Japanese songwriter ‘iwapt’ making a name in Cebu

A photo of Ken Iwamoto at the Otaki Castle in Japan. | contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Ken Iwamoto, a Japanese songwriter and filmmaker from Tokyo who goes by a screen name “iwapt,” has proven a lot in the music industry, not only in Japan, but also in the Philippines, particularly in Cebu.

‘Iwapt’ has collaborated with several local artists in different projects. This includes but not limited to Richie Gonzaga, a saxophone player from the Apo Hiking Society, and some Cebuano artists like of The Agadiers.

‘Iwapt’ has also been featured in different news programs, where he got to perform his unplugged version of “Dr. Clinic.”

If you are fond of listening to radio stations, you must have heard the first 17 seconds of “Dr. Clinic” from the Handuman sa Usa ka Awit and ‘Yakusoku’ radio programs of dyHP. That’s a portion of iwapt’s track.

With his passion in filmmaking, he also participated in the recently concluded 2022 Chiba’s Otaki Town Short Movie Competition last October 13, 2022. He won the competition and received the Grand Prix Championship Award organized by the town itself.

This is a promotional video of the Otaki town that is becoming a trend in tourism in the said prefecture. ‘Iwapt’ said that he noticed that even if Otaki is just 60 minutes by car from the Tokyo Haneda Airport and is even essentially accessible from Narita Airport, there are only a few tourist there. He wants others to know more about this amazing place.

The said town also won the 2013 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for the Cultural Heritage Conservation.

As he aims to help Otaki be known in the public as a safe and preserved area, ‘iwapt’ said that Otaki is a town filled with beautiful sights making people want to go to Otaki.

Further, ‘iwapt’ said that Cebuanos’ optimistic attitude is one of the factors he also made a name here, where he is considered an ‘adopted Cebuano’.

/bmjo

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