In 2024, Drifter’s CEO Taro Ishida delivered a public lecture on Japanese aesthetics for Hobonichi, one of Japan’s most influential independent media platforms.
The lecture focused on Japanese concepts of beauty, nature, and perception, drawing from Ishida’s long-standing engagement with Gagaku (ancient Japanese court music), contemporary composition, and sound-based thinking developed through film, spatial, and exhibition projects.
Rather than approaching Japanese aesthetics as historical knowledge, the talk explored how these ideas continue to function as a foundation for thought — shaping how people perceive time, space, nature, and creativity today.
While grounded in highly specialized fields such as traditional music, philosophy, and science-influenced thinking, the lecture was designed to be accessible regardless of prior knowledge.
Complex ideas were not simplified, but carefully articulated so that audiences without a background in music or aesthetics could still follow, enjoy, and internalize them.
The lecture was released publicly on YouTube and has since accumulated nearly 300,000 views, receiving widespread acclaim.
Viewer responses frequently highlighted how the talk opened an entirely new way of seeing Japanese culture, art, and even science — often described as “eye-opening,” “deeply moving,” or “transformative.”
This lecture became a major turning point in Ishida’s career.
Through this appearance, he came to be recognized not only as a composer, but as a leading voice capable of articulating Japanese aesthetics, music, and scientific ways of thinking in a contemporary, globally relevant language.
Following its release, Ishida began receiving invitations to give lectures and talks in Europe and other international contexts, expanding his activities beyond Japan.
At the same time, requests increased from companies, cultural institutions, and creative teams who wished to involve him from the earliest stages of concept development — not only to compose music, but to help shape the underlying philosophy and conceptual framework of products, spaces, and projects.
This project demonstrates Ishida’s role as a rare figure in Japan:
a musician who can bridge Japanese traditional culture, contemporary art, and scientific perspectives — and translate them into language and concepts that resonate far beyond the music world.
At Drifter, we position lectures, talks, and intellectual communication as an essential part of our practice.
Alongside concerts and production work, we engage in thought leadership — articulating ideas, designing narratives, and contributing to projects at the level of worldview and structure.
This lecture stands as a representative example of how intellectual articulation can open new creative pathways — for international collaboration, product development, and cultural exchange.
