In June, Singapore magicians were treated to a surprise visit by Fukai Hiromasa of Japan. Just right after his involvement in Subang Parade’s 6th Festival of Magic  2012 in Malaysia, Fukai decided to take a short trip south to Singapore with a friend.

At Singapore, Fukai stayed at the luxurious Marina Bay Sands where he enjoyed the entertainment facilities. During the day he toured Singapore and met up with local magicians. On the evening of 15th June 2012, Fukai attended the International Brotherhood of Magicians (Ring 115) meeting where he performed and sold his products.

Fukai started out in magic in Osaka, Japan at the age of 8 years old when he encountered a magic vendor who did a pen disappearing effect. Like any curious young boy, Fukai was determined to know the secret without paying for it. So he observed that magician for a couple of days at a distance hoping to catch a glimpse of the method. Finally, when he understood the secret, Fukai hurried back home to construct the gadget. At school the next day, Fukai astonished his classmate with his first trick – the pen disappearing effect.

Little did he know, Fukai’s passion in magic will lead him to become one of the world’s most innovative magicians. Fukai is also known as “The Parasol Man” because of his award-winning parasol stage act.

Fukai speaks good English which I gathered was a language he picked up during his various tours of English-speaking countries. Fukai travels nearly 140 times within a year. When asked to do this interview, Fukai was ever ready and excited to share.

Alvin Terence (AT): Thanks Fukai for allowing me to do this interview with you.

Fukai Hiromasa (FH): You are most welcome!

AT: You’re well known for your parasol act, which explains why you’re known as “The Parasol Man” by many. Why did you choose parasol as your main act? FH: Before my parasol act I was doing a flower act. I was even making silk-to-butterfly effects with parasol springs. Unfortunately, the springs were either too taut or loose, causing lots of mechanical problems. I then scraped that idea. Another reason was because another Japanese magician by the name of Shimada came up with a similar effect. I started to put in more time and effort into the development of my parasol act. It was a satisfying feeling to able to produce so many parasols in just one single act!

AT: What inspires you to come up with innovative magic?

FH: I try to see things from a magical perspective and often I would daydream about myself performing out-of-this-world effects on stage. From this imagination, I come up with prototypes and perform them in the real world to great feedback from audiences. I also keep in mind what appeals to magicians; an effect I create must be surprising, impressive and humourous to magicians.

AT: More people are picking up magic due to the media exposures on magic. What’s your advice to these people?

FH: Learn magic from a reliable source like from a Magic Shop or a Professional Magician and never from an online source. This is because these videos only explain the method of the effect but never the fundamental handling of it which can result in an unsatisfactory performance. After practicing for a week, perform as much as you can for real audiences. You get to learn a lot from them through their applauses and reactions more than what a Magic Teacher can coach you. The main role as a Magic Teacher is to advise the magician on the handlings, effects, etc.

AT: What is your proudest moment in magic?

FH: I love magic. In fact I was crazy about magic since university days. As I perfected my art, I got to know more people. Now I have friends all over the world and I enjoy life. I am a happy man who loves magic. I always believe that money should not be the driving force for professional magicians. We all live once, let’s enjoy life to the fullest! All this moments are precious memories that money can’t buy and that to me is my proudest moment in magic.

AT: What will your advice be to magicians who want to improve the art? FH: Don’t overload yourself with too much information. Only perform an effect that you and your audiences are comfortable with. Learn the methods well and do not rush into performance without considering how you want to present it.

AT: Thank you once again for allowing me to interview you.

FH: I am glad to be able to share with you some useful information!