INA
He began his activities as a DJ and selector in 2015.
After being shaped by Sapporo’s deep dance music scene, he went on to perform at experimental and ambient oriented, listening focused events during his time in Tokyo.
He is currently based in Yuasa, Wakayama, where he runs Ukikusa Saryo, a cafe dedicated to Japanese tea, contemporary music, and environmental music.
Recent projects include the RAFT Experimental Music Festival at the Kushiro Wetlands in 2022 and D TEST Full and Newmoon Gathering in 2025.
After being shaped by Sapporo’s deep dance music scene, he went on to perform at experimental and ambient oriented, listening focused events during his time in Tokyo.
He is currently based in Yuasa, Wakayama, where he runs Ukikusa Saryo, a cafe dedicated to Japanese tea, contemporary music, and environmental music.
Recent projects include the RAFT Experimental Music Festival at the Kushiro Wetlands in 2022 and D TEST Full and Newmoon Gathering in 2025.
Artist Interview
What are your musical roots?
Precious Hall Sapporo
Which artists or labels are you most excited about right now?
- 1.Black Truffle
- 2.Drug City
- 3.Room 40It's hard to narrow it down, but these are renowned labels whose releases I listen to every time they put something out. Personally, they're full of the kind of music I'd love to make myself.
Yuasa's Local Scene
What is happening in your local music scene right now?
Overall, Wakayama Prefecture has a strong reggae, hip hop, and blues presence. In places surrounded by deep nature, such as Nanki in the south of the prefecture, there's a scene of musicians pursuing a primitive musical sensibility through acoustic sound, and though it may not be music exactly, you can sometimes hear the sound of conch shell horns. Over in Wakayama City, there's also a scene pursuing new musical sensibilities. It's still limited, but the dots are starting to connect, and it feels like it's riding an updraft.
As for challenges, and I feel this even more living out in the countryside, there still seems to be a lot of hostility and exclusion toward DJs in Japan. I remember sensing a difference in attitudes when I went to Berlin in my early twenties. There, DJs seemed to be recognized as a cultural and necessary presence.
I believe experimental DJ sets can become a form of curatorial art. When it comes to dance music, it's not only about taste in selection. There's all kinds of call and response between the dancefloor and the booth, shaping the highlights through EQ, and the mixing skills that keep people dancing... Great DJs are backed by all sorts of experience, and there's a psychedelic, serious world of sound that you can't experience anywhere other than underground DJ parties. There's so much to learn from it. I also find it fascinating that it's a human being who selects the music, and it's a joy as a lifework, too.
Disco was my entry point, and I've experienced some truly wonderful moments. The dancefloor is a place to belong that transcends boundaries, a place where people become one by sharing music and all kinds of sensations, and at times it takes on the character of a ritual or celebration beyond any set form. There's no discrimination there based on race, gender, or whether or not you can make music. Just music lovers gathering to listen to music together is fun in itself. I want to keep cherishing everyday life with humility and keep creating joyful things from here on!
As for challenges, and I feel this even more living out in the countryside, there still seems to be a lot of hostility and exclusion toward DJs in Japan. I remember sensing a difference in attitudes when I went to Berlin in my early twenties. There, DJs seemed to be recognized as a cultural and necessary presence.
I believe experimental DJ sets can become a form of curatorial art. When it comes to dance music, it's not only about taste in selection. There's all kinds of call and response between the dancefloor and the booth, shaping the highlights through EQ, and the mixing skills that keep people dancing... Great DJs are backed by all sorts of experience, and there's a psychedelic, serious world of sound that you can't experience anywhere other than underground DJ parties. There's so much to learn from it. I also find it fascinating that it's a human being who selects the music, and it's a joy as a lifework, too.
Disco was my entry point, and I've experienced some truly wonderful moments. The dancefloor is a place to belong that transcends boundaries, a place where people become one by sharing music and all kinds of sensations, and at times it takes on the character of a ritual or celebration beyond any set form. There's no discrimination there based on race, gender, or whether or not you can make music. Just music lovers gathering to listen to music together is fun in itself. I want to keep cherishing everyday life with humility and keep creating joyful things from here on!
What local spots would you recommend?
Listening Bar
YAOYA— 御坊 / Gobo
A bar in the town of Gobo where you can listen to records. The selections are mellow and chill, from jazz and rare groove to reggae. The kind owner, who also DJs, gives you a warm welcome. The locals drink with real gusto, which makes it a lot of fun.
Record Shop
Tobira Records— 兵庫・加西 / Kasai, Hyogo
Packed with interesting and stimulating releases.
Their in-store showcases are a must-check. For me, it's a place where I can make free, experimental selections that I rarely get to do elsewhere, and it also broadens the ways I can enjoy putting together new DJ sets.
Their in-store showcases are a must-check. For me, it's a place where I can make free, experimental selections that I rarely get to do elsewhere, and it also broadens the ways I can enjoy putting together new DJ sets.
Café
喫茶ピュア / Kissa Pure— 和歌山 / Wakayama
A beloved spot in Wakayama. It keeps the look and feel of a classic Japanese kissaten while offering a sense of cultural enjoyment. The curry is delicious, and you can choose your coffee from beans of various origins. It's located in the parking lot of a park called Kii-Fudoki-no-Oka, so you can enjoy a stroll as well.
空山珈琲 / Akisan Cafe— 島根 / Shimane
A place where the cool, handmade, low-budget speakers and the way the room resonates make you ask yourself, "What is good sound, really?" Lately, the owner seems to be experimenting every day with things like vacuum distillation, hoping to catch a glimpse of "crossing dimensions."
Which local DJs/artists would you recommend?
There are many wonderful DJs I'd like to recommend.
But I'll avoid naming anyone specifically, as I don't want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.
In Japanese groups, you're expected to belong by handing yourself over to the hierarchy and to adapt smoothly to the group mentality. The DJ scene, which involves a lot of collective activity through parties and festivals, can sometimes look like it's in a similar situation. While things push ahead toward carrying on traditions in form alone, having lost sight of their essence, there are friends all over the country who keep raising their signal fires, unchanged. I want to find great DJs and great music without being bound by preconceptions or reputations.
But I'll avoid naming anyone specifically, as I don't want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.
In Japanese groups, you're expected to belong by handing yourself over to the hierarchy and to adapt smoothly to the group mentality. The DJ scene, which involves a lot of collective activity through parties and festivals, can sometimes look like it's in a similar situation. While things push ahead toward carrying on traditions in form alone, having lost sight of their essence, there are friends all over the country who keep raising their signal fires, unchanged. I want to find great DJs and great music without being bound by preconceptions or reputations.