82-year-old DJ thrills crowds on Tokyo’s club scene
Octogenarian DJ Sumirock lays down beats with the exuberance of young club-goers who party with her into the night
By day, Sumiko Iwamuro runs a Chinese restaurant, where she has worked for six decades making fried dumplings, and by night, she spins records at Tokyo clubs under the moniker DJ Sumirock.
But the juggling of long days and frenzied nights isn’t even Iwamuo’s most inspiring feat.
She’s also 82 years old.
Japan is known for its ageing demographic, with people aged 65 and above accounting for 26.6 per cent of the population in 2015.
A prime example of an active senior, Iwamuro plays to club denizens mostly 60 years younger, at the DecaBarZ nightclub in the heart of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district.
Taking up the turntables in her 70s, Iwamuro spent a year learning tricks of the trade at a school for disc jockeys.
Once she made her way to the dance floor, she stole the hearts of club-goers.