#01 | A Walk Around Yokohama with Friends

Monthly Letter #01 | Yokohama Hangout

Hi, I'm Chiai Nagano, shop owner at Chiais Creation Music.

This Monthly Letter is an archive blog of our monthly newsletter, sharing shop updates, playlist news, and behind-the-scenes stories. Thanks for being here!

Exhibiting at Creators EXPO 2026

Chiais Creation Music will be exhibiting at Creators EXPO 2026, taking place at Tokyo Big Sight (West Hall) from June 17–19, 2026. This will be our 3rd time at the show.

Stop by our booth to listen to tracks from both monikers — Chiai Nagano and Chiais — and talk directly about licensing or custom compositions. I don't play live these days, so this is one of the few chances to actually meet in person. If you're looking for custom BGM for video or spatial projects, come find us at the booth!

▶ Booth: L-01 (Music, Sound & Audio Content Zone)
▶ Details: Chiais Creation Music (English)

※ Advance registration (free) is required for entry. 

Now, this month's playlist.

June's Monthly Chill Songs Pickup!! is now updated.

Last week, some American friends came to Yokohama (Sakuragicho) for work and sightseeing, so I showed them around the area. We checked out some unique clothing shops, had lunch at a great spot with a nice open feel, and even took the Sea Bass ferry for no particular reason — just to mix things up. They seemed to enjoy it, which made me happy. (Not bad for a plan thrown together on the spot!)

[Walking from Akarenga to Hammerhead]
A nice easy stroll. The wide streets make it a great area to walk around.

Since my friend is also a label owner, we caught up over lunch — and the BGM at the restaurant was this great chill hop track. Of course, my brain went half off-track and I reached for Shazam as usual...

...only to find them both reaching for their phones at the exact same moment.

All three of us opened Shazam simultaneously — we couldn't stop laughing. Moments like that are the best when you share the same taste in music.

[A quick snap to celebrate the reunion! 📸]
Everyone nice and relaxed — and very vocal about the restaurant's incredible playlist taste lol

That song! ...or so I'd like to say, but it was probably the track that came on right after. Either way, I put it first on this month's list.

It's a collab between Nomak, a Japanese beatmaker, and Pete Philly, a Dutch rapper — both of whom have a deep love for jazz and soul, and that vibe naturally shaped the rest of the playlist too.

Roughly flowing from #Jazzy & #Soul chill beats into #Folk toward the end.

Speaking of Nomak — the name rang a bell, and sure enough, I found one of his albums in my CD shelf. Around 2007, Tower Records was pushing him hard as part of the Nujabes wave, and I picked it up after a listen. Work was so intense back then that the memory faded... but clearly it stayed with me, since I naturally pulled it into the playlist this time.

This Month's Featured Artist: Fukamidori

I've been a heavy listener since my teens, and music is still the biggest driving force behind my own production. Since 2022, I've also been active as a curator, sharing chill playlists — and it's from that music-lover's perspective that I introduce one artist from each month's playlist.

This month's pick is Fukamidori, the predecessor unit of composer Ikeguchi Ryo, who continues to be active in music today.

I had no idea who they were — I found them by digging after reading Ikeguchi-san's Note. Home recording with no DAW, playing every instrument, writing all the lyrics and melodies... honestly incredible. The fact that recordings made on a Roland VS-880 over 25 years ago are still being listened to today says it all.

This month I've included "Sugita Hanashi (過ぎた話)" from Fukamidori's 2nd album Peanuts on the Run at track (18). The genre is folk, and it blends naturally into the relaxed closing stretch of the playlist (tracks 17–20). Definitely worth a listen!

On a side note, I came across this quote in Ikeguchi-san's Note:

"Even if it's an old song, the moment you discover it is when it becomes new to you." — Haruomi Hosono

That's exactly how it felt to find this one. Check out Ikeguchi-san's Note for the full story.

That's it for the first edition! Here's the playlist.

Monthly Chill Songs Pickup!! (1 Hour · 20 Songs)
Spotify　Apple Music　Amazon Music　YouTube Music

📸 Photo: Daemon

The friend I showed around Yokohama is a California-based A&R and publisher, and the founder of Tsunami Sounds and KUU WRLD. He's also released one of my tracks on his label.

Feedback and questions about the blog are always welcome. Feel free to reach out via the site contact form.

See you next time!