What does your typical day look like?

Basically I’m working Monday to Friday, but most Saturdays too. My office is in Gakugeidaigaku in Meguro Ward, and my factory is in Kojima in Okayama Prefecture. It takes four hours to get there by shinkansen and then a local train. I normally spend one week per month at the factory. Most mornings I check emails and then spend a lot of time planning and running projects, not necessarily just for my own brand but for others as well, such as Ron Herman.

How do you dress for work?

I like casual clothes, such as T-shirts and shorts in the summer. I don’t wear my own brand very often. I design them from my own factory and see them constantly right through to release six months later, so by the time they’ve become actual products I feel as if I have moved on – my head is occupied by next season’s ideas. I actually prefer to be a consumer like everybody else, and other brands also look fresh to me. Each season there are one or two of my own articles that I never lose interest in, which makes me realise I’ve done a good job.

Can you sum up Tokyo style in a few words?

There used to be trends, and although people in Tokyo wear various styles I don’t think we can categorise them. I still believe the base is American casual, though. Back in the day certain places had dress codes – modish clubs that required a jacket, for example – and these dictated what people wore. These days people can wear whatever they want, and this is a reflection of Tokyo’s environment.

Where would you suggest going to eat or drink?

I love Japanese food. One of my favourite restaurants is in Shirogane, called < a href=http://kokoromai.jp/ > Kokoromai < /a >. It has a wide range of barley and branded rice from all over Japan and you can order your own choices and mix brands. Your rice is cooked in a special pot and served with fish, pickled vegetables and miso soup. I go there when I want to eat really tasty rice.

And your favourite surf spots?

Where I go depends on the waves, but normally Chiba Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture or Shonan in Kanagawa Prefecture. I decide where using an app and also by checking the waves via webcam from home. I leave at 4am, get to the beach at 6am and surf until 10am, then it’s back to Tokyo before noon. After surfing I see my friends, have dinner together and watch films – pretty ordinary. I take yoga classes as well, and one of my male friends is an instructor at my sports club. Yoga keeps my body flexible and prevents me from becoming too tired.