A Service Minded Magician of a Public Bath House

TAJIMAGIC

"I have never seen such great magic!"
On the tall chimney in a quiet residential area of Nakano, Tokyo, the words "Magic Onsen" are written. At the entrance, the words "Showa Yokujo (Public bath house)" are displayed. When you step into the house, you will feel the nostalgia of an old-time sento (public bath.) Now that renovated streets and food alleys of the Showa era of the 30s (1965-1974) are becoming popular, this public bathhouse will take you back to the good old days of Japan. On the wall in the bathing area is a beautiful picture of Mt. Fuji (right), a typical decoration in Japanese public bathhouses.

Mr. TAJIMA Sumihiro or "Tajimagic" is the third generation owner of this public house. He is known as a "psychic illusionist" and has been praised by "NewsWeek" magazine. Moreover, he has been featured in TV programs in Australia, Russia, Korea and Taiwan. It is not an exaggeration to say he is as talented as "Mr. Maric," the top Japanese magician. Since he often appeas on TV programs, he has become known to many people.

If you go to "Showa Yokujo," you can see this amazing magic. The mini-magic show does not take place on a special stage. It begins in the lobby, with the magician calling the guests to join in the casual atmosphere just like when showing "kamishibai" (traditional Japanese picture-card show). Those who see the show are amazed, exclaiming "Unbelievable, fantastic!" "I have never seen such great magic!"

Your mind has been read
Here is an example of his magic. Tajimagic asks somebody to participate. He puts a 10 yen coin, a 100 yen coin and a 500 yen coin on the person's palm and asks them to confirm the coins are genuine. Tajimagic then asks the audience which coin they want to have disappear. If they say the 100 yen coin, Tajimagic tells the participant to close their fingers over the coin, and a few seconds later to open them again. When the person's palm is visible, the coin has disappeared.

Another trick involves cards. Tajimagic asks someone to say the name of a card while he produces a set of cards. Then showing the front faces of the cards, he spreads them like a fan and asks the audience to select the card that was mentioned. When the audience turns the card over, they find the back of it has been crossed with a pen. Of course there are no cross marks on the other cards.

One of Tajimagic's more amazing tricks takes place when Tajimagic asks an audience member to mention their favorite food. Surprisingly, the answer has already been written on a portable board covered by a lid. For instance, the audience member says "tuna sushi." When the lid is taken off, the same words are seen. It may make you speechless, but you have to admit he has supernatural powers.

Such amazing magic tricks are produced one after another. Tajimagic's audiences are often struck dumb with amazement. In the Showa Yokujo bathhouse, Tajimagic shows you amazing magic in front of your eyes even on the days he sits behind the reception in the building. Surprisingly, the bathhouse admission fee which includes a free magic show - is only 400 yen.

He washes the bath floor and sits on the reception by himself
One of the great things about Tajimagic is that he is also the third generation owner of this public bath, even though he has so many talents as a magician. He washes the bathhouse floor and sits in the reception by himself communicating with guests. He feels happy doing this. Tajimagic has a very unique character in which an ordinary person's personality and a star's personality coexist in the same person.

Where does his spirit for service come from? "I like it when people are pleased," he says frankly. His spirit for service may have come from his experiences. Since he became a contracted model for a publishing company "Shufu to Seikatsusha" when he was three years old, he appeared in commercials, posters, TV and movies in his junior years.

Influenced by Mr. Maric's amazing magic, Tajimagic started learning magic as a hobby when he was a second grade student at high school. "I have studied by myself and do not belong to any magic associations, so I'm free to do what I like. I often visit elderly peoples' homes. I have never forgotten the experience I had when I visited a hospice. Those people who were dying soon enjoyed my magic and smiled," he said, expressing his satisfaction. For your information, Tajimagic sometimes comes to the Hiragana Times party and brings a lot of enjoyment to participants.

As he has mastered the illusions and magic by himself, he must have put in a lot of effort. "I bought more than 2,000 magic kits. I probably spent more than 30 million yen, but I could only use one out of every 10-20 kits. Not only that, I have to add my original ideas to them," Tajimagic says.

When he was asked about his secrets of success, he said "It is to read the mind of the audience, in which every person's character is quite different. For example, if I ask audience members to pick a card from a set of cards, some take the one on the top and some pick the one from the middle. Tricks are changed according to circumstances. I often make a mistake, but the important thing is to make sure the audience does not notice it. With this job I have become nervous disorder," he laughs.

A service in which guests can take out natural well water using pet bottles
Tajimagic is worried that the number of sento guests is decreasing every year. The history of Japanese sento goes back quite a long way. Sento used to take the role of a community center for ordinary people for such a long time that sento scenes often became the subjects of ukiyoe or traditional Japanese woodblock prints in the Edo period (1603-1867). However, partly due to the rapid growth of the economy after WWII, most houses began to be furnished with baths and subsequently the number of sento has dropped. At their peak, there were 2,800 public bathhouses in Tokyo, but now there are only 1,000.

Showa Yokujo opens until 1:30 am and 3:00 am on Fridays. You don't have to bring anything. A towel, shampoo and a bath towel can be rented for only 400 yen. Another service offers guests the opportunity to take away natural well water containing rich minerals in pet bottles for free. On Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays you can enjoy 80 different herb baths including wine and lavender. Some baths have a hot spring effect.

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