Japan, Press: Numero Tokyo, the inteview of Maki Saito, the Photo Editor

 

Big rain, soaked I get at the Numero Tokyo’s head office. I leaf through the last issue of the magazine. Surprised, the assistant asks me if I read Japanese: “absolutely not!“, we laugh. Finally the meeting is in a café. And I’m supposed to recognize Maki Saito san, the Picture Editor of Numero Tokyo, by her Pucci boots for rain. Well done Mademoiselle Le K!

- There are many Japanese magazines. For fashion, the most important are: Nihon Vogue, Numero Tokyo, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar.

After four years of English Art and Litterature at university in Kobe, Maki studies photography in London:

 

- I wanted to be a photographer. During one year I’ve travelled in all Europe. Back to Japan: leaving Narita Airport, I had a meeting with my future boss. And the following day, I started working at Nihon Vogue and GQ. I’ve stayed there for three years, then I came at Numero Tokyo six months before the first issue of the magazine. 

 

Maki really likes this first issue with Kate Moss:

 

- It was bad time for Kate Moss (because of her drugs problems in press). We were very really happy to work with her: great great couver the best one. She was really nice.

 

 

 

What differences beteween Numero (Paris) et Numero Tokyo?

 

- We do our own shooting: covers and fashion series. Different cultures, different tastes. More accessoires and celebrities: Japanese readers love accessoires and details seen on stars. We have more beauty, lifestyle and travels pages. And a new section about family. In Japan, pictures have to be more cutter and sweeter. 

 

Like on the April Numero couver with Claudia Schiffer. But what is the new icone of the Japanese young people?

 

- Rinka, the Japanese top and fashion icone who really likes mixing cheap and expensive, something really new here. 

 

I’ve already heard about the famous Rinka taste for “mixing”. And pictured her in the tube, in an ad sticker, mistooking her for Reina, one of the singers of the Pop band Max, met in a party. But this is another story guys!

 

 

And what about Tokyo?

- I’ve lived there for more than six years: it’s really an interesting city with lots of ifferent areas. We can have everything. In Shinjiku, people are diffrent than in Shibuya. I like Small areas: Mishuku (close to Shibuya), with small bars, used to be a big traditional place. Last week-end, I went to Jyugaoka station for shopping pottery. I really like Japanese sets. For fashion: Shibuya et Harajuku. I like to go to Beams. I love hats, any kind of hats and I always go to CA4LA. I love shoes too, I always buy them overseas.

The traveller Maki would like to visit Hawaii and Greece:

- I feel different, more open minded. I love to go to big cities. I came from country side, a small archipelago famous for Udon (kind of Soba), the landscape and the sanctuaire of 88 temples and thousand steps of one of them (Kompirasan). I enjoy calm and friendly people.

Same. Maki, thanks a lot.