Life is a wonderful stage where the accumulation of comfortable days brings about rich color.
Actors and artists, each pursuing creative careers
Ayami Nakajo and Kanako Sasaki,
Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, Lineart Charmant spoke to us about its glorious days.
Life is a wonderful stage where the accumulation of comfortable days brings about rich color.
Line Art Charmant, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary, spoke to Ayami Nakajo and Kanako Sasaki, an actor and artist respectively, who are creative in their own right, about their shining days.
They hit it off by empathizing with the many faces each of them has.
Kanako Sasaki (hereinafter, Sasaki): My impression of Nakajo-san from seeing her in dramas, movies, magazines, etc. was that she was a cheerful person with a cute smile. My first impression when I actually met her at the studio was that she was the embodiment of cuteness and beauty. Furthermore, once filming began, she instantly transformed into a professional, and I could sense the career she has built up as an artist.
Ayami Nakajo (hereinafter, Nakajo): Thank you. For the Line Art Charmant 2025 campaign visual, Sasaki-san applied artwork to a photo of me wearing glasses, but I was surprised and delighted because I didn't expect him to be there for the shoot.
Sasaki: I had heard that Nakajo would be creating a different world view with each of the four pairs of glasses, so I went there wanting to get a feel for the atmosphere of the shoot and incorporate that into my work.
New visual image of i-Diary in 2025
Nakajo: I've always thought that Sasaki's work is wonderful because it combines delicacy and boldness, but since she is a world-famous artist, I imagined her to be a cool beauty. However, when I met her at the studio, she immediately started talking to me in a friendly manner... I was impressed when she said, "You can't create a work of art unless you put your all into it." I felt that she is a gutsy person who cares about herself.
Sasaki: For this artwork, I had asked Charmant about the characteristics of each pair of glasses beforehand, but when I met Nakajo, the image expanded all at once. Nakajo is not only cute, but also expresses elegance and maturity from a wide range of perspectives, so I worked on the finished photo, thinking, "We need a strong line here," or "We'll add soft color here."
Nakajo: There's me, and each pair of glasses has its own personality, and then they freely add art to it to expand the worldview... I felt like I couldn't imitate that.
Sasaki: If you try, it's actually quite easy! I think it's more difficult for an actor to play a different personality or life, like Nakajo-san does.
Nakajo: To play a different character in a play is to digest and output what I have absorbed from my experiences. I create a role based on the characters, mannerisms, and values of people I have met and characters from movies and novels that have impressed me.
Sasaki: Nakajo-san, you have also had success as a model, but is your method of expression different for acting work and for photo shoots like this one?
Nakajo: It's different. In photo shoots, you need to "show yourself while erasing yourself" to make your glasses and clothes look great. It's interesting to instantly sense what is needed at the moment, create it together with the photographer and stylist, and see what comes out of that. It feels like the muscles used are completely different from those used in acting.
Sasaki: Both seem like glamorous, dreamy worlds...
Nakajo: The work site is pretty low-key (laughs). But my job is basically a collaboration with many people, whereas in Sasaki's studio you're working alone, right?
Sasaki: When I'm creating a work, I want to be immersed in my own world. I don't want people to talk to me, and I forget to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom. That doesn't happen when I'm creating a live painting work.
Nakajo: What incredible concentration! How long does the preparation stage take to expand on the image?
Sasaki: It takes me a while to face a white canvas and start painting, but once I start I won't stop until I finish.
Nakajo: It's like an orchestra that can't be stopped once it starts playing.
A world of imagination that expands infinitely from a small hint
Sasaki: Earlier you said that characters in movies and novels give you hints for how to play a role. Is that something you learned after you started working as an actor?
Nakajo: I loved reading books in the library since I was in elementary school, and I was the kind of kid who would choose biographies of real people over novels. I had always wanted to be someone like Nightingale, someone who would help others without thinking about myself, but it feels really strange to think that I would end up playing the role of a nurse and acting out scenes like the characters in the books I was reading back then. I think that working as an actor allows me to experience and feel many things that I would never have been able to have by just living my own life. What inspires you when you create your works?
Sasaki: My work is often based on conversations with people and emotional exchanges rather than novels or movies. I feel like I'm always in my head... or rather, in a world of fantasy and delusion. In my representative work "REBORN," I liken the changes in human lifestyles and consciousness since the COVID-19 pandemic to cell division, but since I am abstractly replacing what I see in reality rather than giving it a direct form, I think I need to constantly train my imagination.
Nakajo: Do you write down your first impressions?
Sasaki: I do! I do! My imagination comes to me especially at night, but I used to drink a lot, haha... (haha), so I sometimes forget, so when an idea comes to me, I try to write it down right away.
Nakajo: I also try to keep a diary of my daily thoughts and feelings so that I don't forget them.
Sasaki: There are learning opportunities too.
Nakajo: I started the tea ceremony because I felt there was a limit to how much I could bring out from my own input. My initial motivation was "I want to eat sweets," but now it has become an important time for me to face myself, the tools, the space, and the teacher, to feel the moment, and to live carefully.
Sasaki: The world of tea is closely connected to art, including tableware and hanging scrolls.
Nakajo: Once I became interested in pottery, I also became interested in history, and when I traveled, I started buying pottery from the place I was in. My world has expanded. It's also fun to be able to feel the seasons through the tools and furnishings, from the opening of the hearth to the first kiln and the furo.
Sasaki: When we think of the tea ceremony, we tend to think it is difficult and challenging, but it is actually a rich world.
Nakajo: Just like with art, I want people to pursue things that interest them and enjoy them in a way that is close to them, without thinking of it as something intimidating.
Cherish the analog aspects of life that allow us to feel emotion and comfort
Sasaki: By the way, Nakajo-san, do you usually wear glasses?
Nakajo: My eyesight is fine, so I enjoy them as a fashion statement. My Line Art Charmant glasses have photochromic lenses that change color in response to ultraviolet light, so I wear them when I'm driving too.
Sasaki: I've worn contact lenses on a daily basis since I became an adult, but I was surprised by how well the Line Art Charmant glasses fit me through this collaboration, and it may have completely changed the way I look at glasses.
Nakajo: That's right! You say that you "forget you're wearing them," but I once almost washed my face while wearing them by mistake (laughs). They don't hurt even if you wear them for a long time while driving, and I've become closer to glasses since I discovered Line Art Charmant. I was impressed by the brand's passion when I heard that it took eight years to achieve this comfortable fit.
Sasaki: The passion for craftsmanship is amazing. Even the joints of the springs are appealing. Glasses are not just fashion items, but are important products that function to improve eyesight. The attention to detail that goes into every part, from the original titanium material to the smallest details, leads to trust. The glasses that Nakajo is wearing today are made by applying paint to a thin frame with a syringe-like tool, and I would love to get a part-time job doing that at the Sabae workshop!
Nakajo: Haha. The craftsmanship of Sabae is something Japan can be proud of around the world. An acquaintance of mine said of Line Art Charmant glasses, "I can't live without these. I want to keep wearing them for a long time." For those who need them, glasses are an important thing that may last longer than their family. Line Art Charmant's 15th anniversary tagline is "Life is Art," and they are truly like works of art that accompany and brighten every moment of life, every day.
Sasaki: Life itself is art, and everyone expresses something. My paintings and Nakajo's acting may be one way of doing this.
Nakajo: Art, acting, and eyeglass making may all evolve over time, but I want to cherish the analog aspects that I feel in my heart.
Sasaki: With the advent of AI, digitalization and mechanization will continue to advance, but the act of "human feeling" itself is special, so I believe that works made by human hands stir emotions and that this will never go away.
Nakajo: The emotions you get from looking at a painting in a gallery, watching a movie or reading a novel, and the comfort you feel when wearing glasses are emotions that only humans can experience.
Sasaki: As the times change, what kind of “life” do you want to live from now on?
Nakajo: I've heard the saying "actors never age," so I want to continue working as an actor for as long as I can. And I want to continue searching for romantic things in life.
Sasaki: Romantic! That's a vocabulary I don't have! That's something only Nakajo-san, who brings happiness to everyone, can say.
Nakajo: What kind of “life” do you want to live with your work?
Sasaki: I want to be a cool and passionate grandma who is more passionate than I am now, but also has a sense of ease and flexibility. I hope to be able to convey a variety of emotions to everyone through my work.
Nakajo: Mr. Sasaki is an artist and I am an actor. I thought we work in different genres, but today I was able to find a lot of common ground. I hope we can continue our relationship in the future.
2025 i-Series
New visual special site
Model
Left XL11313 PE Right XL11109 AG
The glasses worn by Ayami Nakajo are Solo Collection's XL11313 PE . They are small and cute, with a crown panto shape. The apricot color on the front brings out the lively look of her skin.
The glasses worn by Kanako Sasaki are the XL11109 AG from the Presto Collection. This simple and minimalist model features a masculine crown panto shape with an extremely thin rim.
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Fashion model and actress
Ayami Nakajo
Ayami Nakajo
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1997. She began working as an exclusive model for the magazine Seventeen in 2011, and made her acting debut the following year in the drama "Black Teacher." In 2017, she won the Japan Academy Award for Best Newcomer for her role in "Cheer☆Dance: The True Story of High School Girls Who Conquered the U.S. with Cheerleading." In recent years, she has appeared in films such as "Flight on the Water," "Amaroc," "The Day the World Ends with You," and the "TOKYO MER: The Running Emergency Room" series. Her first photo essay, "Words for Tomorrow," is scheduled to be released in February 2025. The film "#TellMeTheTruth" is scheduled to be released in April.
Artist
Kanako Sasaki
Kanako Sasaki
Born in 1983 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Industrial Design at Tohoku Institute of Technology. A female artist who has produced numerous works with expressions that combine dynamism and delicacy. Her works, which contain a variety of colors and light and bring out various deep human emotions such as hope, passion, impulse, joy, desire, and frustration, shake the boundary between the visible and the invisible and awaken the essential questions and sensations that lie deep in the viewer's heart. The pursuit of human existence itself is the driving force behind her creation, and her philosophical journey that travels between universal beauty and inner conflict continues throughout her work. She has also collaborated with many advertising visuals, apparel brands, and companies, going beyond the boundaries between artwork and client work to further expand the possibilities of expression.
