Alright, I presume everybody’s interest in hige-man’s bento work has begun to ripen at this point. Let’s review his profile once again, to get the rice-ball rolling.

Stats:

Name: Keisuke Umeda
Age: 31
Occupation: Designer at a game company
Passion: Bento Art
Distinguishing Facial Feature: Majestic Mustache
Web page: Umeda no site

Q: Tell us about your bento art career.

I modestly began making bento about 2 years ago. I didn’t even realize that that my passion for bento art had been gradually escalating over that period of time.

In the summer in 2013, my bento art was selected to be shown on an NHK TV program called サラメシ (sarameshi). I held my bento art exhibition in the fall of that same year. I also published a book with a collection of my bento pieces that came out shortly before my exhibition.

I’m planning another exhibition this year, too.

Q: How long have you made bento art?

About 2 years. I make a bento box every day, except when I’m too busy, when I oversleep, or when I don’t have any ingredients for it.

Q: Why did you start making bento boxes?

I got sick of eating cafeteria food. I also wanted to brush up on my cooking skills. Moreover, after the Tohoku earthquake, I started taking food safety more seriously and gave more consideration to what I put in my body. Managing my food in this way is good for my health and helped me save money, too.

Q: Why did you start designing bento?

I’m not really good at cooking and don’t have much time either. On the other hand, I wanted to enjoy lunch time. I contemplated how to do it and I soon realized that I could be creative. I realized designing bento is a great way to enjoy it. I have some bento friends at work and it became something for us to talk about, as well. The more we enjoy our lunch time, the tastier the bento becomes – to me.

Q: What do you usually do after making it?

Naturally, I eat everything. Every grain of rice disappears. I’ve never had leftovers. If I made bento boxes like the ones I do and didn’t eat them, it would mean I’m just playing with food in a creative way. I’d rather treasure and respect the food and I show that respect by eating it.

This is MY LUNCH and if I don’t eat it, it means I don’t eat lunch.

There is a saying in Japan, “If you don’t finish your meal, your eyes will be crushed.”

Q: What kind of bento boxes do you make?

Pictures!

「クチビルべんとう」(Lips-bento)

「ヒゲべんとう」(Hige-bento)

「桃べんとう」(Peach-bento)

「サンマたちの横顔べんとう」(saury fish’ side faces bento)

「春風べんとう」(spring breeze bento)

「コンバットべんとう」(combat bento)

「ちりめんじゃこべんとう」(dried young sardines bento)

「フランクフルトべんとう」(Frankfurt sausage bento)

「フグべんとう」(Fugu bento)

「おでんべんとう」(Oden bento)

「金目カブト煮べんとう」(Beryx splendens helmet bento)

「松坂牛の、肉じゅうたんべんとう」(Matsuzaka beef carpet bento)

「コーンまっ黄っ黄べんとう」(Corn pitch yellow bento)

「タコウィンナーべんとう」(Octopus shaped wieners bento)

「生々しいべんとう」(fresh [flesh] bento)

「ひじき黒ゴマべんとう」(hijiki seaweed and black sesame bento)

「デッサンべんとう」(rough sketch bento)

「モンドリアンべんとう」( Piet Mondrian bento)

Q: What do you think of men who make their own bento boxes and how do other people react to it?

I think that’s good because they can be more careful about the food they eat.

People react interestingly every day and it’s fun to hear their inquiries; “Does it taste good?”, “Are you really eating that?”, “Is it hearty?”, “Why did you start making bento boxes like these?”, “What’s today’s bento?”, etc…

Q: What is your favorite bento you’ve created and why did you choose it?

“Hanasaka bento” (Translates to Flower Bloom bento)

A bento’s life is as short as a flower’s, but each one of them remains in the heart and it will stay alive as a part of our body.

Similar to the flavor of my tears, I will never forget the saltiness of the pickled radish and pickled Japanese plum as well as the welcomed tingle provided by the sansho pepper in this bento.

“That was the bento I made for the NHK TV program. It took me 2 hours”, he laughs.

Q: Have you made a big mistake before?

There are actually a lot of bad mistakes.

The most memorable one is Nanakusa Bento (the seven spring herbs bento).

In Japan, people eat rice porridge with seven different spring herbs on January 7. I used those herbs, just as they are found in nature, for my bento. It turned out to be just like eating grass. It was disgusting.

However, sometimes an interesting-looking bento box, albeit bad tasting, can become a popular topic of conversation at lunch time and is often even brought up again later on. In that sense, making a mistake is not all that bad.

Q: If someone told you they wanted to start designing bentos, what advice would you give them?

I would tell them that pickled Japanese plums have an antibacterial effect, so they preserve pretty well.

In my bento box, I often put them underneath the design.

Q: Could you tell us a bento story of yours that you haven’t told anyone yet?

It’s Kani bento (crab bento).

I couldn’t put the lid on the bento, so I ended up opening up the shell and started eating a little bit of it in the morning. It almost made me late for work. Furthermore, none of my bento friends showed up in the cafeteria during lunch time, so I ended up eating the luxury bento without anyone around to see it before it was eaten. It was pathetic.

Q: As for bento-making, is there anyone you respect?

My mother.

She made bento boxes everyday when I was a child. At the time I thought it was just a trifling thing, but now I know how hard it is to continue making bento everyday. Now I really appreciate what she did for me and I respect her even more.

Q: Is there anyone out there making bento that inspires you?

Actually, I get inspired by many things, not only by someone’s bento but also by anything from different cuisine to pictures to movies to scenery to my travels.

But I’m trying to find inspiration from the ingredients themselves.

Q: Is there one particular incident involving bento that has changed your life?

Bento has changed my lunch time, myself, and has made sight and gradual changes in my life and in a small way it has also changed the daily lives of the people around me.

For example, because of bento-making, I got to be on television, held an exhibition, and was even interviewed by Tofugu-san. It’s very fun and I believe bento will continue to make such changes in my life.

Q: Share with us what your favorite bento goods and tools are.

There you go!

The first one is bento goods that I design and sell. Please contact me via my website for more information.

This second one is my collection of some of the tools that I use or have used in the past.

Q: Do you think you could make a Tofugu bento? If you could, how much would it be?

I think I could, but it may be a very plain bento. The price is free because THAT’S MY LUNCH, YO!

A few days later, the picture arrived. Mecha Kawaii! Thank you Ume-chan!

Ingredients: Rice, a cherry tomato, 2 black beans, and seasoned ground meat called Soboro.

——At the end

Thank you for your interview. If you are interested in Hige-man Ume-chan’s bento art book, get in touch with him via his blog, http://www.k3.dion.ne.jp/~umetin/.

We found one such Japanese man to talk to. His mustache has come to define him. Not only that, we hear local legends are abrew around his facial hair. Remember, facial hair in Japan is quite rare, by worldwide standards. Salarymen (and most other people) are expected to be clean shaven. So what’s it like when you go against the bends of the mustache we call society? We “mustache” the expert: Hige-man Ume-chan.

Let’s begin with his stats:

Name: Keisuke Umeda
Age: 31
Length Of Hige: about 7cm
Type of Hige: Kaiser mustache
Morning Setup Time?: 5-10 minutes
Occupation: Designer at a game company
Website: Umeda No Site

And now with the pressing questions…

What do you think of hige history in Japan after reading “Japan’s Epic History Of Discrimination Against The Mustache”?

It’s very interesting. Although I didn’t know that hige was that popular during the medieval period to the beginning of Edo period, I was very surprised that hige was banned and there was even a punishment for having hige. What tough days for hige-holders.

Compared to that, I’d say we entered an era where we can enjoy our hige freely. I’d definitely prefer to freely enjoy having hige.

What do you think about hige in Japan today?

As I mentioned, we can enjoy our high freely in Japan today, but people tend to have the same kind of hige. I want them to find their own style. I believe that the high style that suits you will lead you on a good path.

However, the hige-man population is still such a minority in Japan. Hige doesn’t just make men look manly but also charming, even sexy! I can’t wait until the day comes when all Japanese men have their own hige and can happily live their lives.

What do you think of the hige court cases?

This is a difficult issue. I’m a salaryman, so I might face this issue someday as well. It’s not simply a concern of some stranger I don’t know.

I’d say that the key to acceptance will be found by talking to other people and finding some common ground through compromise. If people around you can learn to accept hige, then everything will be great, but if they can’t, it forces someone to either fight for their hige, or give it up. I really hope that everyone simply comes to understand and accept one another. That’s the best way to form good relationships.

Why did you start growing your hige?

About three years ago, I went on a vacation to India for a little more than 2 weeks.

During the trip, I never shaved my hige. When I came back to Japan, I looked in the mirror and actually thought, “Wow, that’s dirty. It doesn’t suit me at all.” But I had a lot of difficulty saying goodbye to the hige that took me so long to grow, so I decided to keep it. Then, having hige turned out to be pretty fun for me. My friends all liked it, too.

So since then, I’ve grown it and the shape changes from time to time. I even feel as if I’m doing cos-play every day. Every feeling was new to me.

Hige has become my trademark now. Even strangers passing by me on the street often get surprised and start talking to me. Of course all the kids I meet like it too. It’s a good thing to be memorable to people as well. Oh, once I was also mistaken as a member of the Japanese imperial household!

I was surprised to hear a rumor about myself where I had become “Hige-man Ume-chan” among people that I didn’t know. So many fun things happen just by having hige. I actually joined a hige association that was established in Kyoto, too.

I keep growing my hige because I like seeing people’s reactions to it and there are so many fun things related to hige.

What does your boss think? / What does your employer think?

For quite a while I was afraid that I was going to be told to shave it off, but they’ve accepted my hige so far. Some people even praise my hige and say things like, “Such a majestic hige!”.

I think it all depends on how you grow your hige. I believe that my hige-style is a cleanly trimmed style, so it’s more easily accepted than other styles. I even started choosing formal clothes to match my hige-style.

So, I think it’s important to choose a hige-style that suits your circumstance.

What do your family and friends think?

Both my family and my friends were shocked upon seeing me with hige after my trip for India. Nobody in my family has ever had hige, so my parents looked very uncomfortable with it at first. They eventually adjusted to my new look and now they share in my joy of having hige. Since my hige nestles itself between my upper lip and nose so naturally, people say that they can’t even remember me without hige anymore.

Do you have hige friends?

Yeah I do. I mentioned earlier that there was a hige association called “愛髭会” (aihigekai/Love Hige Group) established in Kyoto and I became a member. Almost all of the members are over 60 years old, but I met a lot of great people there and I never would have met them if I didn’t have hige. So, I really appreciate my hige for that.

I also became friends with some foreigners because we had this same thing in common. I believe people with hige can become quick friends.

How did you grow such a passion for hige?

Although I started growing my hige just by letting nature take its course, it is such an essential part of me now.

Now I’m pretty set in my preference to the Kaiser mustache, but I used to challenge myself and tried many hige styles. Every day was a new chance to try a different style. I didn’t get enough information on how to grow a beautiful hige or how to set it, so I just had to find out for myself.

I don’t remember exactly how my passion for hige grew, but I do know that I’ve continually thought about my hige for as long as I’ve had it – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You know? Hige is the most distinguishable hair on your face.

If your hige could talk to you, what would it say?

I wish us a long-term relationship and please give me a treatment every day.

How has your hige changed your life?

I don’t have any remarkable experiences, but hige has been at the most prominent part of my face and whenever I meet people it is the most memorable to them. I’ve met many people just because of my hige and I hope I meet many more people because of it.

I think my hige has had a small effect on the people around me, just as it has influenced me. I change and then they change, until they make me change, then I make them change again. We keep changing.

It’s a sequence of simple and small changes, but when I look back on my past, I see that big change has occurred.

What’s one story about your hige that you haven’t told anybody?

I’ve mentioned a lot of good things about my hige, but there are some bad stories too.

For example, if I don’t set it, eating food is extremely difficult. Something you have to use both lips for, such as soft serve ice cream or a hot dog, will definitely make contact with my hige. For those kinds of food, I need to open my mouth really wide, or else I’ll eat my own hige. My hige gets pretty stinky if food does touch it or if I eat my own hige. Thus, I always have to have Kleenex in my pocket.

Another bad thing about having hige is that it gets wet and even freezes in the winter. When it’s cold, the water vapor in my breath quickly condenses into water droplets that stick to my hige. On really cold days I’ve even had icicles form on my hige.

Setting it up is really difficult too. I use gelatin or a solid oil called “歌舞伎油 (kabuki abura)”, which is used underneath the white foundation of Kabuki actors. In order to form a beautifully shaped hige, it takes a lot of time to find the right tools that will help you to set it properly. My hair is really curly too, so the longer the hair in my hige grow, the more difficult it becomes to set them and keep each side in good balance.

I also have breakage or a split hige issues, too.

Who has your ideal hige?

I think the hige of Salvador Dalí is wonderful. Upon seeing my hige style, everyone instantly recognizes it as “Dali’s hige”. . It’s totally iconic. I personally think his hige increased his craziness, toughness, charm, and his sexiness.

Do you have special tools or goods?

I have a T-shirt with a picture of a man with hige printed on it that resembles me a lot. I came across it in Taiwan.

Actually I have a lot of hige goods because my friends give me them from time to time and I also buy them if I find a good one in a shop. Many hige goods come to me.

This picture is just a part of my hige goods collection.

Have you ever thought about competing professionally with your hige?

Yes. But the world is wide and my hige is not yet strong enough. When I look at all the hige in the world, my thoughts are that I could never beat them.

They are truly amazing. If there was a mustache-only-contest or a Japanese-only-contest, then I might be able to compete.

Are you going to keep growing your mustache?

As long as I don’t get sick of it, hahaha.

I’d like to be a man and as majestic as my mustache is.

/End Interview

This interview was a great opportunity to consider about my hige. Thank you.

Bonus Hige Man Wallpapers!

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