TOKIO’s Kokubun Taichi becomes president of TOKIO-BA

While TOKIO the band may not be performing music for quite a few years, the members Joshima Shigeru (51), Kokubun Taichi (47) and Matsuoka Masahiro (45) are still involved in solo entertainment endeavors but also managing their company, TOKIO Co., Ltd. and recently it was announce that the affiliate company, TOKIO-BA, Kokubun Taichi (47) will serve as the president.

Kokubun said of the new company and upcoming goals, “Most of my current skills and knowledge were taught by Fukushima. I wonder if we can teach them all over the country and contribute to society.” I bought about 80,000 square meters of land in Nishigo-mura, the southern part of the prefecture, because of my deep connection with the prefecture through Nippon Television’s “The! Tetsuwan! DASH!” (Sunday, 7:00 pm). It’s not us who are at the forefront, but your ideas”.

The original app “TOKIO-BA”, which will be released soon, will solicit ideas from all over the country and put them into shape. The project name is “TOKIO-BA” which connects “TOKIO” and “place”.

Baseball field, concert venue, hot springs. There are endless possibilities on the white canvas, but Kokubun says, “You can slide on a slope or fry an octopus. In the first year, play in an empty space”.

Grass and trees grow thick in the summer, and snow accumulates in the winter. Wild boars, rabbits and deer also appear. “I want you to put a lot of soil in your nails and play with the earth,” he laughs.

About two hours by Shinkansen and about two and a half hours by car from Tokyo, it took three and a half hours due to traffic jams when he grabbed the steering wheel of the car in late April, but he said he didn’t feel any stress.

“The green of the mountain seen from the highway is pale. The sky is also light blue like a watercolor painting. There are wisteria flowers in bloom. It is only at this time. I want you to enjoy not only the goal but also the waypoints”. There is also a plan to produce waypoints such as roadside stations.

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