The decision to produce this film was made in 1983, when French director Elizabeth Leonard visited 坂本龍一, who was in Berlin to witness David Sylvian's recording. The following year, in May 1984, the film was released in Sakamoto, Japan.
The following May 1984, when Sakamoto began recording his fourth solo album, "Ongaku Zukan," the film was shot in Tokyo in a short period of only one week.
A small film crew led by director Leonard documented the country of Japan, the city of Tokyo, and the musician 坂本龍一.
After its completion in 1985, the film was screened at international film festivals in Rotterdam, Locarno, and Sao Paulo, and was released in Japan at the first Tokyo International Film Festival in the same year. The film was later televised in France in 1986 and released on VHS and DVD, but it remained difficult to obtain for a long time.
Recently, a 16mm film was discovered in a warehouse, and after restoration, the film was digitized.
This is the long-awaited packaging of the film after a lapse of about 40 years.
In addition to rare interviews with 坂本龍一 and studio recordings, the film includes commercials in which he appeared, a YMO dispersal concert, and memorable scenes from Nagisa Oshima's "Merry Christmas at the Battlefield" (1983) The film is also available on DVD.
The film also features scenes of 1980s Tokyo, including Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Shinjuku Alta, and Harajuku's Takenoko Zoku, along with Sakamoto, then 32, talking about his childhood memories, changing culture and society, the creative process, and the music he is pursuing.
Listening closely to the sounds of the city, he gazed into the future amidst the swell of the times.
This film is a rare portrait of the source of his contemplation and creativity, and a documentary that allows the viewer to experience the "sound of Tokyo.