[TRANS] CanCam (Jun 2022): J2 PLAY in CITY
PLAY in CITY
Jesse × Tanaka Juri
The immense love of the mischievous two
From SixTONES who have made their appearances on our pages multiple times, we have 2 of their members gracing our covers as a duo for the first time! “J2” - a mischievous pair with flashy looks that are representative of the group. But this duo are actually fu~ll of love for SixTONES♡ The trust that they’ve naturally built over the years is charming too!
JURI
I’d love to visit anywhere if it’s overseas! I’d like to feel the extravagance of a place like Las Vegas
Q Talking of a memorable city it’d be?
A Either Shibuya or my hometown~ I was in my hometown for the longest time, and on the other hand, it’s always Shibuya if I’m hanging out [with people]. They all hold personal memories so they are seriously the only 2 places! Internationally, I’ve only been to Taiwan, so I’d like to travel to lots of other places too.
Q What’s your ideal way of spending a day off when the weather’s nice?
A I’d love to go for a drive, but I don’t have anyone to take with me (laughs). I’ve been waking up properly before noon even on my days off lately, so I’ve been basking in the sun on my balcony while I wait for my lunch delivery.
Q For people starting a new chapter in their lives, what advice would you give them to get over gogyatsu-byou [lit. ‘May disease’ - new students/graduates feeling depressed in their new positions. N/B The school year in Japan starts in April.]
A If you’re going to be in a new environment, then wouldn’t it be important to cherish things that “aren’t a new environment”? I work with new faces and in new environments almost on a daily basis, but the friends I see in private are all people who I’ve known for over 10 years since pre-school. I think it’d be good to create a space like that where you feel safe.
Q What’s your secret on staying positive on matters of the heart?
A Hmm, I wonder (laughs). But if you consider that luck plays a role and there’s nothing you can do about that, you might be able to accept it if the relationship doesn’t work out. For example, this comes to mind a lot when I’m walking out and about lately, but why don’t I have the fate of dating these cute people when there are so many of them right in front of me? (laughs). But it isn’t something that I can change from my own efforts, so. If you can improve yourself without regretting anything, then you should be able to see things in a positive light!
Q If you were to do some special prep the day before a date?
A I don’t do anything, but I’ll contact them so they look forward to the date. I’ll google around and send them something like “there’s this and this on the way to where we’re going”. If I were going to prepare a surprise, I’d hint at it to get them excited about it.
JESSE
I get nervous when I work with someone new for the first time, but I think about it as a step towards becoming an adult and try to enjoy it
Q Talking of spring it’s the season of new! Are you the type to adapt to new environments quickly?
A I’m always nervous at new jobs. If there’s someone I haven’t met before, I’d start thinking about things like “what sort of person are they” and “I don’t think they’ll like me” and get wary (laughs). One of the reasons why I make friends in showbiz is so I can be myself when I’m at a job. I hate being alone in the waiting rooms, so if I’ve met someone before in private, I can have a chat with them and have fun.
Q What’s your ideal way of spending a day off when the weather’s nice?
A I’d like to ride a bicycle. And, going for a stroll and lunch! I love outdoor seating~ Cos I love to think about what everyone else is talking about while I eat.
Q A skincare step that makes you think “I’m in tip-top condition after doing this!”?
A It’s probably the body cream that I apply before going to bed and before a concert. I have dry skin so I add bath salts and use a face mask, and even put on lotion too when I’m in the bath!
Q Which is your type? Someone who’s fair and kind to everyone, or someone who’s a little devil and only kind to you?
A ‘Only to you’, you mean, just me?! But well, how others see us is important too (laughs). I wouldn’t like it if people thought “she’s Jesse’s girlfriend?!”~ But there is that world where only the two of us know too, so… (after long consideration) Well, someone who’s kind to everyone is better right?
Q A view on relationships that you’ve updated recently?
A What would it be? I don’t think anything’s changed in my mind. Would I level up if I experienced something like dating a person I meet for the first time? I watched Korean dramas like “What’s wrong with Secretary Kim?” when covid hit, and I discovered lines like “ah, you can say it like that~”. It really got my heart racing and I was sad when it ended. Ah~ it’s finished (laughs).
QUESTIONS
for JURI
A SixTONES song that you recommend for when going on a walk?
“8am”
Rather than a drive, I think this song suits when you’re going for a walk on a nice day. I think it’ll brighten up that time you have before you reach your destination. The times I listen to SixTONES’ music in private is either before a concert or before a recording. It’s when I need to memorise the lyrics (laughs).
Tell us about your laundering habits!
At most I separate my clothes and towels. And, I definitely won’t dry them outside!
Pace-wise it’s once every 3-4 days. I don’t hate doing the laundry, but I don’t like folding my clothes. That’s why I’ve basically never folded them (laughs). And, the air quality in Tokyo isn’t great, and I’d hate it if it rained, so I don’t want to dry my clothes outdoors. So, I’ll dry them in my bathroom while I sleep, and wear the ones in the order that they dried!
Talking of spring it’s the season of new! Can you adapt to new environments immediately?
I act like I’m okay, but I’m actually a shy person!
I can adapt to [new] environments relatively quickly, but I’m bad at connecting with strangers. That’s why I’m shy around new friends or staff. I talk normally, but internally, it’s like I haven’t opened up to them at all (laughs). It doesn’t happen now, but I think it took a while for me to be comfortable with new managers.
QUESTIONS
for JESSE
A SixTONES song that you recommend for when going on a walk?
“WHIP THAT” and “Fast Lane”
I want them to feel pumped up if they’re strolling on the streets, so it’s “WHIP THAT” that’ll make them feel alive! We haven’t performed “Fast Lane” at a concert yet, but that might be good too. All the songs on “CITY” are great, so I hope they can pick a song that suits their mood in that moment.
Talking of a memorable city it’d be?
Las Vegas that I vacationed to when I was young
My grandmother has a house in America and it’s also my second family home. When I went in my earlier grades of elementary school, I remember thinking “ah, there are countries other than Japan~” (laughs). There was a casino at the airport and I also remember thinking that they used tokens, but it was real money that was being wagered. It was simply extravagant!
Tell us about your laundering habits!
I don’t like folding my clothes, but I like to hang them to dry! The fabric softener is a classic American scent♡
I like to watch it get sudsy and spin. Then, I also like to hang my clothes to dry. Seeing the pile of clothes, I’d think “I’ve worked hard today too~” and put them on a hanger one by one to dry. I love the scent of fabric softener and used to use an imported one, but it’s too meddlesome and I just use a tablet type now (laughs).
J2 SPECIAL TALK
J2 SPECIAL TALK
Sharing the cover with all the members as usual is nice, but having just the two of us makes me happy too♡
- How was it to go out on the streets for the shoot today?
Jesse: The laundromat made me feel like I was overseas! Using candy and skateboards also felt CanCam-like.
Juri: The Americanised concept was fresh. I think about this every time, but CanCam’s outfits are marvellous. I think the fans love CanCam SixTONES too!
- We wanted to do something new with SixTONES-san, so we put out the offer of having 2 members grace our covers. What do you think?
Juri: Is that how it was, that makes me happy! But, I actually didn’t know we were going to be on the cover until we arrived (laughs).
Jesse: I don’t think CanCam-san knew either.
Juri: They do! (laughs)
Jesse: Ahahahaha! But you know, we’ve always been featured on the magazine as 6, but it’s not bad to go on as a pair. I’m grateful.
- The two of you are referred to as “J2”, but what’s your relationship like?
Jesse: Yes, we’re J2! Nice and clearly - “J 2”. [T/N: Jesse is pronouncing it in his American accent, the ‘2’ is ‘two’ instead of ‘tsuu’]
Juri: “Tsuu” is fine, you’re so annoying (laughs). If I’m right, it came from a question in a magazine in our Junior days about giving a name to our pairing. We chose it because both of our names started with ‘J’.
Jesse: Our relationship; we’re two people who’ve worked together for a long time one way or another.
Juri: We were in the same unit too when we were Juniors, and we were kind of like friends. Then we slowly started to be together more through dramas and movies.
Jesse: Yeah. We were acting cool in the drama “Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou”, but in serious scenes where we had to look into each other’s eye for the drama “Sprout”, we couldn’t stop breaking character from the embarrassment (laughs).
Juri: Jesse’s the only member I see in private, but he feels more like a work partner than before.
Jesse: He was also the first person I paired with in the group for the unit songs.
Juri: There’s this… it feels like “Jesse & Kyomoto” when you look at our group at a glance, but…
Jesse: Yeah but.. it’s us for variety shows right?
Juri: Yeah, the two of you lead us in terms of singing. But you feel like a partner to me for things other than that. In my mind anyway!
Jesse: Yeah, boke & tsukkomi [the straight man and the wise guy]. Juri’s the boke and I’m the tsukkomi!
Juri: Mmm… Like I said, you’re everything but the tsukkomi…
Jesse: See! Did you see?! Ahahaha!
- What do you think is dependable about each other?
Jesse: Well, it has to be how he brings everything together. He’s good with words so I can listen to him at peace. It helps me out.
Juri: Jesse is like SixTONES’ centre… we change our leader every year, but it’s not like that, [he’s] our true leader. In my mind, Jesse is the centre and representative. He’s not the best at expressing things in words, but…
Jesse: I’ll do it through dance! (starts dancing) Hahaha!
Juri: Ahahaha! Yes, so as if he’s the core of our group mentally, like, Jesse’s mainly the one who makes the call when it’s crunch time. I usually do most of the talking, but in the end, it feels more like I’m explaining the things that Jesse said yes to.
I still go around Shibuya after debuting! No sweat!
- Talking of a city that you’ve spent time together in since your Junior days, will it be Shibuya as expected?
Jesse: I remember that we hung out around each other’s family homes in the past.
Juri: True. But when we had work, I guess it’s Shibuya where NHK is located? NHK was where our unit was formed and where “R no Housoku” was filmed at too.
Jesse: And I also remember hanging around Tokyo Tower. To commemorate Juri learning to do a backflip, we wanted to get a shot of him doing it outdoors (laughs).
Juri: Yeah, and afterwards, we went to a Swiss restaurant that Jesse went to before, and celebrated my birthday there.
Jesse: It was during o-hanami [flower viewing] season.
Juri: My birthday’s in June but he dragged me along in March. He said “I’ll celebrate your birthday from last year”.
Jesse: Yeah, ehehe! You’re right, that happened!