Sofia Coppola has always been drawn to Japan. "My parents started taking me to Japan when I was a child," the filmmaker tells Town & Country. "I’ve always loved it. It has such a unique mix of beautiful tradition and extreme modernity. I love the culture, the attitude and appreciation towards nature, the design, value of respect, and the elegance."
As the country grows in popularity as a destination for American travelers, Coppola has a long list of recommendations: "I love Tokyo and I recommend going to an Onsen in the mountains in Hakone or taking the bullet train to Kyoto and visiting the temples and gardens if you can," she says. In the capital, "I always love to visit the Meiji Shrine in the middle of busy Harajuku—taking the path through the garden is such a contrast, and you can leave a wish on a wooden sign at the shrine. Akihabara is fun for electronics and the Nezu Museum is beautiful and gives respite from the energy of such a busy city," Coppola recommends.
But Coppola's interest in Japan goes beyond travel; her second feature film, Lost in Translation, was set in Tokyo, and now, she's teaming up with Japanese spirits brand The House of Suntory for the second time. Coppola is the creative director for a new Roku Gin campaign starring Elle Fanning. It's a reunion of sorts for the two women; they previously worked together on Coppola's 2010 film Somewhere and the 2017 film The Beguiled. "It’s always great to see Elle and work with her! It’s fun to see her now, grown up, after starting to work with her when she was 11. She always lights up the screen and is fun and easy," Coppola says.
The concept of the advertisement centers around a celebration of the Japanese concept of shun, an appreciation for each season's moment of peak freshness and vibrancy. "To me, shun is about taking time to pause and appreciate the moment in time," Coppola says. "The gin celebrates shun so well, harvesting the botanicals at their peak moments."
Coppola, personally, prefers to drink the gin in a Grapefruit spritz—it's her drink of the summer. Ideally, she'd sip it to a soundtrack featuring her daughter Romy's new music, saying, "I'm proud of my daughter Romy’s new song, 'Stuck Up.'" But when asked what her song of the summer is, Coppola replies, "Most likely, I’ll put on 'Summer Madness' by Kool and the Gang and go from there..."
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
