What constitutes a ‘sign’? Sometimes, it is a moment of pure clarity, spontaneously expressed at a time when it’s truly needed and least expected. Other times, all it takes is seeing the name of a bar or a friendly face that sparks a memory and tells you that you are in the right place at the right time.

On a warm Autumn night in 2020, Issam was ready to find his latest adventure in the streets of Tokyo, and an individual who could inspire the next Tadaima episode. Like in so many cities across the globe, the bustling streets of Tokyo were emptier and lacking it’s essence due to the Coronavirus pandemic. A new lockdown had just begun in the capital, which meant that the bars and restaurants which famously crowd the streets were closing earlier than normal. Even in Shinjuku, which is an area of Tokyo popular with tourists for its extravagant fashion and bustling streets, the energy was significantly calmer, which lead Issam to doubt whether he was going to find anybody to collaborate with.

Wing-man Nico in tow, Issam decided to venture further out to Shinjuku Sanchome. Memories of many ginger highballs and good times floated back into his memory as he saw the name of a karaoke bar he had visited only two years previously: Angelo which didn’t seem to be closing as early as every other bar in the neighbourhood. Was it a sign that this is where the next episode lies?

A kind woman called Mama welcomed the pair into the establishment with appetizers and drinks. After sharing conversations with many diverse people at the busy bar for some time, practicing their Japanese, the door opened, and in walked a very large, bad-ass man. Issam immediately remembered the kindness in his face and quickly decided that it was he needed to know more. Annoyingly without his trusty camera, Issam and Nico approached sixty-two-year-old bodybuilder, Akihiro Nakashima and the pair began to discuss their passions.

Akihiro-san shared stories of how he began his career in bodybuilding at the age of forty, and how after taking fifteen years off, made a comeback in the sport. In 2017, he competed for the first time in Los Angeles, where he placed 5th in the 40-over category. In 2019, he won the 60+ class. He announced that he was also given the title of Mister Universe, and showed the pair some of the medals he had won in his tournaments.

The pride he showed in talking about his sport was moving, especially that all his work had been achieved naturally and he was a member of the PNBA (the Professional National Bodybuilding association. After sharing the previous work Issam had created for the Tadaima project, Issam started to feel a similar pride for his craft and decided that he definitely needed to film Aki-san.

The bodybuilder connected with Issam’s concept to capture the stories of real Japanese people, and told him to come back to the bar with his camera.