[ SomSoc ] A Chat With Gen Ken

SomSoc is the kind of place you need to experience. They do so much different stuff, it's hard to fully understand what's going on just from their social media. We had a little conversation with our friend and co-owner of the space, Genken, to talk about how SomSoc came to be, what's kept it alive in one of the world's hardest retail environments, and where he wants to take it next.

Can you give us your background, where you're from and what you did before SomSoc?

I originally come from a small town in the northeast part of China. I loved manga and animation, so I decided to come to Japan to learn how to draw. I graduated from Kyoto University, where I learned both the Japanese language and how to draw illustration and design. I spent four years in Kyoto, then went to Tokyo for my first job, painting backgrounds for Japanese animation. From there I moved into concept design, then briefly worked at a game company with a friend. That's where I met Dian, who is incredibly talented at animation. We got an offer to license one of her original characters to a game company, and that's when we decided to start our own business to manage our own content.

Was there a specific moment you decided you wanted a physical space?

It wasn't just one moment. Dian and I were doing a lot of exhibitions and events, and we noticed there weren't really curators, you'd just get given a space and have to do everything yourself. So we built our own skills in event-running and curation across other people's galleries. SomSoc itself came together almost by luck. During COVID, physical business was incredibly hard, and a friend who collected art asked if we could help her find someone to take over her space. No one wanted to take it on, the rent was high and the risk even higher, but we decided to do it ourselves. I don't know exactly where the decision came from, but something in us wanted a physical place, and we'd already been running our business for six or seven years by then.

Harajuku is brutal for retail, spaces open and close constantly. What's kept SomSoc alive for five years?

The most important thing is that you have to be a nice person, so that when you're going through hard times, people can help you. I really appreciate that we don't act big-headed. Business skills are important to survive as a company, but that's not enough. The vision, and how you bring people together to help each other, the humanity of the business, is very important, especially in hard times. We have artists, we have partners like Paolo and Joey, and we try to build a structure where people can help each other.

How would you describe SomSoc to someone who's never been?

First, you'll find something you can only find here. Second, everything is selected by people with real taste. Third, we give everything, even the products, a story.

Can you say more about that, the story behind the products?

It's about respecting the mind behind the product, not just the product itself. If something is sold at SomSoc, we have to give it a story, why this product is here. That story changes the customer's experience completely, they're not just buying something, they're hearing what's behind it. SomSoc is trying to sell the story and the cultural part of things. The product is just the key that starts the conversation.

If you had to describe SomSoc in one sentence?

Connecting ideas.

What would you never want to change about SomSoc?

That's difficult, because things are always changing, and maybe that's the honest answer. But what we don't want to change is the faith and trust of the people around us.

SomSoc is the mirrored word for Cosmos, and your own message on the website talks about the artist being at the center of everything. Where do you want to take that next?

As a new business, we can't force people to buy things the way huge brands like Apple or Nike do. What we can do is show respect for our audience and their cultures, and remix our ideas with theirs to make something new. That's how we think about growing into different markets, telling new stories from wherever we go, not just exporting what we already do.

How big is the SomSoc team today?

About 20 people.

How does your own background, being Chinese, show up in the work you do at SomSoc?

Two things. Practically, a lot of our production happens in China, so being able to speak the language natively makes things easier. But the deeper thing is more about spirit, how you approach problems. I think blending Eastern and Western ways of thinking helps you find new ways through a situation, whether the person across from you is Japanese, Chinese, or from anywhere else. I'm happy being Chinese and living in Japan, but respect is important, even when cultures look similar on the surface, the identities underneath can be very different. Since our business was never local from day one, we have to take that seriously.

What's your favorite anime?

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is one I watched recently. But if I had to point to something that shaped how I think, it's Mind Game and Ping Pong the Animation, both by the director Masaaki Yuasa. Ping Pong comes from a manga by Taiyo Matsumoto. What I like about Yuasa is how he pushes 2D animation past what people think it can do, twisting form in a way 3D can't, to tell something spiritual and cutting.

Any food recommendations near SomSoc?

Ramen at Afuri, there are two locations nearby, one spicier, one not, both really good. And soup curry, Japanese-style, not Indian, served with rice and shrimp. I go there a lot.

Anything you want to add that we haven't covered?

We really want to connect people. There's a lot of AI conversation right now, and it's not inherently good or bad, but I think the best ideas from now on will come from real creative people. So we try to connect talented artists and creators, because that's going to be the most valuable resource going forward. Anyone creating things is welcome to join us, wherever they are.

One more thing, can you explain CREASIDENCE, in your own words?

CREASIDENCE is about turning a certain experience into a system, a way to support artists in getting real projects done. It's not just a workshop or a residency. We want to share income with the artists directly. Usually big projects only happen through big companies. We wanted to build a different way, where independent artists and creators can get a share of licensing income without needing a big company behind them. The idea becomes a product, SomSoc helps sell it, and the money goes back to the artist, a good circle, where people get to keep creating the things they love.