SNA (Tokyo) — Last month, Japanese billionaire and founder of clothing website “Zozotown” Yusaku Maezawa announced that he would be SpaceX’s first tourist passenger. Yesterday, Maezawa held a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, in which he outlined his goals for his circumlunar mission.

As an avid art collector and former professional musician, Maezawa sees this trip as an opportunity for not only a scientific experiment, but an artistic one as well. He will bring six artists from various genres, such as musicians, painters, and fashion designers, with him to the Moon, in hopes that they will find inspiration from both the sight of the Moon and the sight of the Earth from a distance. Maezawa said that just thinking about being able to view the Earth from afar brings a tears to his eyes.

Maezawa will act as the host-curator, and see to it that the artists get along and have an enjoyable trip. He has not yet decided who will join him on his trip to the Moon.

Maezawa did state that he has paid a deposit to SpaceX for the journey, although he could not reveal how much he paid or what the total cost of the spaceflight will be. Maezawa says that it has not yet been decided what the training will entail, but that Elon Musk assured him it wouldn’t be difficult. He acknowledged that there were risks involved, but stated that he would not be planning to invite artists with him if he was not assured that the flight would not be dangerous.

Maezawa has several motivations for planning this extravagant project. Primarily, as a lover of fine craftsmanship, he wants to promote the creation of art that will act as a legacy for mankind. Maezawa claims that the pieces in his collection were chosen not for their high prices, but for their quality and historical value. He added that he wishes to reenergize the Japanese economy by encouraging craftsmen.

He also hopes that his project will promote world peace, something that has been a goal of his since he witnessed the events of September 11, 2001, on television. Maezawa referenced Neil Armstrong’s famous quote “One small step for Man, one giant leap for Mankind,” and compared it to his trip as being a “light for world peace.”

Lastly, he stated that his children (and he assumes many other children around the world) believe that it is already possible to travel to the Moon. He wants this to become a reality when those children reach adulthood.

Maezawa emphasized that he will try to include artists from across the globe. He feels that art transcends language and that a diverse group of artists will still be able to easily share the experiences with each other.

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