Guy Perryman, 58, was born in Scotland and raised in Singapore and Australia before moving to Japan in 1990. Since then, he has gone on to host various radio shows in Tokyo. He now hosts the "Guy Perryman Show" on InterFM’s Friday morning slot.
1. What first brought you to Japan? I was DJing with Virgin Megastore in Sydney — when people used to actually buy CDs. My boss needed a British DJ in Tokyo so, in 1990, I came for the opening of the Virgin Megastore in Shinjuku. I thought I would stay one year in Japan, have a good time, and go back to London. And here I still am 33 years later.
2. Did you know much about Japan before coming? I grew up in Singapore and used to fly through Hong Kong quite often, so I knew Asia quite well, but I’d never been to Japan. This was in the 1980s, and everyone’s image of Japan was business and salarymen. When I arrived, it was completely different than what I was expecting. I knew nothing about Harajuku and the cool youth culture. This place was way cooler than what the world knew about.