The Creators of MIZUKAZE
Supervised by leading experts in architecture and industrial design
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Kazuya URA
Architect, interior designer
- Profile
- Kazuya URA worked at Nikken Sekkei Ltd. (one of the leading architectural firms in Japan) and was head of Nikken Space Design before establishing URA Kazuya Design Laboratory in 2012. He has designed luxury hotels and reception facilities for various corporations, and was involved in the design of the Kyoto State Guest House. He is the author of Tabi wa Guestroom, (“Traveling Means Guestrooms”) Vols. 1 and 2, and Hakatte Kaku Tabi (“Travels Surveying and Drawing Guestrooms”).
- Thoughts on MIZUKAZE
- The image of a sleeper train journey has changed greatly. Rather than just squeezing travel into sleeping time, it has become a leisurely travel experience to be enjoyed for its own sake. We seek a new form of travel—the stuff of dreams, and continue to put forward ideas for its setting. As we forge ahead toward achieving it, I think I’m the most excited about it of anyone.
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Tetsuo FUKUDA
Industrial designer
- Profile
- After working at Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Tetsuo FUKUDA established A&F Corporation in 1985. He has designed a wide range of products, from industrial equipment to daily commodities with a focus on transportation. He has also designed many trains, including the Sunrise Seto and Sunrise Izumo sleeper trains (running between Shikoku / Izumo and Tokyo) and the N700 Series Shinkansen. He is a professor emeritus at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology (AIIT), and the author of Shinkansen wo Design Suru Shigoto (“The Job of Designing Shinkansen”).
- Thoughts on MIZUKAZE
- The train exterior is based on the concept of “nostalgic modern.” I aimed for a car design with an air of nostalgia and that would appeal to everyone. I paid particular attention to the head car, which is reminiscent of a locomotive from a past era, giving it five sweeping lines to evoke the natural flow of the wind.
Art and traditional crafts featured on MIZUKAZE
Elegant attire and a beautiful performance which enhance your trip.
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Yoshie INABA
Yoshie INABA
Fashion designer
- Profile
- Yoshie INABA was born in Tokyo. She graduated from the Faculty of Art at Bunka Gakuin, and the Hara Nobuko Academy of Clothing Design, before opening her own haute couture atelier in 1964. In 1981, she established the brand “yoshie inaba.” In the same year, she won the 25th Fashion Editors Club of Japan Award. In 1998, she launched the L’EQUIPE YOSHIE INABA brand. She currently oversees the design of yoshie inaba brand clothing and accessories, neckties, glasses and other items. She has designed a large range of uniforms, including those for Suntory concert hall, Mikimoto jewelry company, and Yokohama Futaba Gakuen school.
The concept of MIZUKAZE is expressed in the original fabric which is MIZUKAZE green and woven with black thread.
- Thoughts on MIZUKAZE
- A hotel rolling through the West Japan area, in which one can enjoy the interior design, cuisine, scenery and the breeze, in comfort. I am proud of Japan’s rail technology and the way in which the Japanese have flexibly adopted cultures and refined them. I am delighted to participate in this sleeper train project, which promises an air of refinement and a relaxing, nostalgic atmosphere.
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Taro HAKASE
Taro HAKASE
Violinist
- Profile
- Taro HAKASE made his debut in 1990 as a violinist in the musical group KRYZLER & KOMPANY. He gained a global presence by performing with Celine Dion. He began a solo career in 1996 after the group disbanded. In 2002, he established the label HATS, for which he was the general musical director. In 2016, he marked his 20th year as a solo artist, and is currently involved in a wide variety of activities, including concerts, and appearances in a range of media. To coincide with the start of the running of the train, he composed music which reflects the concept of MIZUKAZE. (Composition title: MIZUKAZE)
- Thoughts on MIZUKAZE
- When composing music for MIZUKAZE, I imagined the beautiful scenery of the Sanin and Sanyo regions through which the train runs, and the way the green exterior harmonizes with the landscapes. The true charm of a rail journey is the sense of running through the wind. I placed importance on this “comfortable sense of exhilaration” and “the joy and excitement of traveling by train”. It would bring me the utmost pleasure if the music I composed were to inspire all those involved with MIZUKAZE and spread far and wide.
