"Life with Lypo-C" is a serial feature that focuses on the various people who love to take Lypo-C.
This time, we have Akari Komatsu, a radio personality based in Kamakura!
 
Komatsu delivers her cheerful voice and local information every Saturday on Kamakura FM's "Kamakura Good Morning Station."
We spoke to her about a variety of topics, from her important connections with the local community, to seasonal foods and health, and how to take Lypo-C.
 
 

Komatsuakari 
Radio personality/local media creator. Born in Iwate Prefecture, currently living in Kamakura. While raising three children, she started her activities with the concept of "bringing life and work closer together." Through her planning and communication skills, she delivers people's thoughts and ways of life to society.

Kamakura FM "Kamakura Good Morning Station" >> 
Komatsu Akari's Instagram >>
 
 

Based in Kamakura, living in connections 

 
──Komatsu-san, who reports on local information on the radio show "Kamakura Good Morning Station," which focuses on Kamakura, what is the appeal of Kamakura to you? 
 
I moved to Kamakura to raise my children. I have had the opportunity to work in various jobs related to the local community, including as a radio personality.
 
For me, the charm of Kamakura is that it has the sea, mountains, rivers, and city all in one place.
You can enjoy nature to your heart's content, as well as the cultural streets and the excitement of the city center. It's a truly charming and wonderful place where you can enjoy a variety of things, like hors d'oeuvres.
 
Another attraction of Kamakura is the people who gather here. I think that because it is based on nature, it is an environment where people full of love can easily gather. Various activities are born every day thanks to the power of the people who gather here.
 
──The information that you introduce on the radio is always something that makes you think, "That looks fun!" or "I want to go there!" Is there anything you keep in mind when communicating this information? 
 
I'm very happy to hear that!
A radio personality's job is to convey information through their voice, but unlike announcers who read aloud accurately, I think it's important for the person to have their own unique style, as the word "personality" suggests. I think it's important to convey my unique emotions and personality through my voice.
 
Kamakura FM, the station I work for, is a local radio station in the Kamakura and Shonan area, so we are able to provide more detailed and dense information than nationally broadcast radio stations.
To achieve this, I try to find information myself as much as possible, meet people in person, and try out various things.
 
I like to thoroughly digest and absorb information in my own way, and then convey it in my own words. I find it fun and joyful to be able to do that consistently.
 
 
 
 
──Apart from radio, you also do local-based activities such as running a co-working space and planning markets. 
 
That's right. There's a reason why I started working locally.
When I moved to Kamakura and started raising my children, I didn't have my parents nearby, nor did I have any acquaintances or friends. I felt isolated and lonely living just at home.
 
After that, I returned to work while raising my child, and I was reminded that work is an important part of my life.
However, my days were so busy that I was exhausted from not doing my best at both work and family.
 
After calmly thinking about the reasons for this, I came to the conclusion that one of the reasons might be the distance between my home and my workplace, so I started trying to bring my life closer to my work, a practice known as "living close to work."
 
Working locally and living locally.
That was the moment when the word "community" first came into my life.
 
"Is there anything I can do to help someone in my community?" I wondered, and while thinking about this, I realized that there were many mothers raising children who, like me, were looking for contact with society.
We wanted a place in the local area where such mothers could have contact with society and be active, so we opened "KAMAKURA COWORKING HOUSE" in Kamakura, a co-working space with childcare facilities based on the concept of "bringing child-rearing and work closer together."
 
It was my first action since becoming independent, but once I created a place, little by little people started to gather, and before long a community was born!
What I felt through this activity was that as long as there are connections and the right environment, people can make full use of their talents in the local community.
Because of that original experience, I am now able to do a variety of work related to the local community.
 
I am particularly good at "communicating," so I consider this my profession, and I mainly work on planning and producing media and disseminating information. I want to play a role in building bridges between people, companies, and all kinds of communities.
 
 

Tuning your body with Lypo-C 

 
-- Being a radio personality requires a lot of vocal effort, is there anything you pay particular attention to? 
 
I don't do anything in particular to take care of my throat, but my condition tends to worsen from my throat.
So, when I'm working on radio or other jobs that require me to speak, I find and practice the "optimum tone" that won't strain my throat.
 
For example, speak a little quieter than usual and maintain an appropriate distance from the microphone and people. Don't strain yourself too much, speak softly like you're playing an instrument -- but it's a bit of a feeling, so it might be hard to convey (laughs).
 
--You have a deep understanding of your own body. Is there anything else you do to stay healthy? 
 
Lately it's "sleep"!
Up until about 10 years ago, I considered myself a short sleeper. Three hours of sleep was enough, and I could stay awake as long as I wanted.
However, as I get older, my thoughts have changed and I've come to realize that getting enough sleep is really important.
 
My work schedule is up and down so there are days when I have to work late, but lately I've been feeling like, "Please let me sleep for 8 hours!" (laughs)
In the past, I was able to make up for this by being young, but now fatigue accumulates quickly, and once I get exhausted it takes a long time to recover.
 
It was around that time that I started taking Lypo-C.
At first, the dentist I went to with my child recommended Lypo-C.
Originally, I was not interested in supplements at all, so I thought, "I can get nutrients from food." However, it is difficult to maintain health through self-management alone. I was keenly aware of this at the time, so I thought I would give it a try.
 
I took all three packets on the first day and was surprised when I woke up the next morning!
I woke up feeling incredibly light and refreshed, and was really surprised at the difference it made.
 
Nowadays, rather than drinking it every day, I take it when I have a series of busy days or when I want to work hard the next day.
The dosage is 2 packets at night, go to sleep, and then take 1 packet when you wake up in the morning.
 
Also, on days when I'm working indoors without meeting people, I tend to feel inward-looking, so I consciously take Lypo-C to cheer myself up.
 
 
 
 
 
I used to think that the mind could control the body.
But recently, I've realized that my body controls my mind.
 
When I was young, I could do my best with just my willpower. But as I got older, the state of my body started to control the state of my mind.
A healthy body means a healthy mind, and vice versa.
 
However, it is difficult to solve everything by one's own abilities alone. In order to achieve good quality health management, I decided to rely more and more on others.
With this realization in mind, I am now actively seeking help from various people and things, including Lypo-C, to consciously "tune my body and mind."
 
 

A lifestyle that takes the calendar into consideration 

 
Another thing I am conscious of in terms of my health is the "calendar." I live my life based on the lunar calendar.
Using the lunar calendar as a guide is very useful for self-observation of your body.
 
For example, right now, according to the lunar calendar, we are in the "Autumn Doyo" period, just before the beginning of winter. (*At the time of the interview)
It's a time when the seasons are changing and everyone's center of gravity is easily shifted.
During this period, try to avoid eating junk food as much as possible and eat foods that aid digestion.
 
I'm not very good at cooking, so rather than making elaborate dishes, I look at the calendar and try to focus on using ingredients that are in season.
 
As humans, we unconsciously live in accordance with the rhythm of nature, so I see food as part of that rhythm as well, and I try to be conscious of consuming seasonal ingredients as much as possible.
In that respect, Kamakura is rich in nature and has excellent ingredients.
 
I have lots of bamboo shoots growing in my garden.
I enjoy watching the soil swell before the bamboo shoots sprout and the excitement of seeing them, "Ah, they're coming!" together with my children.
Every day, the land of Kamakura teaches me that there are actually many previously "invisible" workings of nature right next to where we live.
 
I believe that there are actually a lot of things like this that we just can't see.
Vegetables exist only because farmers work hard to grow them, and we wouldn't get to them if there were no one to transport them by truck, but we can only get them in supermarkets because there are people who put them on the shelves every day.
 
When you begin to see things that you couldn't see before, you will naturally feel grateful.
Furthermore, I believe that combining "food" and "gratitude" makes delicious food taste even better and brings you closer to a truly healthy state.
 
As for my future vision, I would like to revitalize not only Kamakura, but local areas all over the country. As a media creator, I would like to somehow liven up areas that are losing population or are losing power, including my hometown.
 
I'm sure there are many more possibilities locally.
Although I am not capable of creating anything tangible, I am honing my intangible communication skills every day, and would like to put my experiences to good use in the local community.