Utahiroba Jun in Quick Japan volume #107 (Last Part)
Wow! This took me a long time. I hope you enjoyed it! Our Jun is a thoughtful person. I hope I can visit Autumn Leaf soon!
Part 1 is here and part 2 is here and part 3 is here and part 4 is here.
Please keep in mind that I'm not a professional translator and still learning Japanese. I did my best but if you have any comments, please feel free to give them! I don't mind being corrected. :)
When we left off, Jun was talking about how the aim of Autumn Leaf was "different" from other businesses because his first aim wasn't making money.
QJ: Comparatively speaking, just frankly stating you’re doing “something different” comes as a surprise.
Jun: Generally, I do frankly state what I want to do, but I ask everybody “Is this okay?” (grin) Because it’s okay, I can do it, you know? Everybody becomes too used to wickedness. I want to reach for beautiful things. That’s a richer way of life, I think.
QJ: A richer way of life?
Jun: A rich life is one that is empathetic, I think. I like games, so I’ll often play a two player game at an arcade. In games, there is a clear winner and loser. We live in a world where winners are seen as strong and losers weak but I’m not saying that winners have richness and losers don’t.
There was gang of three middle school age kids are playing against a salaryman and when the salaryman left the losing spot, he was like “you suck~!” At that time, the losing kid was facing the machine , and there was a realization that if the kid didn’t insert a 100 Yen coin, the game wouldn’t start. If you can’t start the game, there can be no winner or loser. That’s the way of the world.
QJ: It’s surprising, but there might be many in the world like this. The outcome or result becomes prioritized as a goal. Playing a game or taking some action, doing these things you can discover your worth.
Jun: That’s not richness, though. Richness is having a matter-of-fact awareness of ordinary things.
QJ: If we move to something closely related to the one week opening of your cafe, I also spoke with the staff about various things. Accordingly, I got the sense that Mr. Utahiroba’s “I want to do something for somebody” attitude has spread amongst them.
Jun: If it happened naturally, then that’s wonderful! People are born with richness, it’s a part of youth. Besides which, as an ikemen, one has the power of communication and the power of expression, too. If we take that as a given, don’t you think this country can become richer? It’s an idealistic thought, huh? But if we don’t move because of small things, then nothing or nobody can ever change. The me I like is the one who does the things that he can. The people here are people on the same wavelength.
QJ: Just now, during the photography session, a rugrat yelled out, “Ah!! It’s Golden Bomber!!” People with that level of renown taking action has a lot of significance, I think.
Jun: There are a lot of people doing better things. Take Ms. Kuroyanagi Tetsuko for example. [She’s a famous Japanese actress, who hosts a show called Tetsuko no Heya, which I’m assuming is where Junjun took his inspiration for Junko no Heya. For Americans out there, I would say she’s kind of Oprah-ish. - NEKO] Where does that kind of motivation come from, I wonder. The motivation of people living amazing lives is something I’m very interested in.
Look at the B’z. Even if they didn’t write one more song, they could live a happy life just relaxing, right? But they write. And they sing. They do it for the sake of the fans, I think. Isn’t that casting off the self?
QJ: Now, somehow, Ms. Tetsuko and Jun have overlapped. (Grin.) As for Ms. Kuroyanagi, talking about her is like navigating a minefield or something.
To those people who ask “Are you okay?,” it appears you’re responding “Because there are things to do, I won’t die.”
Jun: This is an extreme topic but, yes, that’s right. Because people that won’t die, won’t die.
QJ: In addition to that, what about the destiny of people that still remain “on stage”?
Jun: A person who is truly up on stage possesses the will to be there. And that determination comes to be a style. But in today’s Japan, that style still, unfortunately, appears in imperfect conditions. Because, personally, I’m like this, I understand. The determination comes first.
QJ: Standing on stage, is that something you can endorse? Something you can’t endorse?
Jun: I can’t endorse it, can I? There is a huge amount of heartbreak.
QJ: But, among your staff, aren’t there are many who are aiming at the stage?
Jun: They have a lot of determination. Things like “It has to be me.” People with a strong will are beautiful. How can I put it? They think, “No matter what, I’ll do it!” It’s people who can think like this that stand on the stage, don’t you think?
QJ: Without a reason?
Jun: Shouldn’t the type of person that should stand on a stage, stand on a stage? They have a “life in the fast lane” feeling.
QJ: In your cafe, too, there’s a “Even so, I’ll do it!” and “life in the fast lane” feeling.
Jun: Without question, without stopping, I want to try and march forward. That’s my dream. It’s not beautiful but I’ll march forward.
QJ: With that kind of form, you progress forward, huh? That’s Autumn Leaf.
Jun: Simply put, for about five years, even though it’s awful, I have to work. If there’s one idea that I let take root, it’s five years. Because Golden Bomber also took about five years.
QJ: And during that time, somehow, from Autumn Leaf, you might have a harvest.
Jun: That’s right. Even with money, it’s like that. Even with ability, it’s like that. Somehow or other, if I return to my beginning, then I’ll try something new. The things we do here, I want to do on a different level. If I can do that, it will never end.
QJ: Regarding Autumn Leaf’s success, has there been some feedback from Golden Bomber?
Jun: Not consciously. Golden Bomber is separate from here. I travel from the Autumn Leaf planet to the Golden Bomber planet. The keyword of my life is “mobility.” I create a lot of traveling places, in order to come in contact with more of humanity. And from Autumn Leaf, I want to create a new road.
Part 1 is here and part 2 is here and part 3 is here and part 4 is here.
Please keep in mind that I'm not a professional translator and still learning Japanese. I did my best but if you have any comments, please feel free to give them! I don't mind being corrected. :)
When we left off, Jun was talking about how the aim of Autumn Leaf was "different" from other businesses because his first aim wasn't making money.
QJ: Comparatively speaking, just frankly stating you’re doing “something different” comes as a surprise.
Jun: Generally, I do frankly state what I want to do, but I ask everybody “Is this okay?” (grin) Because it’s okay, I can do it, you know? Everybody becomes too used to wickedness. I want to reach for beautiful things. That’s a richer way of life, I think.
QJ: A richer way of life?
Jun: A rich life is one that is empathetic, I think. I like games, so I’ll often play a two player game at an arcade. In games, there is a clear winner and loser. We live in a world where winners are seen as strong and losers weak but I’m not saying that winners have richness and losers don’t.
There was gang of three middle school age kids are playing against a salaryman and when the salaryman left the losing spot, he was like “you suck~!” At that time, the losing kid was facing the machine , and there was a realization that if the kid didn’t insert a 100 Yen coin, the game wouldn’t start. If you can’t start the game, there can be no winner or loser. That’s the way of the world.
QJ: It’s surprising, but there might be many in the world like this. The outcome or result becomes prioritized as a goal. Playing a game or taking some action, doing these things you can discover your worth.
Jun: That’s not richness, though. Richness is having a matter-of-fact awareness of ordinary things.
QJ: If we move to something closely related to the one week opening of your cafe, I also spoke with the staff about various things. Accordingly, I got the sense that Mr. Utahiroba’s “I want to do something for somebody” attitude has spread amongst them.
Jun: If it happened naturally, then that’s wonderful! People are born with richness, it’s a part of youth. Besides which, as an ikemen, one has the power of communication and the power of expression, too. If we take that as a given, don’t you think this country can become richer? It’s an idealistic thought, huh? But if we don’t move because of small things, then nothing or nobody can ever change. The me I like is the one who does the things that he can. The people here are people on the same wavelength.
QJ: Just now, during the photography session, a rugrat yelled out, “Ah!! It’s Golden Bomber!!” People with that level of renown taking action has a lot of significance, I think.
Jun: There are a lot of people doing better things. Take Ms. Kuroyanagi Tetsuko for example. [She’s a famous Japanese actress, who hosts a show called Tetsuko no Heya, which I’m assuming is where Junjun took his inspiration for Junko no Heya. For Americans out there, I would say she’s kind of Oprah-ish. - NEKO] Where does that kind of motivation come from, I wonder. The motivation of people living amazing lives is something I’m very interested in.
Look at the B’z. Even if they didn’t write one more song, they could live a happy life just relaxing, right? But they write. And they sing. They do it for the sake of the fans, I think. Isn’t that casting off the self?
QJ: Now, somehow, Ms. Tetsuko and Jun have overlapped. (Grin.) As for Ms. Kuroyanagi, talking about her is like navigating a minefield or something.
To those people who ask “Are you okay?,” it appears you’re responding “Because there are things to do, I won’t die.”
Jun: This is an extreme topic but, yes, that’s right. Because people that won’t die, won’t die.
QJ: In addition to that, what about the destiny of people that still remain “on stage”?
Jun: A person who is truly up on stage possesses the will to be there. And that determination comes to be a style. But in today’s Japan, that style still, unfortunately, appears in imperfect conditions. Because, personally, I’m like this, I understand. The determination comes first.
QJ: Standing on stage, is that something you can endorse? Something you can’t endorse?
Jun: I can’t endorse it, can I? There is a huge amount of heartbreak.
QJ: But, among your staff, aren’t there are many who are aiming at the stage?
Jun: They have a lot of determination. Things like “It has to be me.” People with a strong will are beautiful. How can I put it? They think, “No matter what, I’ll do it!” It’s people who can think like this that stand on the stage, don’t you think?
QJ: Without a reason?
Jun: Shouldn’t the type of person that should stand on a stage, stand on a stage? They have a “life in the fast lane” feeling.
QJ: In your cafe, too, there’s a “Even so, I’ll do it!” and “life in the fast lane” feeling.
Jun: Without question, without stopping, I want to try and march forward. That’s my dream. It’s not beautiful but I’ll march forward.
QJ: With that kind of form, you progress forward, huh? That’s Autumn Leaf.
Jun: Simply put, for about five years, even though it’s awful, I have to work. If there’s one idea that I let take root, it’s five years. Because Golden Bomber also took about five years.
QJ: And during that time, somehow, from Autumn Leaf, you might have a harvest.
Jun: That’s right. Even with money, it’s like that. Even with ability, it’s like that. Somehow or other, if I return to my beginning, then I’ll try something new. The things we do here, I want to do on a different level. If I can do that, it will never end.
QJ: Regarding Autumn Leaf’s success, has there been some feedback from Golden Bomber?
Jun: Not consciously. Golden Bomber is separate from here. I travel from the Autumn Leaf planet to the Golden Bomber planet. The keyword of my life is “mobility.” I create a lot of traveling places, in order to come in contact with more of humanity. And from Autumn Leaf, I want to create a new road.