Q & A with Rina Valdez, Camille Ortiz, Maja Zhang, and Anna Marmaduke
Q: What’s one thing about Little Shinjuku outsiders always misunderstand?
Rina: That it’s cosplay. It’s not. People live here, fix boards, sew, pray, eat. The anime stuff’s just wallpaper.
Camille: They also think it’s new. It’s older than any of us—started when my grand-uncle worked at the mill and rented stalls to Japanese tailors.
Q: Describe the vibe upstairs vs. downstairs.
Maja: Upstairs is Sunday. Light, tea, aunties. Downstairs is Friday night forever.
Anna: Both have good food. Downstairs also has better gossip.
Q: What inspires your style?
Camille: Kevlar, denim, anything that survives falling. Ripped is proof of effort.
Rina: Old tools. I like steel more than silver.
Maja: Comfort. Clothes you can move in, run in, skate in.
Anna: Aprons, apparently. They never go out of fashion.
Q: What makes Marshall different from anywhere else in the CCA?
Maja: We still know our neighbors.
Rina: And our roads are smooth. That matters to skaters.
Camille: You can hear five languages before breakfast.
Anna: We’re not the Freehold. We’re Marshall. That’s enough.
Q: If Viví readers visited, what should they do first?
Rina: Bring a board.
Camille: Buy something handmade upstairs before you go sing downstairs.
Maja: Try the butter-chicken pizza.
Anna: Tip well. I’ll probably be your waitress.
