On a hot July afternoon, I was invited to the residence and work studio of Hagiwara Kazushi, one of WEEKLY JUMP's most successful artists to date. Meeting up with my guide at the Shibuya station, I was led into a taxi, heading towards Kichijouji, where the author lives and works with his troupe of commuting staff members. Upon arriving at Studio Loud in School, I was more than surprised that it was an ordinary house in a quiet residential neighborhood.
Entering through the front gate, I saw a small garden—more like a miniature bamboo forest—to my left, and a small passageway towards the garage (and later the backyard) to my right. I was a little nervous as I walked up a couple steps and through the front door, where I was immediately greeted by a couple statues of Godzilla and the like... and a huge statue of a woman's torso. Just then, the author himself came down from the studio room to greet us. He was coloring in the front page for the next episode in WEEKLY JUMP (which, incidentally, turned out to be the last episode before the move to ULTRA JUMP).
While he was still working, I got a tour of the house / studio from one of his assistants. The house centers around a stairway which is similar to, but not quite, a spiral staircase. The lowest end of the house is the garage, which is filled with unused materials (even an old desk for an assistant, that is no longer in use!) and manga. Lots of manga. Shelves and shelves full of manga—so much that you might be able to make a library. Going up half a level is the main bathroom, with a bathtub and even a sauna (which is currently out of commission) and the "movie room" with a bar, a wall full of laserdiscs and a projector.
Almost back at the first level (but still one step down) is the Japanese room, complete with the shoji screens and the tatami floor, which looks out onto that miniature bamboo forest. This room is used by Ms. Kobayashi Tamayo, an assistant-turned-professional manga artist that drops by Loud every so often to help out. The doorway right next to the entrance on the first floor is the assistants' room, where two staff members were busily replacing the old ziptone on the VIRGIN TYRANT manuscript. Still spiraling up, the first mezzanine level is the main workroom with one assistant's desk and Hagiwara-sensei's desk (enclosed by a fence). This room leads out into the back entrance, as well as the laundry room and the kitchen. The second mezzanine level is one of two secondary bathrooms. Still spiraling up, the second floor houses the author's private quarters. Another bathroom in yet another mezzanine (I swear, the architect for this house didn't want anything on the same level as another), and the top "floor" had two spacious rooms—one for gaming, and one for up to five assistants to crash in (one in the loft, two in the bunk beds and two more on the futons). Further up the staircase is the rooftop balcony area, with relatively easy access to the roof (where the author occasionally climbs up to sunbathe).
The tour said and done, our author was just about ready to take a break from his drawing.