カワサキ・キッド: Part 1 - Kawasaki Kid
As part of the celebration of Higashi's birthday, I summarised some the info from the first part of Higashi's book, Kawasaki Kid. This book is a MUST HAVE for his fans, it really goes into detail on everything about his life.
I only read the first 2 parts out of 6 so far, and I kinda got carried away when "summarizing", so here's the first part :D (others will come later)
Half of the time, I really wanted to hug him and his mother because they really had quite a tough life ;A; The parts mentioning the other Johnny's members were funny though :'D But you can see why he is such a hardworking man, and that he really deserves everything he's got today.
I'm a bit late, but you'll see from the text vomit exactly why I'm late ;w; *got carried away again*
Do not copy and paste the words outside of my journal unless you have permission. You're welcome to link to my journal though.
東山紀之 - カワサキ・キッド summary
Part 1: カワサキ・キッド (Kawasaki Kid)
Memories revived
All this while, Higashi has been living his life to the fullest, doing his best in everything such that he'll have a life that he is proud to tell everyone of. However, since Higashi reached his 40s, he has been considering how he should live from now onwards. Because of this, he wants to revisit his past, and he phoned his mother to ask her about his past, and about the time before he was born too.
Higashi thinks that "while there are many things in life, there will always be radiance in it, which is why he thinks life isn't bad." With this thought in mind, he wishes to talk about his life honestly.
The first memory in his life which left a big impact on him was the thought "Hot!". When he was young, both his legs got badly scalded. He was only 8 months old when it happened and it left quite a trauma that he still remembers the pain it left on his skin.
At that time, they lived in his father's side's grandparents' house near the Kawasaki Station, in a neighbourhood where soaplands (brothel where people can bathe with prostitutes) were dense. His grandfather had Russian blood in him, and was a drunkard. When his mother was working at the hairdresser's in the afternoon, his grandfather got violent drunk and knocked over and splashed boiling water at Higashi's leg (I wept).
His grandfather's son, i.e. Higashi's biological father, was also a big drinker. Higashi mother was really worried that Higashi would become like them, and would always tell him to never drink alcohol. As a result, Higashi made sure that he never became deeply drunk.
Because of the wound, when he was an infant, most of his photographs then featured his legs covered in bandages. The wounds were really itchy though, and he has memories of scratching until the scabs came off, and his legs became covered in blood D': Because of the burns, he was also slow in walking as a child.
Even when he debuted, whenever he dances, his muscles would hurt. According to a diagnosis, his leg cartilages were decreasing as a result of the scalds. Because you cannot just simply increase cartilage, unless he did a "balance training" and increased his muscle strength, there is a chance that he would never be able to dance again. So he began training.
At first he was very depressed about it, but the more he read about body structures, the more impressed he was about the human body and found it all very interesting. He read about dance techniques and injuries that are connected to them in foreign Ballet books, and found himself devising how he should do things and such. He was also deeply interested in Olympians and athletes.
Anyway, moving on, when he was 3 years old, before his little sister was even born, his parents divorced. Apparently, his leg burns was the trigger. That's why even now, he doesn't know how his real father looked like, or what his father's name was. When he was young, he almost saw his father's picture, but his mum hid it immediately and he never saw that picture again.
His mother was born in Tokyo, and she was the 3rd child out of 6 siblings, and she was the only girl. Her mother, i.e. Higashi's grandmother, died giving birth to her youngest child so Higashi's mother never really knew her face.
Higashi always wondered how his parents met. He believes that they must've really been in love back then, because his mum tends to say that "men change after marriage". His father apparently gambled a lot, and his mother would keep telling Higashi to never gamble when he became an adult. This was why Higashi would set limits if he did go to a casino. For example, when he was in Vegas, if he lost 100 dollars, he'd say "Goodnight" and return to his room to sleep. (How perfect is this man? He doesn't smoke, drinks and gambles with limits T___T)
Higashi thinks that his mother must have been running away from loan sharks back then, because a lot of "scary old men" hung around the area a lot. When he acted for the drama "Yoru ni dakarete" (a very delicious drama omnomnomnom, I mean XD), there was a scene involving people claiming debts, and his mother called him to ask whether he talked about her to the producers (he didn't).
Once, due to overtime, Higashi's mother was late in picking him up from the nursery and he cried really hard. He thought that his mother had abandoned him. ;w; To his little world, his mother was his "everything".
The Taste of Pork Leg
In 197X, the young Higashi, his little sister and his mother began their life in a small apartment in Sakurahon, Kawasaki. He and his sister shared a double-decker bed, where he slept at the bottom, and his little sister slept at the top (I love double-deckers, I shared one with my sis too :D). To feed them both, his mother continued working at the hairdresser's.
There were a lot of Korean-Japanese, and Koreans living in the area, and the Korean Town was just around the corner from their apartment too. Nextdoor, lived a single Korean mother who ran a yakiniku place, and her son who was two years older than Higashi. One day, after Higashi threw a rock at the guy due to a quarrel, Higashi's mother went to apologise and from that day onwards, they all became friends (lol, you want to make friends, throw a rock at someone)
Everyday, the nice lady would give Higashi and his little sister pork's leg to eat (yum!). They all became like family, they'd all play together, eat together and the lady would dote on them. Higashi was really grateful for such kindness.
Near his elementary and middle school, was a school for Koreans. One day, a Japanese kid told him that "the Korean kids will stick chopsticks up his nose and to be careful", and Higashi just bluntly replied that "that's not true, obviously!". When he thinks about it, he never felt that the Koreans around him were foreigners at all. He himself, who had Russian blood in him, used to think when he was young that those with mixed blood can't be weak people (he based this on the fact that lots of famous sportmen were mixed lol).
There were a lot of weird people in the area too, who'd just ask he and his friend to "scratch their back" for him (he got asked this a lot). Because he and his friend were scared, they did so, but as innocent kids, they thought that the tattoos on their back were really "pretty" :'D
In 1973, his mum bought him a knapsack, but he really didn't like it. His mum simply said in an angry voice "how much do you think this cost!?". Even now, her angry voice rings in his ears ;w;
First Love
Higashi's first love was in 2nd grade of elementary school. He liked the smallest girl in class (awww!), but he never did confess to her (awwwww!). He thought she was cute like a little sister (what is it with Japanese men with their sister-ish complex? ;w;).
Once, he wanted to go to the toilet, but she was there and he really did not want to say in front of the class that "he wants to pee", so he held it in. But he couldn't hold it in and... well, you know ;w; The whole class laughed at him (awwwwwww!) He wanted to disappear on the spot ;w; 3 semesters later, his family moved to an old munical housing area along the Southern coast. With this, was the end of his fruitless first love ;w;
The house was the same size as the apartment, but much cheaper. Just across the road, his grandfather from his mother's side lived in an apartment by himself. Everyday, Higashi would hold his grandpa's hand, bring him to the bath-house and wash him for him. His grandpa would also eat dinner at their house, and it was also Higashi's job to see his grandpa back to his home. On the way back, Higashi would also help his mother buy cigarettes. Higashi loved his "Grandpa" who would call him "Noriyuki, Noriyuki", while nodding.
The name "Noriyuki" is his real name (i.e. he never used an idol name), while his surname "Higashiyama" was his mother's surname. When his parents divorced, his surname changed to Higashiyama. Mr. Johnny himself believes that the names given by parents are so precious, since they spent such a long time thinking it up, and Higashi agrees with him.
His mother was strict when raising him. Dinner would be prepared by Higashi and his little sister, especially since his mother would be busy working at the hairdresser's all day. As a result, he had no problems when he was living alone. The mother was also strict when teaching him how to hold chopsticks and table manners. If his manners were bad, he'd get hit by a metal shoehorn (o_O) This is why he doesn't like shoehorns, even now ;w;
Uncle's Death
Higashi was 42 years old when he wrote this book. To him, the age "42" had a lot of meaning. When he was living at the municipal housing area, other than his grandpa, his uncle (mother's brother) also lived nearby. His uncle was an electrician, hence even though he was 40 years old, he still wasn't married. Whenever he came over to their house, he would really dote on Higashi. He'd always say that "Noriyuki's such a good boy" and take him to watch horseraces. To Higashi, he was really like a father.
That beloved uncle of his had a stroke and collapsed. It was in winter when Higashi was in elementary school 5th year, on a Christmas Eve. His mother told him that his "uncle cannot be saved anymore" and to "look at him properly". A few days later, Higashi's uncle died. It was the first time Higashi ever registered into his mind about death.
At the same time, Higashi was really scared. Before his uncle's death, his uncle had scolded him really hard. Higashi had been stealing from his mother's purse. It started really small, but it escalated such that he bought things like skateboards, and that was when he got caught. His mother yelled at him "You'll be the death of me!" while his uncle shouted at him "How could you do such a thing!". It was the first time his uncle raised his voice at him. His uncle was really disappointed at Higashi. Higashi felt really bad and angry at himself because he did something that he could never reverse, and swore never to steal from anyone ever again. His angry uncle's form would appear in his dreams and Higashi had many sleepless nights.
His uncle's death also made him ponder about life and death. He thinks that life is fragile and that everyone will die eventually. He then recommends the movie Mar adentro starring Spanish actor Javier Bardem, which was about a man who fought for his right to die. Higashi really found this movie impactful, and will always make him think of life and death, and the day life ends.
Ou-san and Dreams
When he was young, he loved to move his body. When he was only 9, he could already backflip, and he also could do the giant swing on the high bar. However, because he loved to move too much, the day before one of his summer holiday, he failed at a diving move from the 2nd level of his double-decker bed to the floor, and fractured his hand (note: also mentioned in Oshare-ism appearance)
So this Higashi, all this while, really looked up to baseball player Oh Sadaharu. The three men who Higashi really looked up too in his younger days were Oh, Bruce Lee and Michael Jackson. Higashi wanted to be a man with Oh's spirit, Michael Jackson's nimbleness and Bruce Lee's muscles.
Higashi saw Oh on TV and immediately thought that he was the coolest person in the whole world :'D In elementary school, he'd read a manga with an Oh-san feature enthusiatically. Thanks to Oh-san, Higashi learnt that "people who work hard will surely reap its fruits" (人は努力によって報われる)(this became one of my mottos too :'D He also used this quote in Kuitan lol).
On the 23rd July 1976 (lol whud he remembers the exact date), Oh-san came to play at Kawasaki, where he hit his 700th home run. It was there that Higashi felt that "dreams can come true". Higashi would play baseball after school with his friends, as he didn't have a father to play catch ball with, and only rich children can enter the Little League back then. At this same time, his mother made him take Kendo lessons, but it hurt when he got hit by the shinai (those bamboo swords) and he began to dislike the classes and skipped them. When his mum found out, he got scolded and he unwillingly went on with classes. Now, Higashi has to learn it anyway for his jidaigeki (periodical dramas), and he's learning it seriously but he regrets that he didn't learn it properly then because he finds his learning slow for it :'D
Higashi had a chance to meet Oh-san during Oh-san's wedding. A cameraman requested for a picture of them together, and Higashi introduced himself. When Higashi shook hands with Oh-san, Oh-san felt the callus on Higashi's hands as a result of his dumbbell training, and said "I see you're working very hard".
Grandpa's Rhythm
Higashi had a lot of places to play at in Kawasaki. When he was hungry after playing, he'd head to the canteen near his mother's workplace, and feed him leftovers and snacks. He also played a lot of hide-and-seek at the leased trains, and catch crayfish at the pond at the switchyard. He'd also play at the air-raid shelter left from the war. In the dark place, he had memories of human remains o__O
He also loved high places. He'd play a lot of dangerous games, like jumping from rooftop to rooftop of multi-unit apartments. Now, when he thinks about the fact that if he missed, he would have definitely died, he gets a cold sweat ^^; Also, when he joined Johnny's, during Toshi-chan (Tahara Toshihiko)'s concert, he jumped right over the orchestra pit O___O
He blames a lot of this on Kamen Rider and Ultraman (particularly Ultraman Seven) XD He used to wear a scarf and go around pretending to be Kamen Rider :'D
Higashi would also catch (illegally ;w;) crabs at the pond, and when he got caught, his butt'd get spanked with the person scolding him (with mentions of his cropped hair haha, but the person who scolded him also had cropped hair, so he mentioned that it was like a "monk getting scolded by another monk" XD). Higashi was a really active, mischievious and hot-blooded child lol and he compares himself to his calm grandfather who was very different.
To Higashi, he just feels like the "rhythm" were just different. Higashi's grandfather's rhythm was slow and calm. It was perplexing at first but, now Higashi has learnt to "match his rhythm to others'" to be able to get along with anyone of other ages. To him, this "rhythm" was very important.
"Dragon"'s Flesh
Higashi first saw Bruce Lee on television, where the "Wednesday Road Show" broadcasted "猛龍過江" (Way of the Dragon), written and directed by, and starring Bruce Lee. Higashi was so impressed by him (his す、すげぇ……！ was so cute), he and the rest of his classmates were imitating Bruce Lee in class a few days later (Achohhhh! XD). To Higashi, Bruce Lee was a super star. In terms of the body, no one was to match with Bruce Lee.
He admired his mentality, where Bruce Lee could turn the tables. For example, at that time, it was almost impossible for Asians to be featured in Hollywood, but he proved it wrong and showed the world the Asian spirit and strength. Higashi also admires the fact that Bruce Lee went for higher education, studying philosophy. It was also because of this that Higashi read about philosophy as well, and studied Shakespeare.
The mentality that "strength is channeled from the mind to the body", i.e. the famous fighting yells, was also picked up by Higashi in his dancing. (sounds hot I know UNFH) The importantance of training everyday was also picked up from Bruce Lee. To Bruce Lee, and Higashi, the body is the spirit.
Space over Objects
Higashi feels that a person's personality is affected by the space that is given to them at first.
He had only a double-decker bed and a small study area. Altogether, their house was only made up of 3 mats (tatami mat, which the Japanese use to measure room sizes), 6 mats and a kitchen.
When he received a study table, one with a lid which you can draw out to make it bigger, he was overjoyed. Other than his bed, he had somewhere else that he could call his space. Because his spaces were cramped, he was a very neat and organised person (where we now know one of the reasons why he is so clean and neat). He would think up of ways to keep things organised. He became someone who disliked dirty things.
He believes that "things shouldn't increase". For example, if he receives something new, he will get give away something else of his to others.
Higashi doesn't really mind about branded goods either (i.e. he's not biased on brands). For example, during work or training, he'll pass his expensive watch to his manager to hold. He feels that the point of owning a watch in the first place is lost, so he'd rather have a practical watch he can wear anywhere. He doesn't get bored of (for example) cheap items either, and would use the same item for a long time (this is very true, he had the same wallet for so many years D:)
So Higashi prefers the "beauty of space" rather than having more objects.
When Higashi joined Johnny's there was a time where he and Katchan (Uekusa Katsuhide) stayed together. Katchan was the type who would just scatter his things around the room lol. Because Katchan received his wardrobe from Katchan's father, when Katchan was out of the house, Higashi disposed of clothes which couldn't fit anymore. Higashi soon learns that the items that Katchan seems to treat for granted are actually things that he treasures (lol). Higashi threw away a sweater which Katchan left around rolled up, and Katchan was all "Dammit that Higashi, he threw it away!" when he found out XD
Higashi also can't put extra food in the refridgerator. He values health over anything, and will not eat bad food ;w;
Mother's Remarriage
Higashi first called the man his mother remarried "uncle". One day, his mother asked him whether he'd like a father. Higashi noticed that the man was his mother's lover, as after she tucked him and his sister to bed, she'd go out to meet him. Higashi answered that "yes, he'd like a father", but his little sister was flat out against it. Higashi was the eldest child, and he felt that it'd be good for the family, and above all, his mother seemed very happy.
One year later, the man started living with them, and Higashi made sure to call him "father". He was a bit shy about it at first, especially since he thought that the man was cool, being a truck driver with manly arms.
When Higashi was in his 4th year, his mother remarried. However, Higashi did not want to change his surname another time, so his condition was that they kept the surname "Higashiyama", so the man married to his mother's surname.
At first, the man was very kind and gentle, but he became stricter and harsher, where he'd hit Higashi for not cooking the rice and so on. Then the man soon became a violent drunk, and he'd swear at them a lot. His little sister and mother would get hit too, and they'd cry a lot. His little sister blamed all this on Higashi for letting their mother remarry in the first place. (poor Higashi! ;A;).
His mother always wondered whether she was cursed to fall for men who became violent drunks. It was at this time that Higashi stole from his mother's wallet. He felt angered and betrayed, because his mother was his only ally. But he got caught and beaten up very badly by his father. In any case, this was the time where he began to feel that he wanted to leave the house as soon as he can.
Even now, when Higashi sees the news about cases of child abuse, he will always think of his second father.
When Higashi was 25 years old, his mother divorced again.
"Higashi"
While the situation at home was dark, life outside was really fun. He wasn't the "leader" type among his friends, rather, he was the "nice guy". He's been told that rather than the "general", he was the "member of the shogun's council of elders". He really liked this group of friends, and mentioned that even now, they have not changed one bit. They all called, and still call him "Higashi". Among these friends, was a guy called "Takeichi" who was a great friend to Higashi.
In his 4th year of elementary school, a transfer student was announced to arrive and Higashi wondered what sort of person he'd be. Turns out the transfer student, Takeichi, was a small and plump boy, but he was a very nice kid. They became very close and would eat together. The "Invader Game" was very popular then, and they'd play it at the arcade together. Takeichi would great Higashi every morning with a "Higashi-kun!".
When Higashi became an entertainer, he began to learn how to drive. Takeichi would send him to the driving school and wait until his lessons were finished, right until Higashi received his license. Higashi was really grateful about this.
Higashi would also turn to him for opinions and input about his acting and so on. Of all people, Higashi valued Takeichi's opinion about his performances, dramas etc the most.
Takeichi also spent Christmas Eve at Higashi's place before (Oh Higashi, this is exactly why all those people are speculating that you're gay XD). Takechi called him on Christmas Eve asking him, "Higashi, can I stay over at your place tonight?", and Higashi answered him "Oh you, it's Christmas Eve. Isn't it weird to be giving such a call on such a day?" but let him stay over anyway. (Higashi was a bit shy about it lol whud). Not only Takeichi, but a lot of Higashi's friends would just stay over at his place.
To Higashi, Takeichi was a very important existance.
When I Become an Adult
When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Higashi would answer "Physical Education Teacher". Higashi never dreamed of becoming an entertainer, he was actually more realistic. He was moved by teachers in dramas like "Kinpachi-sensei" and "Necchuu jidai".
Higashi was very serious in his studies, he made sure to do all his homework properly. He believed that you can achieve something as long as you try it.
Cases of bullying happened a lot in his time, just because people looked different. However, Higashi didn't say or do anything to stop them because he was afraid that he'd lose his friends. He now wonders why he didn't have the courage to stop them. He himself didn't feel that he bullied anyone, but one day, a classmate of his did not come to school, and he among 10 friends were called by and scolded by his teacher. It was a painful memory for Higashi.
Now with the advances of the Internet, Higashi thinks that the occurence of verbal abuse has risen. Because he himself is an entertainer, he can take it, but he feels for the people who have been verbally abused. If it helps even by the very least, he himself would like to
be someone who would not do such a thing.
His mother went and told his teacher to "please not hesistate to scold or hit him" (his mum sounds like my mum ;w;). His clearest memory of a teacher's punishment would be by a hot-blooded teacher in his first year of middle school. If no one could answer a question, he'd get the whole class to stand up and with tears, hit every student on the head. But because of this, every student learnt to prepare for the classes seriously.
Another teacher who left a strong impression would be his form teacher in his elementary 5th/6th year. For their summer holidays, the teacher brought them camping at Hokkaido. They pitched their own tents, made their own toilets, bathed in the river and slept under the stars. Higashi thought then, "so this is what living means".
In middle school, "so that he'd grow taller", his mum told him to join the basketball club. Within one year, from 130cm, he grew an extra 30cm taller. He experienced a lot of growing pains at this period. (I have to disagree though, I was in the basketball club myself and most of us agree that people who play basketball don't grow tall, it's just that more tall people play basketball ;w; (yes I am short, be quiet)).
From the 1970s to the 1980. Higashi was one step closer to becoming an adult.
*stares at amount of words* Oops.
Next up is Higashi's fateful encounter with Mr.Johnny and his rise to stardom. I don't know when it'll be done though cos it's going to be busy at uni again.
If you read this, I would love to know what you think please ;w;
(lol 4,600 words/13 pages on Microsoft Word in 2 days orz)
I only read the first 2 parts out of 6 so far, and I kinda got carried away when "summarizing", so here's the first part :D (others will come later)
Half of the time, I really wanted to hug him and his mother because they really had quite a tough life ;A; The parts mentioning the other Johnny's members were funny though :'D But you can see why he is such a hardworking man, and that he really deserves everything he's got today.
I'm a bit late, but you'll see from the text vomit exactly why I'm late ;w; *got carried away again*
Do not copy and paste the words outside of my journal unless you have permission. You're welcome to link to my journal though.
東山紀之 - カワサキ・キッド summary
Part 1: カワサキ・キッド (Kawasaki Kid)
Memories revived
All this while, Higashi has been living his life to the fullest, doing his best in everything such that he'll have a life that he is proud to tell everyone of. However, since Higashi reached his 40s, he has been considering how he should live from now onwards. Because of this, he wants to revisit his past, and he phoned his mother to ask her about his past, and about the time before he was born too.
Higashi thinks that "while there are many things in life, there will always be radiance in it, which is why he thinks life isn't bad." With this thought in mind, he wishes to talk about his life honestly.
The first memory in his life which left a big impact on him was the thought "Hot!". When he was young, both his legs got badly scalded. He was only 8 months old when it happened and it left quite a trauma that he still remembers the pain it left on his skin.
At that time, they lived in his father's side's grandparents' house near the Kawasaki Station, in a neighbourhood where soaplands (brothel where people can bathe with prostitutes) were dense. His grandfather had Russian blood in him, and was a drunkard. When his mother was working at the hairdresser's in the afternoon, his grandfather got violent drunk and knocked over and splashed boiling water at Higashi's leg (I wept).
His grandfather's son, i.e. Higashi's biological father, was also a big drinker. Higashi mother was really worried that Higashi would become like them, and would always tell him to never drink alcohol. As a result, Higashi made sure that he never became deeply drunk.
Because of the wound, when he was an infant, most of his photographs then featured his legs covered in bandages. The wounds were really itchy though, and he has memories of scratching until the scabs came off, and his legs became covered in blood D': Because of the burns, he was also slow in walking as a child.
Even when he debuted, whenever he dances, his muscles would hurt. According to a diagnosis, his leg cartilages were decreasing as a result of the scalds. Because you cannot just simply increase cartilage, unless he did a "balance training" and increased his muscle strength, there is a chance that he would never be able to dance again. So he began training.
At first he was very depressed about it, but the more he read about body structures, the more impressed he was about the human body and found it all very interesting. He read about dance techniques and injuries that are connected to them in foreign Ballet books, and found himself devising how he should do things and such. He was also deeply interested in Olympians and athletes.
Anyway, moving on, when he was 3 years old, before his little sister was even born, his parents divorced. Apparently, his leg burns was the trigger. That's why even now, he doesn't know how his real father looked like, or what his father's name was. When he was young, he almost saw his father's picture, but his mum hid it immediately and he never saw that picture again.
His mother was born in Tokyo, and she was the 3rd child out of 6 siblings, and she was the only girl. Her mother, i.e. Higashi's grandmother, died giving birth to her youngest child so Higashi's mother never really knew her face.
Higashi always wondered how his parents met. He believes that they must've really been in love back then, because his mum tends to say that "men change after marriage". His father apparently gambled a lot, and his mother would keep telling Higashi to never gamble when he became an adult. This was why Higashi would set limits if he did go to a casino. For example, when he was in Vegas, if he lost 100 dollars, he'd say "Goodnight" and return to his room to sleep. (How perfect is this man? He doesn't smoke, drinks and gambles with limits T___T)
Higashi thinks that his mother must have been running away from loan sharks back then, because a lot of "scary old men" hung around the area a lot. When he acted for the drama "Yoru ni dakarete" (a very delicious drama omnomnomnom, I mean XD), there was a scene involving people claiming debts, and his mother called him to ask whether he talked about her to the producers (he didn't).
Once, due to overtime, Higashi's mother was late in picking him up from the nursery and he cried really hard. He thought that his mother had abandoned him. ;w; To his little world, his mother was his "everything".
The Taste of Pork Leg
In 197X, the young Higashi, his little sister and his mother began their life in a small apartment in Sakurahon, Kawasaki. He and his sister shared a double-decker bed, where he slept at the bottom, and his little sister slept at the top (I love double-deckers, I shared one with my sis too :D). To feed them both, his mother continued working at the hairdresser's.
There were a lot of Korean-Japanese, and Koreans living in the area, and the Korean Town was just around the corner from their apartment too. Nextdoor, lived a single Korean mother who ran a yakiniku place, and her son who was two years older than Higashi. One day, after Higashi threw a rock at the guy due to a quarrel, Higashi's mother went to apologise and from that day onwards, they all became friends (lol, you want to make friends, throw a rock at someone)
Everyday, the nice lady would give Higashi and his little sister pork's leg to eat (yum!). They all became like family, they'd all play together, eat together and the lady would dote on them. Higashi was really grateful for such kindness.
Near his elementary and middle school, was a school for Koreans. One day, a Japanese kid told him that "the Korean kids will stick chopsticks up his nose and to be careful", and Higashi just bluntly replied that "that's not true, obviously!". When he thinks about it, he never felt that the Koreans around him were foreigners at all. He himself, who had Russian blood in him, used to think when he was young that those with mixed blood can't be weak people (he based this on the fact that lots of famous sportmen were mixed lol).
There were a lot of weird people in the area too, who'd just ask he and his friend to "scratch their back" for him (he got asked this a lot). Because he and his friend were scared, they did so, but as innocent kids, they thought that the tattoos on their back were really "pretty" :'D
In 1973, his mum bought him a knapsack, but he really didn't like it. His mum simply said in an angry voice "how much do you think this cost!?". Even now, her angry voice rings in his ears ;w;
First Love
Higashi's first love was in 2nd grade of elementary school. He liked the smallest girl in class (awww!), but he never did confess to her (awwwww!). He thought she was cute like a little sister (what is it with Japanese men with their sister-ish complex? ;w;).
Once, he wanted to go to the toilet, but she was there and he really did not want to say in front of the class that "he wants to pee", so he held it in. But he couldn't hold it in and... well, you know ;w; The whole class laughed at him (awwwwwww!) He wanted to disappear on the spot ;w; 3 semesters later, his family moved to an old munical housing area along the Southern coast. With this, was the end of his fruitless first love ;w;
The house was the same size as the apartment, but much cheaper. Just across the road, his grandfather from his mother's side lived in an apartment by himself. Everyday, Higashi would hold his grandpa's hand, bring him to the bath-house and wash him for him. His grandpa would also eat dinner at their house, and it was also Higashi's job to see his grandpa back to his home. On the way back, Higashi would also help his mother buy cigarettes. Higashi loved his "Grandpa" who would call him "Noriyuki, Noriyuki", while nodding.
The name "Noriyuki" is his real name (i.e. he never used an idol name), while his surname "Higashiyama" was his mother's surname. When his parents divorced, his surname changed to Higashiyama. Mr. Johnny himself believes that the names given by parents are so precious, since they spent such a long time thinking it up, and Higashi agrees with him.
His mother was strict when raising him. Dinner would be prepared by Higashi and his little sister, especially since his mother would be busy working at the hairdresser's all day. As a result, he had no problems when he was living alone. The mother was also strict when teaching him how to hold chopsticks and table manners. If his manners were bad, he'd get hit by a metal shoehorn (o_O) This is why he doesn't like shoehorns, even now ;w;
Uncle's Death
Higashi was 42 years old when he wrote this book. To him, the age "42" had a lot of meaning. When he was living at the municipal housing area, other than his grandpa, his uncle (mother's brother) also lived nearby. His uncle was an electrician, hence even though he was 40 years old, he still wasn't married. Whenever he came over to their house, he would really dote on Higashi. He'd always say that "Noriyuki's such a good boy" and take him to watch horseraces. To Higashi, he was really like a father.
That beloved uncle of his had a stroke and collapsed. It was in winter when Higashi was in elementary school 5th year, on a Christmas Eve. His mother told him that his "uncle cannot be saved anymore" and to "look at him properly". A few days later, Higashi's uncle died. It was the first time Higashi ever registered into his mind about death.
At the same time, Higashi was really scared. Before his uncle's death, his uncle had scolded him really hard. Higashi had been stealing from his mother's purse. It started really small, but it escalated such that he bought things like skateboards, and that was when he got caught. His mother yelled at him "You'll be the death of me!" while his uncle shouted at him "How could you do such a thing!". It was the first time his uncle raised his voice at him. His uncle was really disappointed at Higashi. Higashi felt really bad and angry at himself because he did something that he could never reverse, and swore never to steal from anyone ever again. His angry uncle's form would appear in his dreams and Higashi had many sleepless nights.
His uncle's death also made him ponder about life and death. He thinks that life is fragile and that everyone will die eventually. He then recommends the movie Mar adentro starring Spanish actor Javier Bardem, which was about a man who fought for his right to die. Higashi really found this movie impactful, and will always make him think of life and death, and the day life ends.
Ou-san and Dreams
When he was young, he loved to move his body. When he was only 9, he could already backflip, and he also could do the giant swing on the high bar. However, because he loved to move too much, the day before one of his summer holiday, he failed at a diving move from the 2nd level of his double-decker bed to the floor, and fractured his hand (note: also mentioned in Oshare-ism appearance)
So this Higashi, all this while, really looked up to baseball player Oh Sadaharu. The three men who Higashi really looked up too in his younger days were Oh, Bruce Lee and Michael Jackson. Higashi wanted to be a man with Oh's spirit, Michael Jackson's nimbleness and Bruce Lee's muscles.
Higashi saw Oh on TV and immediately thought that he was the coolest person in the whole world :'D In elementary school, he'd read a manga with an Oh-san feature enthusiatically. Thanks to Oh-san, Higashi learnt that "people who work hard will surely reap its fruits" (人は努力によって報われる)(this became one of my mottos too :'D He also used this quote in Kuitan lol).
On the 23rd July 1976 (lol whud he remembers the exact date), Oh-san came to play at Kawasaki, where he hit his 700th home run. It was there that Higashi felt that "dreams can come true". Higashi would play baseball after school with his friends, as he didn't have a father to play catch ball with, and only rich children can enter the Little League back then. At this same time, his mother made him take Kendo lessons, but it hurt when he got hit by the shinai (those bamboo swords) and he began to dislike the classes and skipped them. When his mum found out, he got scolded and he unwillingly went on with classes. Now, Higashi has to learn it anyway for his jidaigeki (periodical dramas), and he's learning it seriously but he regrets that he didn't learn it properly then because he finds his learning slow for it :'D
Higashi had a chance to meet Oh-san during Oh-san's wedding. A cameraman requested for a picture of them together, and Higashi introduced himself. When Higashi shook hands with Oh-san, Oh-san felt the callus on Higashi's hands as a result of his dumbbell training, and said "I see you're working very hard".
Grandpa's Rhythm
Higashi had a lot of places to play at in Kawasaki. When he was hungry after playing, he'd head to the canteen near his mother's workplace, and feed him leftovers and snacks. He also played a lot of hide-and-seek at the leased trains, and catch crayfish at the pond at the switchyard. He'd also play at the air-raid shelter left from the war. In the dark place, he had memories of human remains o__O
He also loved high places. He'd play a lot of dangerous games, like jumping from rooftop to rooftop of multi-unit apartments. Now, when he thinks about the fact that if he missed, he would have definitely died, he gets a cold sweat ^^; Also, when he joined Johnny's, during Toshi-chan (Tahara Toshihiko)'s concert, he jumped right over the orchestra pit O___O
He blames a lot of this on Kamen Rider and Ultraman (particularly Ultraman Seven) XD He used to wear a scarf and go around pretending to be Kamen Rider :'D
Higashi would also catch (illegally ;w;) crabs at the pond, and when he got caught, his butt'd get spanked with the person scolding him (with mentions of his cropped hair haha, but the person who scolded him also had cropped hair, so he mentioned that it was like a "monk getting scolded by another monk" XD). Higashi was a really active, mischievious and hot-blooded child lol and he compares himself to his calm grandfather who was very different.
To Higashi, he just feels like the "rhythm" were just different. Higashi's grandfather's rhythm was slow and calm. It was perplexing at first but, now Higashi has learnt to "match his rhythm to others'" to be able to get along with anyone of other ages. To him, this "rhythm" was very important.
"Dragon"'s Flesh
Higashi first saw Bruce Lee on television, where the "Wednesday Road Show" broadcasted "猛龍過江" (Way of the Dragon), written and directed by, and starring Bruce Lee. Higashi was so impressed by him (his す、すげぇ……！ was so cute), he and the rest of his classmates were imitating Bruce Lee in class a few days later (Achohhhh! XD). To Higashi, Bruce Lee was a super star. In terms of the body, no one was to match with Bruce Lee.
He admired his mentality, where Bruce Lee could turn the tables. For example, at that time, it was almost impossible for Asians to be featured in Hollywood, but he proved it wrong and showed the world the Asian spirit and strength. Higashi also admires the fact that Bruce Lee went for higher education, studying philosophy. It was also because of this that Higashi read about philosophy as well, and studied Shakespeare.
The mentality that "strength is channeled from the mind to the body", i.e. the famous fighting yells, was also picked up by Higashi in his dancing. (sounds hot I know UNFH) The importantance of training everyday was also picked up from Bruce Lee. To Bruce Lee, and Higashi, the body is the spirit.
Space over Objects
Higashi feels that a person's personality is affected by the space that is given to them at first.
He had only a double-decker bed and a small study area. Altogether, their house was only made up of 3 mats (tatami mat, which the Japanese use to measure room sizes), 6 mats and a kitchen.
When he received a study table, one with a lid which you can draw out to make it bigger, he was overjoyed. Other than his bed, he had somewhere else that he could call his space. Because his spaces were cramped, he was a very neat and organised person (where we now know one of the reasons why he is so clean and neat). He would think up of ways to keep things organised. He became someone who disliked dirty things.
He believes that "things shouldn't increase". For example, if he receives something new, he will get give away something else of his to others.
Higashi doesn't really mind about branded goods either (i.e. he's not biased on brands). For example, during work or training, he'll pass his expensive watch to his manager to hold. He feels that the point of owning a watch in the first place is lost, so he'd rather have a practical watch he can wear anywhere. He doesn't get bored of (for example) cheap items either, and would use the same item for a long time (this is very true, he had the same wallet for so many years D:)
So Higashi prefers the "beauty of space" rather than having more objects.
When Higashi joined Johnny's there was a time where he and Katchan (Uekusa Katsuhide) stayed together. Katchan was the type who would just scatter his things around the room lol. Because Katchan received his wardrobe from Katchan's father, when Katchan was out of the house, Higashi disposed of clothes which couldn't fit anymore. Higashi soon learns that the items that Katchan seems to treat for granted are actually things that he treasures (lol). Higashi threw away a sweater which Katchan left around rolled up, and Katchan was all "Dammit that Higashi, he threw it away!" when he found out XD
Higashi also can't put extra food in the refridgerator. He values health over anything, and will not eat bad food ;w;
Mother's Remarriage
Higashi first called the man his mother remarried "uncle". One day, his mother asked him whether he'd like a father. Higashi noticed that the man was his mother's lover, as after she tucked him and his sister to bed, she'd go out to meet him. Higashi answered that "yes, he'd like a father", but his little sister was flat out against it. Higashi was the eldest child, and he felt that it'd be good for the family, and above all, his mother seemed very happy.
One year later, the man started living with them, and Higashi made sure to call him "father". He was a bit shy about it at first, especially since he thought that the man was cool, being a truck driver with manly arms.
When Higashi was in his 4th year, his mother remarried. However, Higashi did not want to change his surname another time, so his condition was that they kept the surname "Higashiyama", so the man married to his mother's surname.
At first, the man was very kind and gentle, but he became stricter and harsher, where he'd hit Higashi for not cooking the rice and so on. Then the man soon became a violent drunk, and he'd swear at them a lot. His little sister and mother would get hit too, and they'd cry a lot. His little sister blamed all this on Higashi for letting their mother remarry in the first place. (poor Higashi! ;A;).
His mother always wondered whether she was cursed to fall for men who became violent drunks. It was at this time that Higashi stole from his mother's wallet. He felt angered and betrayed, because his mother was his only ally. But he got caught and beaten up very badly by his father. In any case, this was the time where he began to feel that he wanted to leave the house as soon as he can.
Even now, when Higashi sees the news about cases of child abuse, he will always think of his second father.
When Higashi was 25 years old, his mother divorced again.
"Higashi"
While the situation at home was dark, life outside was really fun. He wasn't the "leader" type among his friends, rather, he was the "nice guy". He's been told that rather than the "general", he was the "member of the shogun's council of elders". He really liked this group of friends, and mentioned that even now, they have not changed one bit. They all called, and still call him "Higashi". Among these friends, was a guy called "Takeichi" who was a great friend to Higashi.
In his 4th year of elementary school, a transfer student was announced to arrive and Higashi wondered what sort of person he'd be. Turns out the transfer student, Takeichi, was a small and plump boy, but he was a very nice kid. They became very close and would eat together. The "Invader Game" was very popular then, and they'd play it at the arcade together. Takeichi would great Higashi every morning with a "Higashi-kun!".
When Higashi became an entertainer, he began to learn how to drive. Takeichi would send him to the driving school and wait until his lessons were finished, right until Higashi received his license. Higashi was really grateful about this.
Higashi would also turn to him for opinions and input about his acting and so on. Of all people, Higashi valued Takeichi's opinion about his performances, dramas etc the most.
Takeichi also spent Christmas Eve at Higashi's place before (Oh Higashi, this is exactly why all those people are speculating that you're gay XD). Takechi called him on Christmas Eve asking him, "Higashi, can I stay over at your place tonight?", and Higashi answered him "Oh you, it's Christmas Eve. Isn't it weird to be giving such a call on such a day?" but let him stay over anyway. (Higashi was a bit shy about it lol whud). Not only Takeichi, but a lot of Higashi's friends would just stay over at his place.
To Higashi, Takeichi was a very important existance.
When I Become an Adult
When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Higashi would answer "Physical Education Teacher". Higashi never dreamed of becoming an entertainer, he was actually more realistic. He was moved by teachers in dramas like "Kinpachi-sensei" and "Necchuu jidai".
Higashi was very serious in his studies, he made sure to do all his homework properly. He believed that you can achieve something as long as you try it.
Cases of bullying happened a lot in his time, just because people looked different. However, Higashi didn't say or do anything to stop them because he was afraid that he'd lose his friends. He now wonders why he didn't have the courage to stop them. He himself didn't feel that he bullied anyone, but one day, a classmate of his did not come to school, and he among 10 friends were called by and scolded by his teacher. It was a painful memory for Higashi.
Now with the advances of the Internet, Higashi thinks that the occurence of verbal abuse has risen. Because he himself is an entertainer, he can take it, but he feels for the people who have been verbally abused. If it helps even by the very least, he himself would like to
be someone who would not do such a thing.
His mother went and told his teacher to "please not hesistate to scold or hit him" (his mum sounds like my mum ;w;). His clearest memory of a teacher's punishment would be by a hot-blooded teacher in his first year of middle school. If no one could answer a question, he'd get the whole class to stand up and with tears, hit every student on the head. But because of this, every student learnt to prepare for the classes seriously.
Another teacher who left a strong impression would be his form teacher in his elementary 5th/6th year. For their summer holidays, the teacher brought them camping at Hokkaido. They pitched their own tents, made their own toilets, bathed in the river and slept under the stars. Higashi thought then, "so this is what living means".
In middle school, "so that he'd grow taller", his mum told him to join the basketball club. Within one year, from 130cm, he grew an extra 30cm taller. He experienced a lot of growing pains at this period. (I have to disagree though, I was in the basketball club myself and most of us agree that people who play basketball don't grow tall, it's just that more tall people play basketball ;w; (yes I am short, be quiet)).
From the 1970s to the 1980. Higashi was one step closer to becoming an adult.
*stares at amount of words* Oops.
Next up is Higashi's fateful encounter with Mr.Johnny and his rise to stardom. I don't know when it'll be done though cos it's going to be busy at uni again.
If you read this, I would love to know what you think please ;w;
(lol 4,600 words/13 pages on Microsoft Word in 2 days orz)