Yamashita Tomohisa: 0409 Vol. 73
0409
Vol. 73 "Normal"
Back home from Hong Kong, Yamapi is relaxed and smiling as he stuffs his face with his favorite Japanese food. What does he mean when he says "normal is best"?
I just kicked off my Asian-wide tour with a show in Hong Kong, and I had so much fun!! It was my first time to visit a foreign country as a solo artist, and it seemed like my presence in Hong Kong was kind of exciting for everyone. The audience's reaction was huge, almost exaggerated, which boosted my energy as well! The costumes for my tour are really something. I have a mix of gaudy, flashy outfits and more laid-back ones. I didn't plan what I would say during the MC, so I didn't really say anything important. But that's what live shows are all about, right? I wanted to say what I felt at that moment. My two hours on stage went by so fast! I was really touched when everyone sang along during "Loveless". I thought, I don't do any work in Hong Kong, so how does everyone know who I am? I could feel the excitement of the crowd, and it put me in a really good mood!
After the show, I went out to eat with ABC-Z, who are my back-up singers and dancers for the tour. The night views of Hong Kong were breathtaking. We ate crabs and something like crab paste, it was really good. Every restaurant we went to had big round tables that you can rotate around. This is just between you and me, but those tables really make it hard to enjoy your dinner. When you want a plate on the far side of the table, someone else is reaching for something and you have to wait for them. Plus, I was at a table with some higher-up staff members, and I had superiors sitting on both my left and my right. I couldn't figure out which way I should turn the table! It's like having your principle on the left, and your homeroom teacher on the right. It was like, "Which one should I pick?...Umm....Principle!" (Laughs.)
When I'm on tour, I look forward to trying each area's food, but even more, I look forward to the reaction of the fans who come to my show. It's different for each city, and it's fun to see the different national and prefectural characters. Lately I've made some foreign friends, and when I talk to them I realize that their way of thinking differs greatly depending on their nationality. It can be difficult to determine what I really want to accomplish in life when they all tell me different things. On top of that, I've been trying to read more, and I take in a lot of I read. Of course I only choose the best parts, but what I determine to be best is different from what others determine to be best. It gets confusing sometimes. For example, I can think that a rock star's behavior is outrageous, but in their world, that kind of behavior might be normal. Sometimes I wonder what kind of person I would be if I hadn't entered this industry as a young kid, or if I had been born in a different country. Apparently, Japan has one of the highest suicide rates among the developed countries. Did you know that? Even with all of our resources and everything that we have! In the movie Ashita no Joe, set in sixties-era Japan, I play a man who refuses to be pushed down, no matter the cost. Japanese people today seem to be missing that fighting spirit. I hope that Seventeen's readers will be able to share in the passion of the main character, Joe.
During promotions for Ashita no Joe, I was able to meet the WBC Featherweight Champion Hasegawa Hodzumi. I watched him shadow box, but he moved so fast it was hard to follow his movements. It's like he's superhuman! What I learned from this whole experience is that boxing is really tough! I seriously respect those who can keep up the lifestyle for several years in a row. Of course I did everything I could to prepare for my role as Joe. But if the work I did for the movie was a 1, then Hasegawa must be at 1000. Maybe 10,000. If there were a word for a feeling one notch higher than respect, that would describe the way I feel about him. So of course I didn't feel like I deserved his compliments.
I toured the country to promote the movie with my co-stars Kagawa Teruyuki and Iseya Yusuke, and I got to hear a lot of interesting stories. During filming, we were too preoccupied with training and filming to talk about other things. They are very wise and mature, which is to be expected, but I really learned a lot while listening to them. Kagawa always has something amazing to say. Then he'll try to downplay it by adding, "That was a good one! Cut!!" (Laughs.) It doesn't make much sense, but it's funny. Every day I'm considering new things, thanks to the influence of my accomplished co-stars. But I think everyone has a role in life. What I can do is give people love, courage, and hope. When fans are happy after my concert, that becomes my motivation to keep working hard for them. So I guess I've come to the conclusion that what's normal for you is best! (Laughs.) Being able to say "I want to do this, I want to try that" is part of the joy of living.
[Seventeen, April 2011 / translation by amapi - Please credit if using/quoting]
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Thanks for waiting! I've been really busy this week and was unable to finish this until today. It's a little more abstract than the others, so it was difficult to put into readable English. It seems like he's talking about how each person thinks differently and has different ambitions and abilities, so it's best to do what's normal for you (because of your culture, upbringing, personal beliefs, strengths and weaknesses, etc.).
Next up is Vol. 72 and then 71. Also, I was just asked to translate some scans of Vols. 7, 8, 12, 14, 21, 22, 24, and 32, which are apparently missing from the seventeen_0409!
-Amanda