<figure id="attachment_208917" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-208917" style="width: 2865px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="fc84d1b4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/DSC_0699_18614-1_r.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-208917" class="wp-caption-text">Matayoshi wears glasses and has his hair tied up in a knot. Even after winning the Akutagawa Prize and becoming a successful writer, his style has not changed.</figcaption></figure>
<p> A little after 3:00 p.m. in late September, I encountered a man with a head like a pineapple on a main street in Ebisu (Shibuya Ward). It was Naoki Matayoshi (41) of Peace.</p>
<p> He was walking down the street towards Daikanyama in his &#8220;loungewear style&#8221; of an oversized T-shirt, wide pants and sandals. Perhaps it was because he had tied up his trademark long curly hair, but no one noticed that the Akutagawa Prize winner was there.</p>
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<p><strong> Matayoshi&#8217;s third novel, &#8220;Ningen,&#8221; published in &#8217;19, is widely considered by his fans to be his best work. The story opens with the main character, a young man, living in a &#8220;House&#8221;, a communal residence for young people, which is said to reflect Matayoshi&#8217;s own experiences as a young man.</strong></p>
<p> (A comedy insider) Matayoshi walks around, occasionally looking at his phone. The fans are looking forward to his fourth novel.</p>
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<figure id="attachment_208918" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-208918" style="width: 1442px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5aaeef12"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2021/10/DSC_0704_18619.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-208918" class="wp-caption-text"> Cut from the magazine Naoki Matayoshi, Peace, is planning his next novel! Walking slowly in the city center</figcaption></figure>
<p> From &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; October 15, 2021 issue</p>


 Masaaki Saito

 In late September, I saw a man with a head like a pineapple on the main street in Ebisu, Shibuya Ward. He is Naoki Matayoshi of "Peace. Even though he has won the Akutagawa Prize and become a successful writer, his style has not changed... Is he planning his next novel while strolling around?

Naoki Matayoshi of Peace: Slowly walking around central Tokyo, planning his next work!

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