Interview: Orono’s perfect day

To go around the clock in Tokyo you need a lot of energy, and Orono clearly has that in abundance. This is a woman who went from rural Saitama to small-town Maine, then London and on to the summit of the global indie pop scene as the lead vocalist of Superorganism, all before her 18th birthday.

Now an accomplished multimedia artist, she’s as kinetic as ever – gearing up to release two new albums, developing a distinctive visual language through her painting, doing a regular show on TBS Radio and much more. Who better then to kick off our guide to Tokyo round the clock?

What are some of your favourite things to do at night?

All-nighters at karaoke. Specifically at Manekineko in Nakano, because it’s cheap and you can bring in your own food and drinks. I refuse to pay for karaoke food.

Also, I haven’t done this yet, but I’d like to ride one of the boats [down the Sumida River] from Asakusa. I remember sitting on the beach in Odaiba with my friends one night looking at the boats, being like ‘That looks fun, maybe we’ll do that one day when we have more money.’

How do you like life in Tokyo compared to the US and London?

I like coming back home. A good and bad thing about Japan is that it’s always the same. This country hasn’t really changed since I was born, which is very comforting. When I’m texting my friends back in the States, they ask me ‘How’s Japan?’ and I’m like ‘Same old, same old, I’m just chilling’. The food is the best here – food, friends and family.

Anything you feel the city needs to do better with when it comes to nightlife?

Less drinking. People drink too much, but that’s also got to do with there not being any other drugs here [smiles]. You don’t want to see people passed out on the streets, so something that would help people drink a little less and be more responsible would be nice.

Tell us about your new band – or are there two?

With cheese touch [Orono’s duo with Mitch Marsico], we’ve been busy playing free shows – because everyone’s broke, including us – and are finishing up an album that’s coming out in August.

My other band is called Nose Noise. My dad’s friends and I got together to start it, because my dad’s setting up an indie record label and he wanted me to make the first album for it. That’s coming out early in August, too.

And you’re painting, too?

Yeah, I’m doing a collaboration with [the department store] Isetan, hand-painting like a hundred T-shirts. I can’t spend too much time on each one, so I’ll look at the shirt and whatever comes to mind first, I’ll paint. Just vibes, I guess.

In our latest issue, we reveal our favourite things to do in Tokyo at all hours. What’s your perfect day in the city?

My perfect day would start off with a therapy session. Then I’d go to the Tokyo Gymnasium in Sendagaya and work out for two hours. I’ll do a bunch of machines, run on the treadmill really fast for 30 minutes, then swim for 30 minutes – it’s a whole routine. Then I’d go get food with my friends, head to karaoke together, and then just hang out and drink at a park.