Tipstarr: Gorgeous and Glamorous Fun in Asia!

There are two kinds of holidays, really. A: running away to find the middle of nowhere, relaxing on the beach and getting into random sightseeing or B: in case you are a city girl like me, you might crave for a gorgeous and glamorous holiday in another huge city. The free magazine project Tipstarr shows us sexy models riding on a moterbike in Bangkok, people having dinner at an open-air restaurant on 63rd floor overlooking a sparkling city at night next to a beautifully designed room in a new hotel which has just opened. PingMag spoke to the producer of Creative Project, Hiroyuki Hatakeyama, about Tipstarr, which is more than a magazine full of gorgeous holiday information.

Written by Chiemi
Translated by Natsumi Yamane

Hiroyuki, can you start with the origin of the name “Tipstarr” and explain what kind of magazine “Tipstarr” is?

The title Tipstarr comes from introducing good Tips as well as finding the Stars in Asia.

It is an annual project planned for 4 issues so far in association with an Asian airline. We’ve featured Vietnam in our 1st issue, Thailand in the 2nd issue, Bali in the 3rd, and Malaysia is planned for the upcoming 4th issue. We are intending to make it into an in-flight magazine for airlines in the future, and we are actually in the process of acquiring the required authorizations for that.

Where can I find Tipstarr then?

Right now we distribute the magazine at hairdressers, design hotels, select shops, restaurants, clubs like Womb and gates around Narita Airport, but you can also find them in nice hotels in Asia. For now the idea is mainly to inspire people travelling from Japan to other parts in Asia.

Also, since we always pick one of the best photographers from Japan for our on-site coverage we exhibit those photos for a two week period at Ex’realm in Harajuku each time.

From Tipstarr Vol.1 - VIETNAM

Tipstarr Vol.2 - THAILAND, distributed since November last year. The cover features Thai fashion models Kanyanut and Niwattra.

What made you start this magazine?

I used to travel a lot, but most of those trips were only for a short period of time, 4 to 5 days perhaps. So if I took a heavy holiday guide book with me, I couldn’t read it all in such a short period of time, and thought a quick travel guide to read during the flight would actually be much better.

Since then Yamaha Motor Company (a high performer in Asia) has shown an interest in this idea and kindly been supporting this project.

What made you choose Vietnam for your first issue?

I wanted to go to a socialist country that’s in contrast with Japan. Also, Vietnam was one of the places that I had never been to before, so I was curious to find out what sort of things or people I might actually find there.

Actually, the first issue of Tipstarr I came across was not the 1st but the 2nd, and I was so surprised to find out that it was “aiming to be an in-flight magazine.” Wouldn’t you say that Tipstarr’s contents, as well as their visuals are quite different from existing in-flight magazines?

The newest issue of “2 (Two)”, a high fashion magazine in Thailand.

Well, Vietnam is a little weak in terms of sightseeing and resorts compared to other Asian countries, so the first issue didn’t come out as high quality as we wanted it to be. But we hopefully took it a little further in our 2nd issue - Thailand.

The new attempt here was to have the chief editor of “2 (Two)” - the popular high fashion magazine in Thailand - to be in charge of the first 4 pages. We had a fashion photo shooting with the top models of Thailand in designer clothes - and that was a lot of fun.

What sort of readers are you focussing on?

Tipstarr is aiming at the so-called trend-setters in their late 20s to mid-30s perhaps. We’re aiming to make a quality magazine that is quite specific and we don’t mind not pleasing anyone! It’s boring to have an in-flight magazine full of information on famous sights and buildings anyway.

So we are targeting those people who want to have a great time on their holidays, people who can spend lavishly for their dreams. But I don’t necessarily think that such people are the so-called “wealthy” people either.

How do you usually gather all your information for the magazines?

We do some research in Japan first and then ask local people for further coverage. But then other things just happen on the way… I found out that David Hodkinson was the architect who designed a house for an Arabian king while I was staying in Europe, and then contacted him through various people. We also called photographer Hans Kemp, after seeing his photo collections at a bookshop and we came across the Thai branch of the New York designer hotel “Dream” by coincidence while we were doing local coverage in Thailand - and then went to their opening party. We met some more people there and decided to write about them, too.

What else is there in the THAILAND Tippstar issue?

We featured Palmy, the Thai equivalent of Kaela Kimura and the talented creative directors of BBDO Bangkok who swept up all sorts of advertising prizes. We’ve also covered a Thai hip-hop group and the pop idol Golf Mike, as well as readers of the Thai edition of Japanese magazine “Cawaii!”. You can also find out about restaurants, clubs and hotels, and there are some pages of artworks by Keiji Ito, too.

What do you pay most attention to during the process of the compilation?

We try to focus on the culture of the local people and try to convey the present state of the country through traveling as much as possible.

Are there any plans to cover other continents as well, or will Tipstarr only stick to Asia?

I don’t know about that yet. Realistically speaking, even if we hoped to cover Africa, for example, I don’t think many people would endure a long flight to go there. (Just think about the very short Japanese holidays…) So for Tipstarr Asia is probably the best market.

Then what are your future plans at Tipstarr?

At the moment, we only have a Japanese edition out, but we are in the process of making an English version, too.

Hopefully, we are starting a Tipstarr Tour relating to our 2nd issue at least. The project has only just started this year, but the idea is to organize a Bangkok tour called “Dream Travel” in association with Royal Orchid Holidays, an affiliate travel agency of Thai Airways.

A Tipstarr Tour! What are your ideas for that?

Tipstarr will come up with the itinerary, like introducing a particular spa to visit during the day, then eating at that restaurant in the evening, visiting this club to listen to which that DJ, etc… But that’s just the standard plan and we would eventually like to provide a special service, something like a concierge.

We are also currently planning to design, manufacture and market in-flight-extras such as pillows, blankets, and travel bags on top of providing an in-flight music service “Tipstarr Channel.” But - first of all we would like to understand Asia better and keep our feet firmly fixed on the ground to establish our brand before getting on with those ideas. I think the result will naturally follow.

Do you have you any messages for people visiting Asia with your magazines in their hand?

All I want to say is, “Just enjoy your holiday!”. (laughs)
Asia is simply a great place to visit and if you relax and have good time, you will definitely come across plenty of good things. But - you have to enjoy seriously! (laughs)

Well, I certainly got a lot of inspiration for my next trip to Asia! When are my next holidays…??
Thanks for talking to us today!

17 Comments

1. I’m the 1-st! :)

   Posted by: Pavel Tarasov on February 3rd, 2007 at 2:58 am

2. I’m second!

   Posted by: leek on February 3rd, 2007 at 3:19 am

3. Damn, I’m third! At least I still get a medal.

   Posted by: Andrew Zen on February 3rd, 2007 at 11:51 am

4. wow BED didn’t look like that when I was there - more like an oddly lit hole full of lost foreigners…looks great in the promo pics though.
   Nice article about a different side of Bangkok.
   What a great concept for a mag!

   Posted by: sushi on February 3rd, 2007 at 7:34 pm

5. i love that swimming pool !!! yabaiyo !!!!

   Posted by: Aï-Hz on February 4th, 2007 at 4:25 am

6. I am 6th :^(

   Posted by: x-noise on February 5th, 2007 at 2:30 am

7. That 2 is sexy! Amazing red!

   Posted by: mikeSeries on February 5th, 2007 at 3:49 pm

8. i am the 8th but i know i am Number one in your heart … What about Hi so party magazine ( best thai magazine)

   Posted by: mrtetanos on February 5th, 2007 at 4:14 pm

9. [...] Not to forget, i’m also in love with their article on Tipstarr. [...]

   Posted by: Design Enterprise » Blog Archive » PingMag Deliciousness on February 8th, 2007 at 5:51 pm

10. [...] Read the complete interview here. [...]

    Posted by: David Report blog » Gorgeous holiday information on February 9th, 2007 at 11:05 pm

11. Well, Vietnam is a little weak in terms of
    sightseeing and resorts compared to other
    Asian countries, so the first issue didn’t
    come out as high quality as we wanted it
    to be.

    We try to focus on the culture of the
    local people and try to convey the present > state of the country through traveling as > much as possible.

    Sounds like someone not only blamed a country for their low quality magazine.. but
    is also a little confused about why they exist…

    Posted by: ean on February 10th, 2007 at 3:12 am

12. Your site is best look my site - beyonce knowles hairstyle

    Posted by: beyonce knowles hairstyle on April 8th, 2007 at 12:59 am

13. Your site is best look my site - HairStyle

    Posted by: HairStyle on April 8th, 2007 at 3:14 pm

14. [...] Risemoon wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptA: running away to find the middle of nowhere, relaxing on the beach and getting into random sightseeing or B: in case you are a city girl like me, you might crave for a gorgeous and glamorous holiday in another huge city. … [...]

    Posted by: Akon » Blog Archive » Tipstarr: Gorgeous and Glamorous Fun in Asia! on April 11th, 2007 at 3:17 am

15. I like to go toa beach for my holiday.

    Posted by: high replica handbags on February 22nd, 2011 at 9:01 pm

16. This is exactly the thing I’ve been looking for! Though I can’t speak a word of French, I had to order a copy!

    Posted by: Swing song lyrics on May 6th, 2011 at 9:32 pm

17. Tipstarr: Gorgeous and Glamorous Fun in Asia! good post449

    Posted by: air multiplier on April 20th, 2012 at 8:26 pm

• Similar Articles
• » AMO on Asia
• » Making Christmas Glitzy
• » LEGO Education - Building Asia Brick By Brick
• » Chin Music Press: Fine Prints From Tokyo And Seattle
• » Furi Furi: Dearest Grinning Character Design

• Share and Enjoy:
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• Shrinking Cities: Art Dealing With Vanishing PopulationsCategory: Architecture Conscientious Design Events & Exhibitions Features
  January 26, 2007
• Elephant Design: build your imaginary gadgets onlineCategory: Arts & Crafts Features Internet Japan Products
  January 25, 2007
• Bruce Osborn: Oyako - Portraying Japanese GenerationsCategory: Events & Exhibitions Features Japan Photography Worldwide
  January 24, 2007

As of December 31, 2008, PingMag and sister site PingMag MAKE are both on extended hiatus, and will not be updated for the foreseeable future. We are eternally grateful for your fantastic support over the years.