―What kind of shop is Sister, whose representative is Mr. Nagao?

Nagao: This is a select boutique that opened in 2008 (currently online shop only). Since the beginning of the business, we have basically operated exclusively by women based on the concept of “a shop for women”. Since I became an independent representative six years ago, I have had many opportunities to feel the difficulty of living in society because I am a woman. I have been here as a shop for women, but when my rights were threatened, I realized that I was ignorant about women's rights and how to deal with harassment, and I learned how superficial I was. Therefore, I would like to learn again what it means to be “for women” while interacting with our customers, so we started an event in 2019 on International Women’s Day on March 8th.

―What is the difficulty of living in society?

Nagao: Rather than having a decisive event, it is closer to daily accumulation. Harassment happens in various places every day, and I pretend to be obsessed or unnoticed, but it was stocked and filled with feelings of anger and doubt. For Sister's anniversary, we have released anniversary goods every year, but we want to move to a day that focuses on women as a whole, not just a shop celebration. By providing opportunities to think about gender equality through events, we decided to develop knowledge and thinking together with our customers.

―Sister has been collaborating with various companies and artists to raise issues related to gender. What is the relationship between limerime, an organic sanitary product brand that we have teamed up with this time?

Nagao: I met Mr. Sudo of limerime for the first time at a Mexican feminist artist Monica Meyer's event held at Shibuya PARCO two years ago. I started to deepen my friendship due to the commonality of my private life, and I was together at this event.

―Please tell us the significance of the exhibition at Welpa, a medical wellness mall on the 10th floor of Shinsaibashi PARCO.

Nagao: In Shibuya edition, you can sympathize with more people than you imagined. In Osaka, we decided to hold the event if there were people who could sympathize with our thoughts. I am deeply sympathetic to the concept of Welpa, which aims to live a comfortable life through regular prevention and treatment care. I am excited that exhibiting at this place where women can easily use clinics, etc., will create dialogue from a different perspective than before.

―What kind of customers would you like to visit?

Nagao: Due to the nature of the Welpa space, customers who are interested in self-care and gender equality may come to visit us. I'm still studying and feel that I need to update every day, so I'm looking forward to talking to those people.

Sudo: I believe that it is meaningful for everyone, not just women, to learn the history of physiology. Unraveling modern social issues, inadequacies of gender education in childhood has had a considerable impact. Of course, sex education is also studied at school, but only the sexual and reproductive parts are focused and regarded as disgusting. I think it is essential to learn the underlying rights and communication, and then talk about the private zone and the structure of the body from there. By knowing the history of physiology, we believe that we will be able to return to the origins of sexual education and social issues.

―It is a different space from the Shibuya edition held in the pop-up space on the first floor, so it seems that a deeper dialogue will be born. I'd like to see this time.

Nagao: I had relatively little trouble, especially without regard to physiology, and somehow I chose and used products. However, with the encounter with limerime products, I learned about the history of physiology and the transition of social views, and changed my way of dealing with physiology every month. I think it will be an exhibition with fresh learning.

Sudo: It's hard to talk about menstruation, but each person has various thoughts and questions. By having a place to talk and share it openly, I hope that even one thing will be a plus for visitors. "Without touching sanitary products, we cannot tell the history of women." This is the word of Hikaru Tanaka, a historical sociologist who has written books such as "Social History of sanitary products" (Tsunogawa Sophia Bunko) and supervised the exhibition. The success of women and the advancement of society were realized only because of the creation of disposable sanitary products with functions and convenience. By knowing these changes, I think it is possible to unravel the gender consciousness hidden in society and connect it to a better future.

―The first talk show will be held in Osaka. What are you going to talk about?

Sudo: We are considering talks on three pillars, such as disposal of sanitary products, environmental issues, choice of sanitary products, and menstrual education. This time, in addition to me and Yumi, Professor Eiri Sugita of Osaka University, who has been researching and supporting menstrual problems in developing countries for a long time, and Professor Kazuko Kokuni of Nihon Fukushi University will be on the stage. limerime's production started with a discussion with Professor Sugita that he would like to solve social issues related to physiology through the development of sanitary products. As a brand, I think it is very meaningful to be able to have a session in Osaka with the teachers who have helped me in various fields.

―In addition to talk shows, is there any difference from Shibuya?

Sudo: In the Osaka edition, not only the contents related to the history of physiology, but also the theme of "History and the Future" will be an exhibition that incorporates future things. In terms of scale, it will be a little minimal, but I would like to deliver content that is more intense.

―Was there any difficulties in producing the exhibition?

Sudo: In addition to Mr. Tanaka's book, I had a hard time that information on the history of physiology did not fall much. Speaking of my greed, I wanted to focus a little more on the personality of Yasuko Sakai, who made the first disposable sanitary product in Japan, Annenapkin. There are few sources of information, and it was quite difficult.

―Finally, please tell us about self-care that you usually practice.

Nagao: How to prevent it from happening, instead of thinking about how to deal with it when you get sick. We value the parts that are also connected to the concept of Welpa, and we regularly go to gynecology and dentists to ensure that physical maintenance is not lacking. When I discovered a disease before, I thought again about what it means to be healthy. Health is very important, but it is not necessarily "not sick = health", but I wonder if maintaining a state where you can spend your time comfortably every day will lead to health. My self-care is to incorporate herbs and Chinese medicine into your daily life, to ensure a comfortable and healthy life by ensuring a moderate bathing and sleep time.

Sudo: My recommendation is steamed mugwort. Your body will be shiny and you will feel refreshed. It is also attractive to be able to empty your head without thinking about anything during the 30 to 40 minutes of treatment. I don't think it's easy to take time to rest my brain because I'm busy every day, so please take it in. The other is a natural sanitary product. By changing from petroleum-derived products such as synthetic fibers to natural products, the burden on the skin is reduced. For this exhibition, we will also sell limerime products made from plastic-free using bamboo fibers. By incorporating sanitary products that are friendly to both the body and the environment, the melancholy period will surely be comfortable!

Traveling exhibition limerime and the history of physiology and "future"

◼︎ Exhibition Period June 1 (Sat) - June 2 (Sun), 2024

　　　　　※Exhibition only until June 28th (Friday)

■Business hours 10:00-20:00

◼Location Shinsaibashi PARCO 10F Welpa

▷Click here for the event details