Seeing Tokyo from the Trees

Tokyo —the political and economic center of Japan— is also where new trends and culture are born.

One man introduces the capital's unique appeal to the world.

US-born magazine creative director Lucas Badtke-Berkow.

Japanese have original ideas we don't.
It's stimulating.

Lucas has been in Japan for 29 years.

He used to seek out trend-setting culture, but lately, he focuses on finding the essence of "good old Japan."

It's huge.

Now, he turns his eyes to Tokyo's oldest, most venerable inhabitants - trees, and all the history they've witnessed.

Let's tag along with Lucas on his ever-ongoing search for new discoveries in Japan's capital.

Shibuya in Tokyo - where groundbreaking trends emerge.

It was also the base of operations for a popular magazine that helped foster the culture of its generation.

Tokion.

With eye-catching layouts...

...articles and images introduced the latest budding culture.

Little-known musicians and designers would suddenly become the center of attention once their names and faces appeared on the cool and stylish pages.

In a residential area away from the downtown buzz is where the magazine's creator works and lives.

TOKION is the brainchild of 51 year-old Lucas Badtke-Berkow, a creative director known in the publishing industry to everyone in the know.

Currently, he publishes the travel-focused "Paper Sky" twice a year.

He's the magazine's general director.

There are some wood-burning tent saunas...

He comes up with and plans projects, supervising writers and photographers in the creation of articles.

Clear and compelling visuals are at the core of Lucas' editing philosophy.

This one or this one?

The hands look odd here.

This one.

From the layout to the writing, Lucas gives importance to every detail.

The magazine seems to take up the major part of his brain.

"What kind of person is he?"

He's hard-working.

But he also genuinely enjoys his work.

Lucas has a lot of fun working.

It's something I look up to.

Magazines are Lucas' calling in life.

Magazines create culture.

That's what makes them so amazing.

Lucas was born in Baltimore in the US to a musician father and a mother who was a judge.

From early childhood, he showed enthusiasm for writing.

He spent his teenage years creating newspapers and magazines, including one for his school that won three state competitions.

It was at the age of 20 that he first developed an interest in Japan.

He came upon Japanese magazines at his hometown bookstore.

He was astonished.

The photos, the fashion designs...

I'd never seen anything like it.

I felt like I had gone to space
and had encountered aliens.

It blew my mind.

After university, he decided to visit this "alien" country.

He'd intended to stay only two weeks, but he was so impressed by the kindness of the Japanese people and how safe the city was that he decided to live here.

He'd been working as an English conversation teacher for a year when he decided to concentrate on his passion: making magazines.

At the time, Lucas had been questioning the Japanese tendency to favor foreign-born trends over their own.

Japanese are so original.

I felt they should focus on that,
and have more confidence.

And thus was born TOKION - dedicated to Tokyo's new exciting culture that even the Japanese didn't know of.

It set the spotlight on the trend-setting youth.

For example, here's a photo article about a young fashionista's apartment.

The room's interior combines the old and the new, the Japanese and the Western, in an energizing balance between chaos and harmony.

Here's a feature on pillows in which artists, authors and other creators show their unmade beds and talk about their dreams.

While Lucas kept searching for "where it's at," he also began to discover the appeal of "good old Japan."

His home-cum-office is an 80-year-old Japanese-style house.

On the first floor is the staff room, and upstairs is Lucas' living and workspace.

I always sit here to work.

The kitchen.

He's particularly fond of handcrafted household items of time-tested design and fabrication.

The garden.

If we moved out, the house would be
replaced by high-rise apartments.

Lucas and his wife have been renting and renovating this old house for 23 years.

Today, he heads to a shop at a nearby street corner.

- Good morning.
- Come on in.

His usual barbershop.

It'll be a big festival this year
for the shrine's 930th anniversary.

Nice.

Lucas actively takes part in neighborhood community events.

You've helped carry
the portable shrine many times.

From the morning.

We paraded around town.

Thanks.

For Lucas, connecting with the people in his downtown Tokyo neighborhood is one of the pleasures of everyday life.

Actually, he's Japanese on the inside.

More Japanese than Japanese.

Here's a place where Lucas drops by almost every day.

In Tokyo, public baths such as this are on the decline.

Both staff and customers - everyone here knows Lucas.

- Does he often come here?
- Yes.

He takes long baths.
I worry he might faint.

Public baths offer more than relaxation for body and mind.

What I like the most is that
people from the neighborhood come here.

We chat.

It's reassuring to see the local people.

I love it here.

Sharing a warm relaxing soak with the neighbors is what makes public baths so wonderful.

Lucas' wife Kaori explains that, when they first met 26 years ago, she'd never imagined her husband would adopt the lifestyle he has today.

He never went to public baths
or hot springs.

He was reluctant to be naked
in the company of others.

But he changed with time.

As Lucas gradually embraced the Japanese lifestyle, he began to feel concern for something else that was changing inside of him.

He was losing interest in the latest trends and culture.

His passion for Tokion was fading.

I was at a loss. I felt I'd hit a wall.
My heart wasn't into it anymore.

It was a problem.

Tokyo's original culture was lots of fun,
but gradually, his interest changed.

It's as if a gap had formed
between Tokion and his way of thinking.

Having lost his motivation to put in the effort to produce the magazine, he realized it was time for him and Tokion to part ways.

And so, he created another periodical.

PAPER SKY - a travel magazine exploring regional Japan.

It reflects Lucas' wish to preserve the good old days of his country of adoption.

For example, this old inn in Aichi Prefecture that had kept its looks all the way from the Edo era.

Before it closed, Lucas immortalized its historical beauty on paper.

This man is a 'sansuke,'
who works at a public bath.

This article features the work of one of Japan's last "sansuke" - public bath employees who help rinse off customers' backs and offer them shoulder rubs.

Culture like this is hundreds
or thousands of years old.

If it disappears, it's like
a part of history is lost.

I feel it's really sad.

But contrary to Lucas' thinking, cities around Japan are ever in pursuit of the new, and continue their metamorphosis.

Shibuya is undergoing major redevelopment, on a scale that's said to happen once in a few decades.

Little by little, the Japan Lucas loves is fading away.

Is this how it should be?

Is there something that can be done?

Seeking answers, Lucas has started another new project.

He's turned his attention to the trees located throughout the capital.

He's already featured some of them in Paper Sky.

Lucas is drawn to these silent witnesses of history and the passage of time.

Today, he heads out on one of his excursions to find new trees.

It's a chinquapin.

It's got such presence.
It's massive.

This tree is more than 300 years old.

It's got history.
People died beneath it.

This location is part of the site where a famous centuries-old tale of samurai avenging their lord is said to have taken place.

This tree is the only remaining observer of that part of history.

Right here at this crossroads
is a truly majestic tree.

It's part of people's lives.

Nearly a century old, this cedar tree in the old downtown area is a beloved local landmark.

It started as a potted tree and has kept growing ever since.

It shares its space with a bakery.

I'm a bit worried. There's a notice.
Something happened?

"Closed down due to old age" Last year.

What about the tree?

Depends on this shop.
It's on the same plot of land.

The locals are working to protect it.

It might get felled.

But we've treasured it for so long.

- We hope it doesn't get cut down.
- Yes.

We want to preserve it.

It's reassuring to know people here
value the presence of trees.

Lucas came up with an idea to encourage people to get to know the city's trees a little better.

This is the route map
for the TOKYO TREE TREK.

He designed a map for a route that tours the locations of some of Tokyo's most iconic trees.

He actively advertises his project with the wish for Tokyoites and tourists from around the world to come see the "city from the trees."

By visiting the trees, I hope people
will want to preserve them...

along with the city's natural environment
and its culture.

Lucas got a chance to further promote the Tokyo Tree Trek.

Here's a cafe and florist.

Oh, wow!

A new hotel about to open in Shibuya has asked Lucas to create brochures and online articles introducing the area.

Walk down the stairs.

They also asked him to be the guide for the first issue that kicks off the project.

Doesn't it feel great to walk
among all these trees?

Yes.

He and the staff producing the brochure guide take photos along the Tokyo Tree Trek route.

A month later, after many corrections and adjustments, a printing proof of the brochure was made.

Looks nice.

With "Listening to the Voices of Tokyo Trees" as its title, the document expresses the wish for people to feel the city's long history and culture

through the trees that witnessed them.

I want the Japan I love to remain
even after I'm gone.

What I can do is to help
Japanese people realize...

the importance of preserving it.

I want to create different ways to do so.

Lucas continues to explore Tokyo, ever looking for lesser-known wonders.

Hi, I’m Nial Khan Cing.
People call me Non Non.

I’m a nail artist.

Looking at something beautiful
makes people smile.

So, beauty at your fingertips
will keep you smiling.

I’ll show you my work.

Minato, Tokyo What designs and colors will I use today?

I picture the nail art I’ll create
for my customers.

She uses a section of a shared office
as her nail studio.

11:00 a.m.
work starts A member of our staff
will have her nails decorated.

First, I prepare the customer’s nails.

Not too close.

I don’t want to reveal my secrets.

Preparing the nails takes 30 minutes.

This makes it easier to apply polish.

I take the time to make sure
the final result is beautiful.

She uses special nippers
to trim and clean up the nails.

picking the colors There are around 500 colors to choose from.

First, let me know the colors
you don’t want.

This one, and this one.

Let’s try with these three.

So, which one?

This is really nice.

After the colors, let’s find the design.

- A little too much?
- Yes, maybe.

I want customers to take time
and enjoy pondering what to choose.

That time is fun for me, too.

Thinking with them is part of my work.

All done.

It’s lovely.

total time: 90 mins.

I love my work, so it’s a lot of fun.

I’m eager for the next customer.

As a student, Non Non took part
in the movement to democratize Myanmar.

She wanted to escape the military rule,
and moved to Japan in 1992.

- She discovered nail art when
she took a course offered by her city.
- her first try!

After seven years of unpaid training,
she finally opened her own salon.

Non Non’s work is so meticulous
and beautiful.

I love it.

3:00 p.m.
lunch time A seasoned rice ball...

with miso soup.
This is my lunch.

I prefer to have something
I can eat quickly.

I’m always sitting down,
so I eat standing up.

Let me introduce to you...

Hasunuma Miyuki.
We share this office space.

She works as a personal trainer here.

I sometimes have a stretching session
with her to get a recharge.

She helps me a lot.

Written Japanese is difficult.

She helps me read documents.
I can ask her about words I don’t know.

We don’t work together,
but we’re like colleagues.

It kind of fells like
she’s my little sister.

Non Non helps me a lot, too.

It’s thanks to her encouragement
that I got to where I am now.

When the pandemic started,
we couldn’t run our businesses.

It was rough.

But Non Non always stays positive.

She said it was God giving us
some time to rest.

She finds a positive twist to everything,
something I can’t do on my own.

I’m so thankful to you, Non Non.

Let’s hang in there.

Thanks to you, too.

This is my treasure.

It’s a pair of nippers, an essential tool.

I was told quality tools
would help improve my skills.

I paid for them in installments
when I was training.

While an apprentice, she made up her mind
and bought top-of-the-line nippers.

Right from the start, I had the dream
of running my own salon.

I bought these with the intention
to use them as long as I could.

She regularly has them repaired
so she can keep using them.

Even after they wear out,
I’ll cherish them.