Lived

Jiro Aoyama

Looking forward to the completion of Villa Bianca in 1964, he connected two dwellings, made original furniture, and turned the balcony into his own garden when living there.

Starting to buy antiques at the age of 16, he was a stylish person who lived his entire life with them. He had an excellent sense of aesthetics and only kept things around him that he liked. Although he was not a professional during his lifetime, he was asked to design a considerable number of books by Hideo Kobayashi, Chuya Nakahara, Saisei Muro, and others.

There were gatherings of people like Hideo Kobayashi, Shohei Ooka and Masako Shirasu at his place every night, for discussion while drinking alcohol, so it was called "Aoyama School'' or "Aoyama Gakuin''. In her book "Why Jiro Aoyama Now?”, Masako Shirasu writes: "It was so nostalgic to visit the place where Jiro-chan lived until the end. It was an apartment building called Villa Bianca near Harajuku. It was built in the year of the Olympics, so it was kind of like the beginning of apartment buildings.''

Tatsuo Nagai, a recipient of the Order of Culture, wrote that Aoyama was a "legendary figure'' from the early Showa era, so there is no doubt that he was a great person that you would only understand if you met him.

His wife, Kazuko, moved into Villa Bianca with him.
With Kazuko driving her Opel packed with everything from teapots and hanging scrolls to Go boards, they went to Shiga Kogen and Hiroshima. I guess they only had things around them that they liked, even when they were traveling. Kazuko was Aoyama's fourth wife and 27 years his junior. She lived at Villa Bianca until 2003.

Eikichi Yazawa

In his book "Are You Happy?'' (Kadokawa Bunko), he wrote:

"I rented an apartment at Villa Bianca, an apartment building along Meiji Dori going from Harajuku toward Shinjuku. In 1978, "Time Stop'' and "Gold Rush'' came out, and I was already "Superstar Eikichi Yazawa''. (Omitted) I went there on my way home from recording….cold beer, salami, and squid sashimi. Just having my girlfriend there serving me drinks was better than going out for an extravagant meal. This time was the best. I didn’t go outside at all. This was our hideout.”

Yazawa moved to the United States in 1980, so he may not have lived in Villa Bianca for a very long time, but writing about it in a book was quite memorable.

At the end of August 2022, his 50th debut anniversary concert was held at the new National Stadium. He would turn 73 in September, but where did the power for his energetic singing, to keep moving without stopping even when covered in sweat, come from? Towels thrown by fans flew into the air. When he sang "Time Stop", did he remember his time at Villa Bianca, which was close to the venue?

Mina Aoe (real name Shizuko Ihara)

She was a blues singer with a husky voice who was active from the 1960s to the early 1990s.

She had appeared on the stage of "Ginpari" (*) since high school. After working at a department store and as a club singer, she made her debut as a blues singer.

In 1968, she won the Singing Award in the 10th Japan Record Awards and the Star Award in the 1st Cable Broadcast Awards for "Isezakicho Blues''. It became a million seller.
Her sexy "Aaaaaan'' and "Dudubidubidubidubiduba'' were very popular with elementary school students, and many children imitated them.

In the 1970s, she was ranked among the top 10 singers in the celebrity ranking for five years in a row.
(*): Japan's first chanson cafe, located in Ginza 7-chome from 1951 to 1990. Many famous chanson singers, including Akihiro Miwa, passed auditions and took to the stage there.

Arase (real name Hideo Arase)

A sumo wrestler from Kochi Prefecture who joined the Hanakago stable after joining the Nihon University sumo club.

He was popular for his determined approach and long sideburns. Arase’s debut in the grand sumo tournament was in 1972. His highest rank was Higashi Sekiwake. After retiring in 1981, he worked as a television personality. In 1983, Arase made his acting debut as Shiunryu (Yakuza) in " Yokiro", directed by Hideo Gosha and starring Ken Ogata. He was also a “hot springs reporter” on TV Asahi's "Tonight". He also appeared in movies like "Liberal Goddess", "Foo Dog Company'', "Kita no Hotaru (Firefly in Hokkaido)'', and the NHK epic drama "Haru no Hato (Spring Pigeons)''.

In 2001, Arase ran in the House of Councilors regular election for the Liberal Federation as a proportional representation candidate, but was defeated.

He suffered a cerebral infarction in April 2008 and was recuperating at his parents' home in Kochi Prefecture, where he passed away due to heart failure.
Apparently, he couldn't drink alcohol.

Anzai Mizumaru (real name Watanabe Noboru)

A stylish illustrator whose work was characterized by single lines and beautiful colors.

His favorite Japanese sake was "Shimeharizuru" produced by Miyao Sake Brewery in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture.

The label for the "Shimeharizuru" plum wine still uses his design.

When he designed the label for "Kagerou no Hana" from Toyama Prefecture, he indicated the reason for taking on the work by writing the following on the back label.
"At some point, I started to like Japanese sake. As I like to drink Japanese sake with Japanese food, my preference for alcohol gradually became Japanese sake. However, among the various types of Japanese sake, some suit my taste, but others completely do not."

"Even the best chefs at first-class Japanese restaurants don't seem to care much about Japanese sake, and while their food is excellent, the Japanese sake they have is surprisingly bad. I sometimes ask about the Japanese sake they serve, but I always get a response like, ‘We've been friends with the brewery for a long time’.It seems like long relationships are causing the quality of the Japanese sake to deteriorate. A few years ago, I was asked by Mr. Sekiya to create a label for "Kagerou no Hana". The first reason I wanted to create it was because I liked the name "Kagerou no Hana". This Japanese sake tastes amazing so I think I designed a label for a good sake."