To everyone who supported Jasmine You

Aug 21, 2009 23:28

To the fans and staff who supported Jasmine You, as well as each and every person who took care of him up until now...

As the family of Jasmine You, who brought the sudden notice of his death to everyone's attention, we are filled with despair not only for ourselves, but for the fans who had supported him.

In the past, Jasmine's blog served as an important means for him to discuss his own thoughs and feelings, and so we will borrow this space to talk to everyone about our current feelings as well as memories of Jasmine and things that he often talked about.

He had lived in Tokyo for a little over three years... after his previous band disbanded, he took part in a session band with his closest colleagues, and then when HIZAKI GRACE PROJECT started up again after a long break, he went to Tokyo.

For the sake of having his own personal wish granted, he engaged in the band called Versailles to the extent that he devoted his entire life to it.

Many memories float across our minds when it comes to him in Versailles... him standing upon a brilliant and large stage, the character he put a great effort into even behind the scenes, and how for approximately two years as Jasmine You he went to great lengths to live his life in his own way, while holding his fans dear. Those are the things that come to mind first.

His first "comeback" live in Nagoya as a member of Versailles, the announcement of Versailles' major debut at Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall, the CDs and DVDs he poured his heart into, his first photobook, his first overseas tour, his television appearance... many of his dreams became reality, and he showed us many of his achievements.

Surely, there were hardships that we had no idea about...

Despite that, he cared about his fans, never complained, never talked negatively about anyone, and never lost focus on the makeup, clothing, speech, and attitude that others saw. That was how he lived his life.

There were times when he took a break from this lifestyle at home, we imagine, but we believe that when he went out, he completely acted the part of "Jasmine You."

He went to these great efforts for the sake of his own dream, and to give happiness and the will to exist to his fans who watched his every action and listened to his every word.

On the basis of this large ideal called Versailles, Jasmine changed himself little by little, studying hard to become like the other members of the band who he should respect. Various difficulties tested him but he obediently accepted them.

Jasmine You aimed for this dream and advanced forward and left this world halfway through what he had intended to do. We don't know if he had any dreams that hadn't come true, or if he had any regrets.

But, Jasmine You embarked on his journey with a truly peaceful face.

The people who looked after Jasmine and took care of him, his new and former bandmates, and his friends all came out to the funeral procession in Tokyo.
The number of people who came was surprisingly large. The feeling that Jasmine had a lot of people who loved him washed over us again.

We talked to several of the attendees, who were musicians themselves, and as we thought, we heard about the many difficulties that arise in the life of a musician.

The circumstances and standpoints differ from person to person, but when it came to Jasmine, he went above and beyond the intention of any musician, and he wished more than anything to attain his personal objective and attain his dream.

On the day of his farewell from Tokyo, it was violently rainy.

However, during the funeral procession, the summer sun returned, and the landscape which had become wet from the rain glittered radiantly. The sky was so blue that it made us feel dizzy.

It was like he was hiding behind the blades of grass, only to peek out and say with a wink, "it's Jasmine magic."

After that we returned to Aichi prefecture, where Jasmine had been born and raised, and his relatives and close friends who had so warmly watched over him came to say their final farewell.

People that had known Jasmine You for a long time were able to take their time in saying goodbye, even though his time in this world was so short it was like he had run through it in a hurry, only to take one last deep breath, which was the expression he seemed to have in the end. The wake was also held in Nagoya, and many different people gathered to where it looked like a class reunion after many years had passed.

Jasmine, who liked such busy gatherings, was undoubtedly happy about that.

The photo posted below is one that was featured in his first personal interview in the ROCK AND READ book that went on sale at the end of July.

These photos portray an extremely beautiful Jasmine You, and he was quite pleased with them.

Jasmine was deeply thankful to the reporter of the article who had so politely interviewed him, as well as the cameraman who photographed him. Because of that, we want to thank them as well.

On the night of his wake, he didn't have on his stage makeup... he just wore his usual, everyday makeup.

His complexion was good, and he looked as if he were the same energetic Jasmine You when he was alive, just sleeping... picturing that makes tears start to well up.

When he was under medical care, the nail technician said to him, "I hope that you can put forth just a little bit of energy" as his nails were decorated one by one, each with a different, magnificent design. Jasmine was able to give his final farewell to everyone in perfect beauty, all the way down to his fingernails.

The funeral itself was rather sudden, and because of that his Versailles costumes and photos were all left behind in Tokyo, so we dressed him in his HIZAKI grace project costume.

HIZAKI grace project was a band that became his first dream after he lost sight of his objective due to the disbandment of Jakura.

Jasmine always said that he had a lot of fun.

When Jasmine returned to Nagoya to perform after such a long time and took the stage in a lively way like he was in his element, that dream he had envisioned in his past band, Jakura, showed its true colors.

Before he passed away on the 10th, he listened to HIZAKI grace project's CDs on repeat for hours on end, and seemed to enjoy listening to such nostalgic music.

That quirky Jasmine You, who endlessly listened to his favorite CDs at that time, always had music close to him.

From time to time, when he was blessed with the opportunity to meet with senior artists who he loved so dearly, he was in such high spirits that he was like a child.

Music was truly an essential part of Jasmine You's life, and made him complete.

On August 12th at 10:30am, Jasmine rose into the blue summer sky to continue his journey.

At that same time, we heard that many people looked to the sky and sent their prayers.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Here, we have some words said by Jasmine You when he was alive, that we want to share with you.

These words are words of encouragement for the important people around him, who may have been hurt by something.

"No matter how far apart we have been separated from one another, the sky continues on everywhere, so during heartbreaking times, emotionally painful times, sad times, and even happy times, I am always near you."

The sky was a very special thing to Jasmine You.

Turn toward the blue, distant, infinite sky and whisper your problems, and your thoughts from those times will be able to ride on the flowing clouds and drift away.
If you feel lonely, we think he'd want you to look up at the sky, too.

We think that Jasmine You would definitely be there for you.

He also loved the night sky, and we believe that although he yearned for Tokyo, he was not captivated by Tokyo's night view.

A few days before his death, he was at a point where he was losing the battle with his body and wasn't able to go out on his own, but despite all of that he was able to see the night sky.

"It's been a few years... I want to see Yokohama's sky." Jasmine desired that, and his colleagues, who felt the same way, took him to Yokohama.

At that point he was unable to leave the car, but he had his gaze fixed on the night sky of Yokohama, which he had so quietly longed for.

Two days before his death, he went together with his family to the cemetery on Mount Takao.

Afterward, he rode a cable car for the first time to the summit of the mountain.

From atop the tall, distant mountain peak, Jasmine You gazed endlessly at the glow of the Tokyo streets.

There's no reason now for us to know what he was thinking at that time, but we knew that the night sky was able to calm Jasmine You's mind and distract him.

The day before he passed away, we thought that it wouldn't be possible to see the fireworks over Tokyo Bay, but nevertheless, we all went up to the rooftop of his apartment complex, where he had always gone by himself to gaze at the night sky.

Due to the unfortunate weather, we weren't able to see the fireworks, but we think that because Jasmine You was so close to the sky that he was satisfied.

He was always lifting his gaze to the sky, staring at the night view, and looking up.

If any of you are ever lost or hurt amidst your long and seemingly endless lifetime, he would want you to look up at the sky, too.

Here are a few more words from Jasmine You.

"It's okay for me to face heartbreaking situations and be stopped by them, but I want to continue moving forward."

"Although everyone will meet with difficulty in their lives, I believe that I will be able to climb over that obstacle. I want to continue living."

We hope that all of you will hold Jasmine You's words and image in their hearts, and advance along your chosen paths in your own special way.

Whenever Jasmine You is reborn, please pray that he will be able to shine like he did before and take the stage again.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

From Jasmine You's family

Translated by - phantasmagoria

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