Receiving Masataka Matsutoya’s Autograph

The fifth-generation owner loves trains, but he also loves cars, and used to go to Suzuka Circuit almost every year to watch Formula 1 races.

When he was a student, it was during the bubble economy—a time when even students owned cars.

The fifth-generation owner, too, shared a cheap used car with friends, costing around 30,000 yen.

Around that time, there was a television program called Car Graphic TV, featuring a variety of cars every week.

The person offering his impressions of those cars was musician Masataka Matsutoya.

His gentle manner of speaking, together with his sharp critiques, made me feel as though I were driving those cars myself.

I still enjoy Masataka Matsutoya’s essays and read his regular column in JAF Mate, the monthly magazine of JAF (Japan Automobile Federation), every issue.

Recently, a collection of those essays was published, and I was reading it.

Our guest Fukiko Aoki has been acquainted with the Matsutoyas for many years, and when Ms. Aoki briefly returned to Japan from the United States some time ago, I gave her a copy of Masataka Matsutoya’s essay collection.

Then, the other day, when Ms. Aoki dined with the Matsutoyas, she told me that she had obtained an autograph for the fifth-generation owner, and gave me a signed copy from Mr. Matsutoya himself.

An autograph from the Masataka Matsutoya I admire—what a joy!!

After work that evening, I ended up staying up late watching old episodes of Car Graphic TV on YouTube and listening to the program’s theme song, “The Theme of Winner” (composed by Masataka Matsutoya).

This is a bit of an aside, but I have forgotten the name of the program: there was another car show at the time, and its theme song was David Foster’s “Winter Games.”

That is also a masterpiece. Back then, I recorded both songs onto a cassette tape and would listen to them while driving.

Along with this wonderful gift, fond memories came back to me.

Thank you very much!

*The photo below shows the car that I shared with my younger brother (the owner of Yakitori Hachiman) shortly after I began working.

We both look so young. ^^