More 2017.11 - Nino's 'It'
Been a week since I posted the last one but I'm back with MORE!
Nino on being fashionable and having complexes. Enjoy!
- - - - -
It {一途}
Hectic days driven by movie filming. Nevertheless, he continues walking his path with a flat stance and objective viewpoint. Now, what is it he whole-heartedly feels?
Chapter 107
Fashionable people
On the day of the interview, he’d been filming for the movie since early morning and appeared at our meeting place just before noon. He says that they were filming for their regular shows yesterday until late into the night. “I’ve barely slept,” he laughs. His eyes look a little bloodshot, but I can feel more energy than usual from his voice and expression.
“This is rare. I’m sleepy but fresh (laughs). That said, I’m probably the type who does surprisingly well without sleep.”
As expected of someone voted as ‘Strongest Immunity’ in Arashi’s ‘Waku Waku Gakkou (‘Exciting School’) 2017’.
“Well, yeah (laughs). I haven’t actually experienced my body being particularly strong though. If my body really is stronger than most, then it’s probably because I don’t do anything. I’m not particular about my diet and I don’t work out. I don’t really medicate when I catch colds or anything, either. Of course, if I’m coughing then there’s a chance I might spread it to others, so I do take medicine for that.”
From his words alone it would seem that he’s a naturalist, but it’s the complete opposite.
“I don’t go as far as to consider whether I’m getting a balanced diet or anything; I often eat hamburgers and ramen [1]. But it’s because I do it regularly that my body has evolved to assimilate the nutrients it needs from junk food (laughs).”
It sounds far-fetched, but looking at how he’s rarely in poor condition, it’s compelling. ‘Doing nothing’ with regards to himself applies to other areas in his life too. He doesn’t bother about fashion or diets, and he doesn’t voluntarily seek to pick up new knowledge outside of work.
“I really don’t (laughs). I wouldn’t lose weight unless it was for work; I don’t feel that’s necessary to being fashionable. For starters, to me, the definition of ‘fashionable people’ - be it ‘charismatic models’ or ‘bewitching women’ [2] or whatever - are just people whom fashion magazines pick up to become the next trend. It’s a whole world that has nothing to do with me.”
One could say the general definition of being fashionable is people who have good dress sense. For example, in Arashi, Matsumoto-kun and Aiba-kun are fashionable, aren’t they? When asked this, he disagrees.
“Aiba-kun is Aiba-kun, and J (Matsumoto) is J. I don’t know how everyone else sees them, but to me, they’re not who I’d associate with the ‘fashionable people’ label. It’s not like they’ve started trends with their clothes, and even if everyone wore the same thing, it’s not like everyone would be fashionable. I think it’s just a matter of wearing clothes you like or clothes that suit you.”
Even if you don’t meet the average, you can live happily and healthily
In the previous issue, he mentioned “not being terribly fond of fashionable people”. “For starters, I don’t think you need to mimic so-called fashionable people, go on extreme diets or force yourself into some ideal shape,” he says firmly. He also says “you’re fine just as you are” and “you like someone because they’re who they are”. Is it because he truly believes all this that Nino seems to have no complexes about himself?
“It’s not that I have no complexes (laughs). I probably do have them, just that I’m not terribly conscious of them. But it’s not a bad thing to have complexes, I don’t think you need to expend undue effort getting rid of them. The parts that someone has complexes about also contribute to their individuality. It is because we have weaknesses that we can receive help from others. For instance, I’m totally not fashionable at all, but I’m getting by just fine because I have people with good dress sense helping me (laughs). There’s no guarantee that you’d become more charming just because you conquered some complex. For example, there are a lot of women of age who have a complex over ‘not being young anymore’. In this day and age, there are ways to prevent signs of ageing with money and effort, and there are people who actually do that, right? But conversely, there are more women who don’t choose to use those methods. That’s pretty much already a response to those people telling them they don’t need to conquer that.”
So he’s saying it’s fine to have complexes, but it’s pointless to fret excessively over them.
“There are people who want to have more attractive faces or more height, but I don’t need any of that. I mean, I don’t need that in order to live. There’s no condition stipulating that you absolutely must have those in order to live a happy life, right? Rather, it’s how well you use that individuality we call complexes to live, right? But you know, I think the ideals set by society are far too high. Which is why everyone ends up being so harsh on themselves. For example, if you look at the average physical strength measurements for men in their thirties, it makes you wonder if that’s accurate. If I were to be tested, I’d probably be below average (laughs). But even if I were below average, I’d figure I’m still able to do my job just fine so it doesn’t really matter. If you think of it in such a carefree way, then you’ll have no worries!”
- - - - -
Kazunari Ninomiya
Born 17th June 1983 in Tokyo. His movie ‘Last Recipe: Memories of the Giraffe’s Tongue’ is scheduled to hit cinemas 3rd November. Arashi’s nationwide 5-dome concert tour ‘ARASHI LIVE TOUR 2017-2018’ starts 17th November. Despite saying that he’s barely slept, Nino’s still as engrossed as ever in gaming during the breaks between the photo shoot. “Even if I’m sleepy, I still perform best after gaming (laughs)”
|| Words / Yoshi Rei ||| Photography / Emori Yasuyuki ||
|| Hair & Makeup / Hattori Yukio ||| Stylist / Iga Daisuke (band) ||
- - - - -
f o o t n o t e s
[1] I know in the US ‘ramen’ is often used as a blanket term for instant noodles, but ‘ramen’ here refers to the actual Japanese non-instant soup-noodle dish.
[2] He says 「美魔女」 (bimajo), literally ‘beautiful witch’, a term for women over 35 years gifted with both intelligence and beauty. This term was first coined by fashion magazine 『美STORY』 in Nov 2008, the idea being that such women were ‘so beautiful that they cast a spell’. There’s a whole website and even an annual nationwide contest for ‘beautiful witches’.
Nino on being fashionable and having complexes. Enjoy!
- - - - -
It {一途}
Hectic days driven by movie filming. Nevertheless, he continues walking his path with a flat stance and objective viewpoint. Now, what is it he whole-heartedly feels?
Chapter 107
Fashionable people
On the day of the interview, he’d been filming for the movie since early morning and appeared at our meeting place just before noon. He says that they were filming for their regular shows yesterday until late into the night. “I’ve barely slept,” he laughs. His eyes look a little bloodshot, but I can feel more energy than usual from his voice and expression.
“This is rare. I’m sleepy but fresh (laughs). That said, I’m probably the type who does surprisingly well without sleep.”
As expected of someone voted as ‘Strongest Immunity’ in Arashi’s ‘Waku Waku Gakkou (‘Exciting School’) 2017’.
“Well, yeah (laughs). I haven’t actually experienced my body being particularly strong though. If my body really is stronger than most, then it’s probably because I don’t do anything. I’m not particular about my diet and I don’t work out. I don’t really medicate when I catch colds or anything, either. Of course, if I’m coughing then there’s a chance I might spread it to others, so I do take medicine for that.”
From his words alone it would seem that he’s a naturalist, but it’s the complete opposite.
“I don’t go as far as to consider whether I’m getting a balanced diet or anything; I often eat hamburgers and ramen [1]. But it’s because I do it regularly that my body has evolved to assimilate the nutrients it needs from junk food (laughs).”
It sounds far-fetched, but looking at how he’s rarely in poor condition, it’s compelling. ‘Doing nothing’ with regards to himself applies to other areas in his life too. He doesn’t bother about fashion or diets, and he doesn’t voluntarily seek to pick up new knowledge outside of work.
“I really don’t (laughs). I wouldn’t lose weight unless it was for work; I don’t feel that’s necessary to being fashionable. For starters, to me, the definition of ‘fashionable people’ - be it ‘charismatic models’ or ‘bewitching women’ [2] or whatever - are just people whom fashion magazines pick up to become the next trend. It’s a whole world that has nothing to do with me.”
One could say the general definition of being fashionable is people who have good dress sense. For example, in Arashi, Matsumoto-kun and Aiba-kun are fashionable, aren’t they? When asked this, he disagrees.
“Aiba-kun is Aiba-kun, and J (Matsumoto) is J. I don’t know how everyone else sees them, but to me, they’re not who I’d associate with the ‘fashionable people’ label. It’s not like they’ve started trends with their clothes, and even if everyone wore the same thing, it’s not like everyone would be fashionable. I think it’s just a matter of wearing clothes you like or clothes that suit you.”
Even if you don’t meet the average, you can live happily and healthily
In the previous issue, he mentioned “not being terribly fond of fashionable people”. “For starters, I don’t think you need to mimic so-called fashionable people, go on extreme diets or force yourself into some ideal shape,” he says firmly. He also says “you’re fine just as you are” and “you like someone because they’re who they are”. Is it because he truly believes all this that Nino seems to have no complexes about himself?
“It’s not that I have no complexes (laughs). I probably do have them, just that I’m not terribly conscious of them. But it’s not a bad thing to have complexes, I don’t think you need to expend undue effort getting rid of them. The parts that someone has complexes about also contribute to their individuality. It is because we have weaknesses that we can receive help from others. For instance, I’m totally not fashionable at all, but I’m getting by just fine because I have people with good dress sense helping me (laughs). There’s no guarantee that you’d become more charming just because you conquered some complex. For example, there are a lot of women of age who have a complex over ‘not being young anymore’. In this day and age, there are ways to prevent signs of ageing with money and effort, and there are people who actually do that, right? But conversely, there are more women who don’t choose to use those methods. That’s pretty much already a response to those people telling them they don’t need to conquer that.”
So he’s saying it’s fine to have complexes, but it’s pointless to fret excessively over them.
“There are people who want to have more attractive faces or more height, but I don’t need any of that. I mean, I don’t need that in order to live. There’s no condition stipulating that you absolutely must have those in order to live a happy life, right? Rather, it’s how well you use that individuality we call complexes to live, right? But you know, I think the ideals set by society are far too high. Which is why everyone ends up being so harsh on themselves. For example, if you look at the average physical strength measurements for men in their thirties, it makes you wonder if that’s accurate. If I were to be tested, I’d probably be below average (laughs). But even if I were below average, I’d figure I’m still able to do my job just fine so it doesn’t really matter. If you think of it in such a carefree way, then you’ll have no worries!”
- - - - -
Kazunari Ninomiya
Born 17th June 1983 in Tokyo. His movie ‘Last Recipe: Memories of the Giraffe’s Tongue’ is scheduled to hit cinemas 3rd November. Arashi’s nationwide 5-dome concert tour ‘ARASHI LIVE TOUR 2017-2018’ starts 17th November. Despite saying that he’s barely slept, Nino’s still as engrossed as ever in gaming during the breaks between the photo shoot. “Even if I’m sleepy, I still perform best after gaming (laughs)”
|| Words / Yoshi Rei ||| Photography / Emori Yasuyuki ||
|| Hair & Makeup / Hattori Yukio ||| Stylist / Iga Daisuke (band) ||
- - - - -
f o o t n o t e s
[1] I know in the US ‘ramen’ is often used as a blanket term for instant noodles, but ‘ramen’ here refers to the actual Japanese non-instant soup-noodle dish.
[2] He says 「美魔女」 (bimajo), literally ‘beautiful witch’, a term for women over 35 years gifted with both intelligence and beauty. This term was first coined by fashion magazine 『美STORY』 in Nov 2008, the idea being that such women were ‘so beautiful that they cast a spell’. There’s a whole website and even an annual nationwide contest for ‘beautiful witches’.