-How did you end up opening your own store?

One day my old boss at SATAN ARBEIT told me he would give me his inventory if I rented a storefront and opened my own place. It was very sudden, but I was able to do it with the help of a friend. The name, Hifumiya was given to me by my writer friend CASPER. He took it from the lyrics of my group’s song "Soroibumi".  In the song we rhyme like "Count, 123, we are the Infumiaikumiai", so he told me if I open a store the name has to be Infumiaikumiai. He also made the logo for the shop, which I tattooed on my leg.

-What is the concept of the store?

A shop for rappers by a rapper. At the time I opened the store many people were into dance and reggae. Hip Hop wasn't that popular yet and there wasn't a store for rappers to go to. I'm a rapper so I thought I could create a store that rappers would appreciate.

-All of your staff are rappers right? Do they have to be a rapper to work there?

No, but I think it's easier to work here if you have that experience. If you don't like Hip Hop, you can't explain the products in the store to the customers, so our staff developed naturally.

-I’ve heard there are cyphers going on here. Do they happen naturally or do you announce it in advance?

Kids want to go where cyphers are being held, but cyphers are supposed to happen naturally. So it’s spontaneous here. The other day we had one with about 10 people  until four in the morning. Various people come and join. It happens all the time. That’s our lifestyle.

-What’s the draw of the store?

Our staff. What we make is not something special, so the added value comes from the design and the designers. All of our customers are wearing our clothes to support us and our music, so in that sense I think it is similar to the essence of Ferrari. Ferrari has the image of a luxury car for celebrities and rich people, but it was originally for Ferrari's F1 team fans to show their support. I would like Hifumiya to mirror that.

-That’s nice. What are the best selling items in the store?

These days it's a cigarette series. The previous design was American Spiritual and this time it’s high-lite. The hanafuda series is also popular. When we made the hanafuda MA-1 jacket before, it sold like crazy. Taka(WILYWNKA) was the store manager at that time and I asked him if he had any good ideas for design and he said just "Hanafuda". So I talked with the designer and we took the hanafuda design and mixed it with Hifumiya style. It did so well, that we all went skiing on a company retreat and stayed at the hotel run by Taka's father.

-I want to ask you about the finger skateboard ramp in the store. What made you decide to make it?

I've been selling finger skateboards since the store opened. I knew that the finger skateboard culture was evolving in Europe so I bought the ramp from Germany. It takes most of the store space and everyone would start playing with it, so most of the time we put it against the wall.

-What’s the most interesting thing that happened at the store so far?

Our store has a secret menu for a personalized rap. If they purchase it I write the lyrics based on their own experiences and then they record it in the dressing room we also use as a vocal booth. A long time ago a junior high school boy and his dad came to the store. They bought a lot of clothes and the boy mentioned he wanted to try rapping. His dad quietly said to me, "My son skips school", so I talked to the boy about the importance of studying and school and said let’s make a song to thank your father for bringing you here. About six months later they came again. The boy said he had started going to school and was into skateboarding and rap, even doing cyphers in the park with friends. So to celebrate his recovery we did a collaboration song with the boy and his father. It was a very happy moment for me.

-What a nice story! So tell us about the neighborhood.

The guys who come to American village to be rappers are often the ones who dropped out of school or that people think are thugs. It might seem like a place for drop outs in a way. But I love this area and feel the Hip Hop element here.

-Please give a message to customers who are thinking of visiting the store for the first time.

The building is covered in graffiti and some people may be scared to come inside, but it is actually a peaceful and welcome space. Do not judge us from our appearance, just come in. However, there are some people who just take pictures without asking and leave. I don’t like that. If you don't have money to shop thats fine, but just ask before you take a picture.