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enVision This
It took me quite some time to finish writing this blog post…
A father & son, classic rock, electric guitars, and some groovy eyewear… lots of eyewear; A narrative that should fit together effortlessly, right? Not so much. Turns out the reasons I feel so at home and attached to this place are more layered and nuanced than one would expect from their local eyewear provider. That’s the way most folks feel when they experience Seishido for the first time. I admit, it was a bit of a curiosity for me when I first moved to town. Those giant red neon glasses command the attention of anyone walking down the main shopping street of Obama, and I always thought it a bit curious that a town of some 30,000 would have a shop offering such stylish boutique frames. It took some time to kill before a dinner reservation and the sudden need to seek refuge from a thunderstorm to get me through the front door and into my first pair of Seishido glasses. They wouldn’t be my last pair.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita is the soft spoken 35 year old 4th generation proprietor of Seishido, established in 1940. Having taken over the business from his mother, his passion for the industry is evident, and he has a real knack for selecting the one pair of frames that you will eventually agree, fit you better than any you’ve ever owned, all after having observed you for just a brief minute or two. Trust me, he’s done it to a few of my friends as well. The great selection really isn’t all that surprising once you learn that a full 95% of all eyewear in Japan is made just up the road from Obama in the delightful town of Sabae here in Fukui Prefecture. But it’s not Yoshiaki’s great eye or the cool frames that gives you immediate pause upon entering. Rather its the somewhat confusing ‘Saturday night at the live house’ vibe that starts to grab your attention. Initially you pass it off as just some Beatles memorabilia and 60’s / 70’s rock album art on the walls, but then you notice the vintage Fender and Marshall amplifiers sitting on the floor and guitars tucked neatly around the corner and you think, hold on now…
While the thought of a dedicated son loyally continuing his mother’s legacy at the expense of the tortured musician’s spirit that he keeps hidden deep within sounds like a good story, the reality is far more interesting. The rock visitant resides firmly in his 64 year old father, Hiroaki, a man who proudly wears his passion on his sleeve and dresses with the kind of understated confidence you’d expect from a talented veteran rocker who hasn’t been discovered yet. He can be found most nights playing everything from jazz to rock-n-roll at a number of live houses and clubs around the area.
It’s a peculiar quality of my town… the number of people you come across who are motivated and driven by their passions. It’s something we all talk about but few of us ever go all in on. Perhaps that’s why, when we happen upon people pursuing those passions it just resonates in ways most comforting and unexpected.
You can check out their excellent blog & website HERE (Japanese only)