his deep, passionate feelings burning in his smile. I am sure he will make both his hometown and Japan shine in the future, so why not visit Nabari while you're sightseeing, not only from the surrounding area but also from far away, and experience Kawaguchi's polishing skills.
