In a city full of curious watering holes, bar-on-the-go Twillo has to be one of the most eccentric.
‘I am half-alien.’ That’s how Hachiro Kageyama, the owner of meteorite shop Uchumura (‘Space Village’), introduces himself. When Mr Kageyama was six, he became enchanted by the fact that the Milky Way was made up of many individual stars. Since then he has become ever more drawn to the mysteries of stars and outer space, leading to many space-related achievements.
He built his own rocket at the age of 18; he was an active local astronomer who discovered astronomical objects; he even opened his own astronomy school. He also took part in several international events, which culminated in him receiving a medal at the age of 22 from President Dwight D Eisenhower, who was praising the achievements of the International Geophysical Year (an international scientific project that was carried out from July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958).
At the age of 58, Mr Kageyama opened Uchumura, spurred on by his belief that meteorites have the power to make people’s wishes come true. Since then, he has collected meteorites found all over the world while continuing to run the shop and conduct research on all this debris from outer space.
As a visitor to his shop, you will be urged to take the seat next to the man himself. You’ll be given meteorites to hold while he extols their powers. There are rows and rows of rock crystals, meteorites and bodhisattva statues in the shop – it can be quite overwhelming. Keep an eye out for the highlight, a meteorite worth over ¥200 million. According to Mr Kageyama, ‘the bigger a meteorite, the bigger its power’.
Mr Kageyama often makes media appearances in which he is introduced as an eccentric. However, when asked about the secret to his success, he opts for a more grounded and less celestial approach: ‘Work without giving up; you can’t be lazy’. Guess there’s no such thing as a shortcut to success, especially when you’re reaching for the stars.
Uchumura, 4-28-20 Yotsuya, Shinjuku (Shinjuku-Gyoenmae Station). 03 3341 5239. uchumura.com.10am-8pm (irregular holidays).
