Interviewer: Let me start with this question. What was the purpose of starting this site?
Folia: I noticed there are a lot of Chihiro fans outside of Japan. But I also noticed that few non-Japanese information resources are available to these fans. So I started up this site. And... this is an experimental site, too.
I: What do you mean by "experiment"?
F: Well, my question is, "Is it possible for a text-only fan site to survive?" I've had enough of fan sites that only copy or mimic official web sites. I'm not just talking about Oni fan sites. I wanted to do something different.
I: And it survived for one year. Congratulations!
F: Thank you. I owe it to all who supported me.
I: Which part of Chihiro do you like best?
F: First of all, I love her voice, the feel of her voices. I'll never get bored with it. And her lyrics, of course. You are missing half of her songs if you don't know the words. I've always wished I could post translations of her lyrics.
I: You are concerned with the copyright stuff, aren't you?
F: Right.
I: But you posted some lines from her lyrics, didn't you?
F: Reproduction of the whole words is one thing, quotation is another. I did it within the limits of "quotation" permitted under the Japanese Copyright Act.
I: Which is your favorite song? Do you have a top 10 list?
F: My most favorite song is... "call". This has to be a memorable piece for Chihiro, I suppose. Because she sang this at her audition. Not only I like this song. I even have a feeling of awe. And "BACK DOOR", "edge", "Ryuseigun", and the Waltz. They are my favorites, too. I really can't rank her songs because I love all of them.
I: Are there any J-POP musicians you keep your eye upon? I mean, other than Chihiro.
F: Nao Watanabe. The other day I had a chance to enjoy her live performance. She is a kind of artist very different from Chihiro, except that both of them are female singer-songwriters and both sing with their mouth very wide open. Nao sings very lyric love songs in an expressive voice.
I: Are you happy running this site?
F: Well, some of you may misunderstand a webmaster's situation. It's not rewarding in terms of money. No secret invitation, no "fringe benefits" whatsoever. It's a kind of volunteer activity, you know. But I'm happy when I receive encouraging mail messages. I'm nervous whenever I open a message, wondering what to do if it finally turns out a complaint, though (laugh). I wanted to give a makeover to this site on this occasion but I didn't have the time. I'm awfully sorry for that. (^^;)
I: Thank you for joining me today.
F: Thank you.
[2004-02-11]
Copyright © 2003 Folia. All rights reserved.