War changes Sumiko’s whole world in the blink of an eye. She and her family have been separated from the war. But luckily, her family met a kind woman who offered her family a place to stay. Sumiko said: She had to store her breakfast under the bunker. Then he shoveled the soil around that area and covered it. Sometimes they would collect vegetables that people had trampled on and wash them thoroughly to make a soup to survive.
In addition to the damage done to her house Sumiko’s father’s musical career is said to have gone from high to low. Because during the war Sumiko’s father is unable to travel abroad to play music. Makes the time when Dad is quiet disappear. There are many new and exciting musicians emerging. Sumiko’s father decided to make room for the new musicians.
When the war ended in 1954, Sumiko’s father decided to focus on food. She opened a gyoza shop called ‘Somuro’, Sumiko said:
“Before the war, my father traveled abroad to perform music. and eat delicious food from all over the world Our gyoza has 5 spices (Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and tian rice) which remain the original ingredients. The sauce is also served with vinegar and soy sauce. Mixed with mustard oil and chili.”
Making gyoza in Somuro It has become a taste that cannot be tasted anywhere else. Until regular customers and new customers can be called to stop all the time, from the father’s generation to the son’s generation.
Marriage may not be the destination of love.
Sumiko was raised with the conservative idea that ‘Work is not the best thing about women. It’s marriage.” But Sumiko doesn’t think so. She had read the novel ‘Resist Forty-Eight Years’ by ‘Tatsuzo Ishikawa’ (Tatsuzo Ishikawa) that ‘Marriage becomes a maid whose life revolves around sex’, so she definitely decided that Definitely we I will be like that.
But that doesn’t mean Sumiko hates love in any way. Because you think love is important And it would be a terrible shame. Grow old without falling in love
It wasn’t until Sumiko reached the age of 22 that her boyfriend arrived. Sumiko’s partner is a Chinese man who is 25 years older and Sumiko is impressed by this man. Because her future husband has the same values as her. don’t want marriage Ultimately, however, there are procedural issues with documentation. makes them decide to register their marriage. Sumiko rang her wedding bells when she was about 50 years old, and says she doesn’t remember the exact number. Because for her, marriage and age are not important at all.
Life is always about learning new things.
Go back to your teenage years. Sumiko dreams of being an office girl in a foreign company. Because of this, he learned to converse and type in English. In the end, her learning was not wasted.
Sumiko works in a trading company. Through the recommendation of an acquaintance At that time, his father’s Samuro gyoza shop was facing the problem of not having enough workers. So Sumiko has to work for a company during the day. and help in the gyoza shop at night
He then quit his office job. Come and work full time in a gyoza shop with my younger brother. She spends time in the shop from day to night. So Sumiko didn’t have time to go out after the sun went down.
Tragedy struck before Sumiko reached the age of 60. She was left alone. Because of her husband’s sudden departure The first thing she decided to do after that was to get her driving license and organize a trip. Sumiko’s first solo tour ends in New York. He spent a week traveling to recover.
Until time led Sumiko to meet a friend from France like ‘Adrien’ who sparked a new dream for her. It starts with Adrien telling Sumiko that He wants to throw a party. So he asked her to help rent the shop. Hearing this, Sumiko organizes a party at the shop. And after she has her first party, the next ones inevitably follow. Sumiko starts to be persuaded to go to clubs in Shibuya and Harajuku.
It becomes the start of a new career in old age. When the DJ asked her, “Why don’t you try using turntables, Sumiko?” he jokingly recalled. That was the first time she played turntables. And you feel like a monkey spinning plates At the same time, she felt happy like never before. Until deciding to seriously attend DJ school at the age of 77
Rekindle the music buried deep in your heart.
Indeed, Sumiko not only fell in love with music as she entered old age. Music has been with her since birth. But through fate and the moments in life where she saw her father facing difficulties with music As a result, a career in the music industry never came to her mind.
As for the father himself, he did not think of encouraging his children to play music because past experiences made him feel that music careers are very unstable.
Including childhood events when he played the piano. Sumiko said that when she played the piano, those around her only had blank stares. Nobody knows that The reason for this is that the skill is not up to the same level yet. Or the war period when everyone saw jazz as something belonging to the enemy nation.
However, that incident caused Sumiko to keep music deep in her heart. But the music never fades from her. And the hand that reached out and touched the record that day called love. Sumiko’s hidden dream of music returns.
No matter how much you like it But starting something new is always difficult. Sumiko said: It took 3 years of study to come to fruition. Since then, Sumiko has been working as a DJ as well as running a gyoza shop. She performs regularly at Decabar Z in Shinjuku and has had the opportunity to visit clubs in Paris and New Zealand.
Our lives are not long enough to worry.
Sumiko said: Sometimes her DJ work faces obstacles. Like the incident where the music stopped suddenly, but what helped her was everyone’s help. Whether he comes in to help fix the machine. Or the cheers shouting “Sumiko!” DJ Sumi Rock! He got her through difficult situations.
And another thing she sticks to is Don’t let mistakes get you down. So, when errors happen He accepts it and tells himself ‘It’s okay’.
In addition, some people asked her, Cooking and being a DJ Which is her biggest identity? Sumiko said
“Both are who I am. When I cook, I’m happy when customers say it’s delicious. And when I act as a DJ I’m glad to see everyone dancing happily.”
She also said Life is too short to worry about age. So if you want to do something, go for it. If it’s not illegal and causing trouble for anyone, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do it.
Finally, Sumiko’s story shows us that dreams don’t have to be just one. We can find our dreams every time we breathe. If there are no smooth events during the time of pursuing your dreams I want everyone to say to themselves like Grandma Sumiko: If there are some mistakes, that’s okay.
May everyone find their dreams. or things you want to be able to do throughout your life without being framed by age and social values
subject: Nipaporn Paengchampa (The Younger People)
photo: Sumiko Iwamuro/Instagram
refer to:
Asia’s oldest female DJ is amazing! “I won’t get married. I don’t want children. I’ll do what I want to do.” 81 years of living my own way / owner of Gyoza Soumuro / DJ SUMIROCK – Kind of a woman[ウーマンタイプ] | Women’s job change type (woman-type.jp)
Oldest DJ’s grandmother (age 87) talks about happiness: “There’s a lot of light happiness in everyday life” | Nikkan SPA! (nikkan-spa.jp)
Rocking the floor at 83: This Japanese woman is now the world’s oldest professional club DJ | Guinness World Records
What DJ SumiRock shares on authentic communication (mattainsley.com)
#Sumiko #Iwamuro #Grandma #selling #gyoza #discovered #happiness #life
