[translation] Yamapi: 0409 vol. 94 (Seventeen 2013.01)
It has come to my attention (thanks again to watchful21) that the last yeart of 0409 remained untranslated. Here is the first essay of that last batch.
0409 vol.94
Yamashita Tomohisa
Footsteps of the heart
When I was 17 years old
”It’s been a long time since I last got on a bus,” says Yamapi as he steps into one. Currently 27 years old. Ten years ago, what kind of high school life was he living, and what sort of things was he thinking? While riding around the city at night, he looks back at his junior high school year.
Blond hair, piercing, and irresponsible thinking. When I think about it now, I was a frivolous high school student (laugh). I acted in the drama “Lunch no joou” in the summer of my junior year. Co-actors were Eguchi (Yosuke)-san, Tsutsumi (Shinichi)-san, Tsumabuki (Satoshi)-kun, and Yamada (Takayuki)-kun. All as my brothers. I wasn’t irresponsible in school only, but also at work. I thought I was fine as long as I learned my lines. Though, maybe that feeling of irresponsibility actually went good with my role. I feel that, at the time I only worked hard at whatever was given to me. I didn't think deeply about my job. I preferred to hang out with my friends, which was more fun.
One time after school I got on the Chuo Line and went to the river bank. “I want to go to the river bank!! Let’s go to a place that looks like something from Kinpachi Sensei!” I was totally the dispatcher (laugh). We aimlessly went, listened to music and played around. Remembering that now, it’s seishun! [t/n: seishun = youth]
Back then I had limited pocket money. It was a fixed monthly amount, and I had to get by every month on it. My train tickets to go to work locations came out of that, and when I went out with friends, we of course split the costs. Therefore, we always went to 150yen/hour karaoke places, and ate fast food or gyuudon. With 500yen a day I could go out and have fun. When I had no work, 100% of it went into karaoke. I got close with a clerk of a place I went to too much, and they often gave me juice for free as service. I’d go with a guy friend of mine, and we’d spend 5 hours there. The songs we always sang were of Ikebukuro and Yuzu. At first I wasn’t able to harmonize, but after I started going to karaoke, I became able to harmonize and I sort of mastered it while having fun. I never got tired of it, really (laugh).
School was far away from home, so everyday I got up at 6 and got on the train. I was truly sleepy in the morning, and generally just dozed off while standing on the train. I also listened to music. I was still using the MD player and listened to Dragon Ash and KICK THE CANCREW, Ketsumeishi, and Monpachi. They were popular back then and I listened to them a lot. Sometimes some high school girls would talk to me, but I often went by unnoticed. They would ask, “Are you Yamashita-kun?” and I would reply, “Hmm, maybe.” I was in my rebellious age so my reaction was cold.
It was in my senior year that I decided to go on to university. In my junior year all I cared about was having fun and didn’t think at all about university. I just wanted to make a CD debut. I felt that, if I could debut, then I wouldn’t be unstable anymore. I thought that, when one is a junior there are no guarantees; one day you can just stop being requested. I was given roles in dramas, but it’s not like I was doing activities as an actor. It was like, “What is an actor anyway?” Nowadays, months before the transmission I talk to people from the staff and I start preparations. But back then, sometimes one week before the show I’d be told, “You’re appearing in this next,” and I’d receive the script. I was able to debut in my senior year of high school, but feeling unstable for such a long time, maybe I’d given up somewhere along the road. I say it myself but, knowing I strangely had a diligent part of me, I sometimes thought, “What if I turn 20 and I’m still like this?! Maybe I should just find a regular job?”
There aren’t anythings I left undone during my high school days. I originally didn’t even want to go to high school, but the jimusho was against that and I just went because it was decided for me. So I worked hard and graduated, which makes me feel I did all I needed to. After graduation, I had more harsh than fun times. But thinking back on them after 10 years, it feels like it was all just fun times. In winter mornings I was sleepy! I was cold! I have those kinds of memories. But thinking about it now, school is more lenient compared to work. This is obvious but, work is not all fun. There are sleepless times, and tough times. When you’re in school you can easily run away if you want to, but once you become a member of society, you can’t just throw in the sponge and abandon everything. Among the readers of ST I’m sure there are many who are responsibly hard working, but when I was in high school, maybe I didn’t feel that much responsibility toward my job.
If I am to say something to myself when I was 17 years old, it would be, “Do everything you want to do to your heart’s fulfillment. Be true to yourself and have fun!” Back then I didn’t know anything. Everyday I was hard at just clearing whatever I had in front of me, and couldn’t focus on the future. I think that now I have become able to draw a future vision and focus my actions on that. Although I’ll probably say the same things to my current self when I turn 37 (laugh). I wonder if everyone just grows old and becomes grandfathers and grandmothers in the same way.
P. photo 『KIREI 19』
On a clear weather day, enjoying the magic hour at a multistory tower.
[What is “0409”?] It is Yamashita’s birthdate. It is a pun; “4 (shi) = happiness (shiawase), delight (yorokobi),” and “9 (ku) = comes (kuru)。”
0409 vol.94
Yamashita Tomohisa
Footsteps of the heart
When I was 17 years old
”It’s been a long time since I last got on a bus,” says Yamapi as he steps into one. Currently 27 years old. Ten years ago, what kind of high school life was he living, and what sort of things was he thinking? While riding around the city at night, he looks back at his junior high school year.
Blond hair, piercing, and irresponsible thinking. When I think about it now, I was a frivolous high school student (laugh). I acted in the drama “Lunch no joou” in the summer of my junior year. Co-actors were Eguchi (Yosuke)-san, Tsutsumi (Shinichi)-san, Tsumabuki (Satoshi)-kun, and Yamada (Takayuki)-kun. All as my brothers. I wasn’t irresponsible in school only, but also at work. I thought I was fine as long as I learned my lines. Though, maybe that feeling of irresponsibility actually went good with my role. I feel that, at the time I only worked hard at whatever was given to me. I didn't think deeply about my job. I preferred to hang out with my friends, which was more fun.
One time after school I got on the Chuo Line and went to the river bank. “I want to go to the river bank!! Let’s go to a place that looks like something from Kinpachi Sensei!” I was totally the dispatcher (laugh). We aimlessly went, listened to music and played around. Remembering that now, it’s seishun! [t/n: seishun = youth]
Back then I had limited pocket money. It was a fixed monthly amount, and I had to get by every month on it. My train tickets to go to work locations came out of that, and when I went out with friends, we of course split the costs. Therefore, we always went to 150yen/hour karaoke places, and ate fast food or gyuudon. With 500yen a day I could go out and have fun. When I had no work, 100% of it went into karaoke. I got close with a clerk of a place I went to too much, and they often gave me juice for free as service. I’d go with a guy friend of mine, and we’d spend 5 hours there. The songs we always sang were of Ikebukuro and Yuzu. At first I wasn’t able to harmonize, but after I started going to karaoke, I became able to harmonize and I sort of mastered it while having fun. I never got tired of it, really (laugh).
School was far away from home, so everyday I got up at 6 and got on the train. I was truly sleepy in the morning, and generally just dozed off while standing on the train. I also listened to music. I was still using the MD player and listened to Dragon Ash and KICK THE CANCREW, Ketsumeishi, and Monpachi. They were popular back then and I listened to them a lot. Sometimes some high school girls would talk to me, but I often went by unnoticed. They would ask, “Are you Yamashita-kun?” and I would reply, “Hmm, maybe.” I was in my rebellious age so my reaction was cold.
It was in my senior year that I decided to go on to university. In my junior year all I cared about was having fun and didn’t think at all about university. I just wanted to make a CD debut. I felt that, if I could debut, then I wouldn’t be unstable anymore. I thought that, when one is a junior there are no guarantees; one day you can just stop being requested. I was given roles in dramas, but it’s not like I was doing activities as an actor. It was like, “What is an actor anyway?” Nowadays, months before the transmission I talk to people from the staff and I start preparations. But back then, sometimes one week before the show I’d be told, “You’re appearing in this next,” and I’d receive the script. I was able to debut in my senior year of high school, but feeling unstable for such a long time, maybe I’d given up somewhere along the road. I say it myself but, knowing I strangely had a diligent part of me, I sometimes thought, “What if I turn 20 and I’m still like this?! Maybe I should just find a regular job?”
There aren’t anythings I left undone during my high school days. I originally didn’t even want to go to high school, but the jimusho was against that and I just went because it was decided for me. So I worked hard and graduated, which makes me feel I did all I needed to. After graduation, I had more harsh than fun times. But thinking back on them after 10 years, it feels like it was all just fun times. In winter mornings I was sleepy! I was cold! I have those kinds of memories. But thinking about it now, school is more lenient compared to work. This is obvious but, work is not all fun. There are sleepless times, and tough times. When you’re in school you can easily run away if you want to, but once you become a member of society, you can’t just throw in the sponge and abandon everything. Among the readers of ST I’m sure there are many who are responsibly hard working, but when I was in high school, maybe I didn’t feel that much responsibility toward my job.
If I am to say something to myself when I was 17 years old, it would be, “Do everything you want to do to your heart’s fulfillment. Be true to yourself and have fun!” Back then I didn’t know anything. Everyday I was hard at just clearing whatever I had in front of me, and couldn’t focus on the future. I think that now I have become able to draw a future vision and focus my actions on that. Although I’ll probably say the same things to my current self when I turn 37 (laugh). I wonder if everyone just grows old and becomes grandfathers and grandmothers in the same way.
P. photo 『KIREI 19』
On a clear weather day, enjoying the magic hour at a multistory tower.
[What is “0409”?] It is Yamashita’s birthdate. It is a pun; “4 (shi) = happiness (shiawase), delight (yorokobi),” and “9 (ku) = comes (kuru)。”