Nakama Junta's 10000-character Long Interview (Myojo, April 2015)
It seems Junta's 10k never got translated, so here it is to complete the set. The other WEST 10k interviews can be found (in published order):
Kiriyama Akito
Hamada Takahiro
Kotaki Nozomu
Kamiyama Tomohiro
Shigeoka Daiki
Fujii Ryusei
As usual, for idol mag scans I pray at the altar of yoshiko_mama.
On a personal note, this interview put me through the wringer more than anyone else's, but it also gave me a lot of the closure that I needed; I hope that for anyone else who may still need it, it does the same for you. ♥
Johnny's Countdown on the day leading into 2014. One year ago, amidst a shocked Tokyo Dome, Johnny's WEST stood. That day, there were the four who made the debut announcement, Kiriyama Akito, Shigeoka Daiki, Kotaki Nozomu, and Nakama Junta; and the three who weren't allowed to stand on that stage, Hamada Takahiro, Kamiyama Tomohiro, and Fujii Ryusei. What's the reason they overcame the danger of falling apart and are able to exist as seven today? The last chapter of Hadaka no Jidai, Johnny's WEST edition. Nakama Junta tells all!
We'll debut and make everyone smile.
―The 2013 end-of-the-year countdown. What were you thinking about on that stage?
"I was thinking about the three that weren't there. Since we were on stage, we had to smile, but I couldn't."
―True, you weren't really smiling.
"About them, and about the fans."
―About the fans?
"That we've made them cry again. It should have been a stage where they cried from happiness, but they shed tears for the exact opposite reason..."
―So that's what you thought about.
"I think that Kansai Junior fans, more than any other group's fans, have cried the most. Typically, our work is only summer and winter concerts. You'd become a fan of a Junior during the summer, and you'd come thinking he'd still be there in the winter, but he isn't on that stage. That's happened quite a bit. Fans who're confused like 'Huh?!', who're holding back tears... we've seen those faces so many times, again and again. That's harder than anything else. We want to say, 'Sorry, he quit. But he's heading toward his next dream.' But we can't. If someone quits, we aren't even given a place to announce it. The people who've left Kansai Juniors, the fans who learned that and cried, all sorts of people and all sorts of feelings. We've carried those with us and come this far thinking, 'Someday we'll debut, and we'll turn those tears into infinitely many more smiles.' And yet... Why did a debut announcement that was supposed to make people smile turn into a stage this sad?"
I'll talk about anything. I'm the type who can't conceal things.
―Well then, let's start from when you were little and go from there.
"I'll talk about anything. I'm the type who can't conceal things. (laugh)"
―Your grandmother on your father's side is Taiwanese, so that makes you a quarter, right, Nakama-kun?
"So about that... Two or three years ago I was actually shocked to learn that my grandfather on my dad's side is also Taiwanese. Which basically means that my dad's Taiwanese, and I'm a half."
―Seriously?! Don't tell me you also aren't actually a celeb!
"No worries. My grandpa on my mom's side is a company manager. (laugh)"
―And you have a younger brother, right?
"A brother three years younger. I don't remember this at all, but apparently I was really happy when I got a younger brother, so I suddenly started to carry my mom's things for her and push the stroller and stuff."
―You were a kind kid.
"I wonder about that. But for the most part, I wasn't too different from how I am now. I hated getting dirty, and I didn't like to play outside, and even back then I hated bugs. Nothing's changed."
―The fact that you're bad at sports, too?
"Yes. (laugh) But you know, I only realized that after I joined Johnny's. During a baseball tournament I'd swing the bat and everyone'd laugh so hard it shook the dome. (laugh) 'Eh? All I did was swing it normally.' Well, I realized it whether or not I wanted to, that I'm a guy who can't move his body well."
―You went to a Chinese school in elementary school, right?
"That's right. I think my dad wanted to make us more international. I started learning English in kindergarten, too."
―Could you speak Chinese then?
"Not at all. I somehow managed to memorize just a self-introduction and went to the interview with that. I was at that school until third grade, and I got to the point where I could speak it. Math class was in Chinese, too, so I actually can't do the times table in Japanese. I learned it in Chinese."
―And you moved to Taiwan when you were in fourth grade. Wasn't life abroad tough?
"I went to a Japanese school there, so it was fun. So fun that I stopped studying, and my grades were super bad. Around sixth grade, my average test score was about 5 points. (laugh)"
―Really?! So what was your dream for the future at that time?
"Didn't really have one. I figured I'd just grow up and join my grandpa's company. I wasn't interested in show business, and I didn't know Johnny's."
I'm just Business Junta-kun to you.
―But you went to the audition for Taiwan Juniors, right?
"I think it was in sixth grade, when KinKi Kids-san's Taiwan concert was decided. Apparently there just happened to be an article about "recruiting Taiwan Juniors" in a magazine my mom bought. My grades were bad and I didn't have any special skills. I really was a dumb kid with nothing going for me. So I think my parents were like, 'We've got to make him do something!' so I ended up going to the audition with a friend."
―How was it?
"There were quite a number of people who showed up. My friend and I were the only ones who were Japanese, so maybe because we were unusual, Johnny-san said to us, 'YOU guys are Japanese.' And then he said, 'When you return to Japan, give us a call.'"
―And you appeared in the concert.
"I only appeared for one song. That was my first stage, but it was really interesting. After that, I started having relatives in Japan send me Johnny's videos. I'd watch them and practice dancing by myself. I completely mastered songs like 'Secret Agent Man'."
―And you came back to Japan to enroll in high school, right?
"Yes."
―Weren't entrance exams tough?
"Since my average score was 5 points, right? (laugh) When I told my third-year homeroom teacher the high school I wanted to go to, he said, 'It's impossible for you. Lower the level.' That made me so mad, so I started seriously studying after that. And when I came back to Japan for entrance exams, I called Johnny-san. I told him that I'd be trying for a high school in Kansai, so he said, 'You're a Kansai Junior, then.' They let me appear in a magazine, too. I had a photo shoot with Tegoshi (Yuya)-kun and others. I was able to get into the school I wanted to go to, and the magazine came out around the same time, so I went to that teacher who said there was no way I'd get in and I told him, 'I got in. Oh, also, I appear in this,' and handed him the magazine. What a jerk, right? (laugh)"
―So you started work as a Kansai Junior at the same time you entered high school.
"I didn't fit in at first. Johnny-san told me, 'Get along with everyone. Just use casual speech.' So when I didn't use keigo with anyone, I was disliked. Bun-chan (Hamanaka Bunichi) got really mad at me for it. 'I'm your senpai. What's with you?' And because I was dumb, I just shot back, 'We're the same age!' (laugh)"
―Hahahahahaha.
"And Kansai nori* didn't sit well with me either. My classmates in Taiwan were all Tokyo kids, so I wasn't used to it. Even though I'd just be talking normally, I hated being told, 'What, you aren't going to boke?' But slowly I was able to make friends with some Juniors. Hama-chan (Hamada Takahiro) went home in the same direction, so we were together a lot."
*T/N: ノリ nori in this case means something like "rhythm", the Kansai style/sense of humor that's a little louder and more ostentatious than Junta was used to.
―B.A.D. was formed in December of 2004. Kiriyama (Akito)-kun is a The Kansai Nori guy, isn't he?
"Honestly, he was the type I was the worst with. (laugh) And back then Akito was really voracious, too. What's more, even though he normally didn't talk to me, on stage he'd be all 'Junta-kun, Junta-kun'. It's like, 'I'm just Business Junta-kun to you!'"
―When did you start to get along?
"Can I be honest? We slowly started to get along, bit by bit, but it was around the time of Gokusen when we truly opened up and talked out what we didn't like about each other."
―So late! Well then, how did the other members look to you at first?
"Kami-chan came in about a year after me. He was really cheeky. He started using casual speech as soon as he joined. He was similar to me. The way he had a lot of pride, too. I was like, 'So this is how I was...' (laugh)"
―And two years after that, Shigeoka (Daiki)-kun, (Fujii) Ryusei-kun, and (Nakayama) Yuma-kun joined.
"Ryusei and Yuma were aces right away. They suddenly appeared, and suddenly wore the good outfits, and suddenly stood in front of us. We were like, some amazing kids have shown up. As for Shige, I didn't have much of an impression of him at first. (laugh) And with Kotaki who came in after them, it was like, 'Hm, some cute kid has come in.'"
I'm the one who decides who debuts. The people watching you are watching you.
―What are Kanjani8 to you?
"At first I thought they were scary. During the stage play Magical Summer, they let me appear as Uchi (Hiroki)-kun's pinch substitute, and from there, I started to be able to talk to them. From that stage play, the number of people who knew of me increased all at once."
―It's good you were able to appear in it.
"But you know, I was isolated within Kansai Juniors. Like, 'He went and got a good part,' and 'He's so full of himself, all close to Kanjani8-san.' Apparently it was communicated to the company, 'Nakama's gotten cocky,' and I ended up being the only one not called in for work. I didn't even have the chance to defend myself like, 'That's not it.'"
―That's rough.
"If this is how it'll be, it's not fun, and I don't want to do it anymore. I'll just quit, I thought. And suddenly, I got a call from Yokoyama (You)-kun in the middle of the night. Even though I didn't tell anyone that I wanted to quit, he said, 'Quitting is easy. But isn't it more important to continue something instead of running from it?' He talked to me till morning about all sorts of things. I was so happy that he'd been watching me, and I cried a lot."
―And with that phone call you held out.
"Yes. Yokoyama-kun told me, 'You're at fault, too, aren't you?' And it's true, I'd been wrong a lot, too. That feeling of 'I'm different from these guys' was there somewhere. I really repented."
―And in 2008, when you appeared in Gokusen?
"I can't be more regretful, or rather, I'm truly sorry about that time. Back when I was worrying about things, I went into filming with half-hearted feelings."
―What were you worrying about?
"I was a junior in college, and everyone around me was deciding where they'd be working. I didn't even do the job searching process. I was like, 'Is it okay to just keep going like this? Now would be the time to quit, right?'"
―True, that's one of the big points that determines your life.
"What's more, I got into a fight with someone. He said to me, 'You'll definitely never debut!' I just hated everything at that point. 'I can't debut? Who the hell cares? I'll quit on my own!!' and I called Johnny-san and told him, 'I'm quitting.'"
―You went and said it.
"Yes. But he pulled me back. And when I told him about how I'd been told I couldn't debut, he said, 'I'm the one who decides who debuts. The people watching you are watching you.' I didn't know if he meant that he was watching me in particular, but I was happy."
―You were saved by the company president's words.
"And I was supported by fans, too. Around that time, I got a letter that said, 'Are you worrying about things?' It said, 'I like Junta-kun as a person, so whatever road you go down, I'll root for you.' And I was like, for the person who wrote this, and for those people who're thinking of me like this, I'll never think of quitting again."
If I run away now, I'll run away the next time, too.
―But debut was still a long time away, wasn't it?
"It was."
―What did your parents say about your continuing as a Junior?
"My father was against it, and apparently he was thinking of having me take over my grandpa's company, but he left the decision to me. 'Do as you want.' Really, I can't be grateful enough."
―But even though you had a number of definite futures ahead of you if only you asked for them, why did you choose the road with the future that was most unclear?
"Because it was fun. People would root for you only as much as you worked hard for it. Before I knew it, my dream had become everyone's dream. I thought that there's no other thing I could do that's this worth doing."
―That's true.
"That, and I guess I was stubborn about it, too. All of the Kansai Juniors have had feelings of frustration. We got to appear much less than Tokyo Juniors. And even on the rare chance we were called to Tokyo, we had to dance behind Tokyo Juniors who just joined, and our dressing room was the only one that was a rehearsal room. There were times when on stage we'd suddenly have the mics passed to us like, 'Fill the time.' We didn't have any fans in Tokyo back then, so the audience would take that moment to go to the bathroom. That kind of thing was super frustrating. This is really impertinent, but back then I thought that if those Juniors above us and even the senpai who'd debuted were just messing around like that, we'd show them up and surpass all of them."
―So you were always frustrated.
"I shared all of those frustrating moments together with the Kansai Juniors, and especially with Akito. So there was stubbornness there, too, in why I didn't quit. What's more, if I ran away now, whatever I do from now on, if things start to get tough or I become unsure of things, I'll probably run away then, too. So I thought, if I'm going to quit, I'm only going to quit after I've truly been tattered and torn to pieces."
―But you had comrades who did quit.
"I was sad. I wanted to stop them, but I couldn't. It was their lives, after all. When B.A.D., BOYS, and Veteran became the 10-person group BBV, we felt such power. We were like, 'We'll make it all the way up to debut, the ten of us!' But bit by bit, the vectors we were aiming for started to misalign, and people who couldn't see the road ahead started to choose different paths...... I was asked for advice, too. Those times, I'd say, 'If we were to debut just after you quit and you think to yourself that you should've stayed here, then stay. But if that's not how you feel, you should go after the new dream you've found.' But even though that's what I'd say, it really was lonely to see our comrades go."
―So what were your kouhai 7 WEST to you?
"The fact that they had B.A.D. in their sights and were fired up on surpassing us came through really clearly."
―So did you hate them?
"Not at all. (laugh) I'd seen a lot of comrades quit when they couldn't totally believe in what was possible. But those guys aimed for the top at full force all, 'We'll definitely debut!' Of course they were rivals, but working hard with everyone made Kansai Juniors as a whole better. So they were promising, our precious younger brothers. There was one time I took Yuma and everyone from 7 WEST out for dinner. It was a nice nabe and fish restaurant. I figured I'd have enough if they ordered by the course, but those guys went and ordered individual dishes of whatever they wanted. It's like they didn't know the word 'restraint'. (laugh) All Yuma ordered was fish that had 'market value' written next to them."
―Hahahahaha.
"After taking them all out and offering to pay, I couldn't be lame and say, 'Don't order anything else.' So I quietly pretended to go to the bathroom and asked the waiter, 'I only have this much money. If things look bad, please say stop.' (laugh)"
―Won't this story destroy your celeb character?
"Well, frankly, the only one who's rich is my grandpa. (laugh)"
"What are you, my girlfriend?"
―I think I understand why the Kansai Junior bond is so strong.
"But I think the biggest moment was when our first West Japan tour was decided."
―It was announced during the 2011 Akeome concert, right?
"Yeah. When it was announced, we were all so happy we cried. Up till then, even though we'd said, 'We want to debut!' we didn't even have 1mm of a chance. It might have become just 1cm at that point, but it was the first time we made progress. It was the first moment light shone onto the Kansai Juniors' future. In that moment, the obscure dream of a debut turned into a goal, and the Kansai Juniors were able to become one. When we heard that a tour was decided, Akito and I, on opposite sides of the stage, unconsciously ran to each other and hugged. It was the moment I became confident that, 'I'm going to be with this guy forever, from here on out.'"
―That's a good story. The Kushikatsu Incident is also a good one, isn't it?
"Who'd you hear about that from?"
―Hama-chan touched on it. (laugh)
"That guy. (laugh) That was December 2012. Hama-chan and I casually decided to eat kushikatsu before going home. Akito was in the middle of a diet then and probably couldn't eat fried food, so because I felt bad for him, I didn't invite him. Muro (Ryuta) and Bun-chan happened to be there, so we ended up all going together. But in the middle of dinner, I got a message from Akito. 'I was the only one who wasn't invited. Did I do something wrong?' I was like, 'Eh? Are you sulking? What are you, my girlfriend?!' (laugh)"
―Hahahahaha.
"The next day was a Kansai Juniors con, but Akito was still a little grumpy. I was annoyed, so on stage I said, 'So this happened...' And Akito was like, 'Yesterday was Hama-chan's birthday, and the last day of B.A.D.'s eighth year, so I thought maybe I'd be celebrating with Junta-kun, but I got left out......' all weepy. And then he said, 'We've had so many of our comrades quit, and I thought you were the person who carried all of those dreams and thoughts forward with me, so......' I had no idea what this guy was going on about, but when I saw his tears, I started crying, too. Hama-chan said to us, 'You're starting your ninth year today!' and Akito and I sobbed and hugged. (laugh) All of the members watched over us with forced smiles then. It was a truly stupid incident."
―No, it's a wonderful story.
"Even now, he's the one who gets the most excited about members' birthdays. 'What should we buy as a present? What, what?' Even with that build and appearance, inside he's totally a little girl. More than anyone else he thinks of the members, more than anyone else he thinks about Kansai Juniors, more than anyone else he's sensitive and easily hurt. Even so, when he's worrying about something, he puts on a calm face. When I ask him, 'Are you okay?' he's like, 'How did you know?' all seriously. Of course I knew! I know right away. Just how long do you think we've been together? (laugh)"
Honestly, I don't even care about the debut.
―And finally in 2013, you started moving toward the dream of a debut that you've had for so many years.
"Reading everyone's interviews, I think you've glazed over it, but by the time we had ANOTHER in September, we'd been told by the company that we'd debut as seven. We'd also started talking about what the debut song would be, and the name Johnny's WEST was among the candidates. So we were all really happy that we'd be debuting as seven. There was even a rumor that we'd announce it during Countdown."
―Is that so?
"At first we were told that we'd appear on Countdown as Kansai Juniors. And then we were told right before that the appearance was cancelled. A few days after that, we got word, 'You'll be appearing after all. We also have meetings for the stage play, so come to Tokyo.' When I got on the shinkansen, it was just four of us. Things had gone back and forth, so we had a bad feeling about it. And then we got to Tokyo and meetings started, but no one explained anything to us. Things were still unsettled, so I asked the staff, 'Why is it just the four of us?' And they said, 'You'll be debuting as four now.' My mind went completely blank."
―So that's how you found out.
"Yes. Of course, everyone wanted to debut as seven, but we didn't know what the situation was. If we obstinately pushed for seven, there was the possibility that the debut itself would disappear. Even so, Shige kept insisting from the very beginning that seven was better."
―And how did you feel, Nakama-kun?
"Debut was everyone's dream, and the dream of the fans who aimed for it with us. So I wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario where that debut disappeared, and I couldn't say anything careless. I figured I'd listen to what the company had to say first."
―I see.
"The company said that our faces would get known more quickly as four. And even so, when I asked, 'So is there no chance for seven?' they said that if it became seven, they'd be tacked on behind the four of us."
―That it'd take on a 4+3 shape.
"I really didn't want that. Hama-chan, Kami-chan, Ryusei, all three of them can do so many things that I can't. So I didn't want them to be pushed to the back. And I didn't think we'd sell that way either. I think that our appeal can't come through unless the seven of us are lined up together side-by-side. So I was against that."
―You would have preferred seven, but if it ended up looking like 4+3, then debuting as four would be better?
"Yes. The company told us that for the three of them, they had a vision of them being actors and then doing work as a group. And this is really impertinent of me, but I thought that if the three of them were to be given an environment in which they'd be recognized as actors as much as they've put in the effort, as hard as they've worked for it, and if when both parts got big enough we'd be able to come together as a group of seven...... If there's a division in the outfits, if there's a difference in where we stand and in the parts we sing...... if that's how it'd be, four is better. In the end, even within the group, we had different opinions, like Shige's where he stuck to seven from the start, and like mine where four would be okay with some conditions. But in order to not lose the debut altogether, we had no choice but to announce it at Countdown."
―And so, it became that announcement.
"Yes. Even after Countdown ended, the four of us talked. Shige and I shared a hotel room, and we talked till morning."
―After that, you returned to Kansai for Akeome con rehearsal.
"The atmosphere during rehearsal was the worst. It was hell. I couldn't say one word to the three of them...... When I got home, I kept telling myself that the debut as four was the right choice for the three of them as well, but for some reason that murky feeling in my chest didn't go away. And that's when I got a call from Hama-chan."
―What did he say?
"'Talk to me like usual,' he said. I apologized, saying, 'Sorry. I didn't know what to do.' And then Hama-chan said, 'What's fun for me is being with everyone. As long as I can be together with everyone the same way we've always been, even just that's enough for me. Honestly, I don't even care about the debut.'"
―He said those things?
"When I heard that, that murky feeling flew away. 'Me, too,' I said. I'd thought that if we were to look like 4+3, then four would be better. That that's what was best for everyone. But that was wrong. It's not that kind of logic. I wanted to be together as seven, too. With just those words from Hama-chan, I realized my true feelings. From then, I started to tell the company, 'As seven, please.'"
―But in saying that, you ran the risk of losing the debut itself, didn't you?
"I was scared, but if it's a debut that isn't fun, if it's a debut built on someone's tears and sacrifice, then it's meaningless."
―And then on February 5, you really made it to your debut as seven.
"As soon as rehearsals for Naniwa Zamurai as seven began, we realized that we'd debut as seven. So the time till the first day of the play felt so long. I was so eager for it. I couldn't say it out loud to the fans, but in my heart I was always yelling, 'It's okay, just believe! We'll definitely make you smile, so believe in us!'"
―On February 5, what was the scenery you saw from that stage?
"We'd made them wait, and so much had happened, but everyone celebrated for us. Seeing the fans crying for us made me happy. It was the best, absolutely unforgettable scene."
―It was probably unforgettable for the fans, too.
"After we debuted, on the radio we collected suggestions for the name for our fans, and we decided on Jasmine. The flowers are cute, and the feel of the word is nice, too, right? What's more, in flower symbolism, one of the meanings is, 'I'll follow you.' We made them wait this long, we made them cry this much...... To call the fans who followed us despite all that 'Jasmines' was miraculously perfect. I was really happy."
This is the last time I'll talk about that day.
―You made it to your debut as seven because no one gave up -- not only the members, but the fans as well.
"But I didn't push for seven from the beginning the way Shige and Akito did, so ever since seven was decided, I thought that I'd move more than anyone else, that I had to contribute the most."
―Ever since it was decided?
"Yes. I bowed my head to all sorts of people asking to let us stand as seven side-by-side, to the point that people in the company started to dislike me. I talked with all kinds of people. I want to increase our genres for work, too, so I asked for advice from Murakami (Shingo)-kun, too. Even then, at the beginning, for the singing parts, the four of us probably had more than the others, but recently that difference has mostly disappeared."
―You did those kinds of things, huh?
"At first for the outfits, too, only the three of them wouldn't have extra decorations, or like Ryusei's outfit didn't have as much gold. I lowered my head to the stylist and said, 'If he's going to have less gold, then please make it completely black. Make it something completely different and make him stand out that way.' And when Kami-chan said that he wanted a hat with his outfit, the company told him no. But I thought that if that's what Kami-chan wants, I definitely want to let him wear one. So even though I don't look good in hats, I said, 'I'll wear a hat.' And then Kami-chan's hat got an okay, too."
―Do the members know that you acted with those intentions in mind?
"I haven't said it to anyone. I don't want to say it, and they don't need to know."
―Lastly, please tell me your goals from now on.
"The seven of us are all different, so I want all of us to work in the places that fit us. That way, our chances of reaching people's eyes will increase, and we'll be able to grow as a group. But, how should I put it... I think each of us enjoying ourselves is the most important. I think we're the kind of group where the more we enjoy ourselves, the more we can create. So I think we're fine like this, we're fine if we continue like this. On the other hand, we definitely can't forget our feelings from when we began. If there's a member who starts to waver, who starts to skip out, who starts to walk down the wrong path, I'll be the one to get mad at him. But really, I believe that if we have fun, the seven of us have a bright future awaiting us."
―I see. This is the end, but weren't you a little too blunt?
"I told you at the beginning, didn't I? I can't conceal things. (laugh) And really, everyone wants to know, right?! There are still people feeling unsettled. Like, 'How was it really?' The seven of us have long been facing forward and running ahead. So if it suits the fans, too, I want them to feel as if it was seven from the start. They probably can't easily forget about that day, but I don't want them to let it linger in their hearts forever. The seven of us have already forgotten about it, or rather, we think of it like, 'Oh, I guess that happened, huh?' So I decided that I'd say everything today, and I'd make it the last time I talked about those days. The tales from the olden days are over. From now on, we'll be spinning a new tale, the seven of us together. Together with the Jasmines."
Along the long journey, he worried over many tears. Even though he swore in his heart, "We'll definitely turn those into smiles," he was close to losing heart so many times. In those moments, there was always someone supporting him, and he's here today, supporting his comrades. Now, they'll be "spinning a new tale", and he wants you to come with them down this road.