[Translation] SMAP Magazine: Special Essay by Hayashi Mariko
Special Essay by Hayashi Mariko
“Stars are those who exist faraway to be loved by us.”
When it comes to SMAP, people usually think of them as the extraordinary stars. Of course that is true, but I have a stronger impression of them as “professionals.”
People who have been to a SMAP concert will probably understand, as a form of entertainment SMAP puts on Japan’s number one show. They are amazing in singing and dancing. And in the end they appear in the huge carts. This way the audience from second and third floor can see them more clearly. They think of all audiences, so even the audiences in the furthest seats can see them sing and dance. It’s such a natural thing for them to do and it makes everyone fired up. In midst of everyone’s shouts of joy, I thought of the word “shukusai” (feasting day/religious festival). I think SMAP’s existence is also a spiritual one that makes a lot of people happy. That is why SMAP’s concert is not a “O-matsuri” (festival) but a “shukusai” (religious festival).
I have been to SMAP concert a number of times, and I always get a little too excited for my age. I was even older than the guardians who came with their daughters (actually there are many people like that at the concerts, they are probably mother and daughter SMAP fans), but I still waved my uchiwa and screamed my heads out.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!”
The members in front of me were waving at my direction. I firmly believed that they saw me and were waving at me. They are beyond any doubts big stars for they were able to give us the illusion that they were looking and waving at us and only at us. Despite my age I still squealed to my friend who was sitting next to me,
“Hey! I am certain that they were looking at me!!”
And then I started screaming again,
“Kyaaaa!!! So lovely~”
Smap’s concerts are long. They always last close to four hours with no cheating. I found out two years ago that even after the long concert they still had to work.
It happened when I was invited to go to their Tokyo Dome concert by an editor. I was handed a VIP backstage pass.
“Please also stay for the party afterwards,” I was told.
What party?
I finally understood what the party was after the concert ended. I was taken to a room in the Dome where there were some alcohol and snacks. By snacks I mean sandwich, Inari sushi, fried chicken and the like. After I got my pack of food I started looking around me.
Of course there were other celebrities present, but most of the people there at the party were people from the media and the record company. My editor friend told me, “The members will be coming in a few moments.”
I thought they would just show up for a bit to greet everyone. The members, who had showered and changed, entered one by one and started mingling with the people there.
“How was the concert today?”
They asked seriously and engaged in deep conversations with the guests. They could always just greet us a little like,
“Everyone, thank you very much!”
then leave. It would be fine because they are such big stars. It is only natural. They should have been exhausted from being on stage for four hours. I imagine they would want to go home as soon as they could. Even so they hold very good manners and interacted with everyone with the utmost sincerity. I was so surprised about that because I realized then that they had to do this every night during the concert tour.
I was moved, very moved. In the name of research I took pictures with the members individually.
In this party, there were no flocks of ordinary people crowding SMAP for pictures since all the guests were people from the industry. I was pretty much the only person who was snapping away, and I got criticized for my behavior by my make-up and hair stylist after the party.
“My friend was at the party and said you kept taking pictures with SMAP. How sneaky! My friend said she/he was very jealous.”
Of course I have gotten permission from their manager before I took the pictures. I also realized that in that situation actually everyone had wanted to do what I did-take pictures of them.
This reminded me of a party I attended around 10 years ago. The magazine “AnAn” threw a huge party to celebrate its 35th anniversary. There were a lot of celebrities present, but when SMAP’s Kimura was handed the microphone the commotion was unbelievable.
People there were mostly from the media, and they were the pros who were used to seeing celebrities. But in order to see Kimura-san more clearly, they were all pushing forward. At that time I thought Kimura was the prime example of what being a star is about.
Even though I have been on “SMAPXSMAP” twice, regretfully I have not been able to connect with SMAP members individually.
Kusanagi-kun is the only member who I have had a meal with two times. The second time when we had Yakiniku, he treated. From then on, I was charmed by his kindness and his naïve personality,
“I will find Kusanagi-kun a fine wife,”
I announced to everyone.
Also I want to have a conversation with Inagaki-kun about books. Someday if we have the chance to judge an essay competition together for a women’s magazine, it will probably be a lot of fun.
This is the growing ambition of an old lady.
The many fans who are reading this essay right now are probably thinking this:
“How nice to be someone from the media! How nice to be a writer! They can party with SMAP so naturally. They get to have meals with SMAP.”
But I would like to say this:
“Stars” are not that easy to approach. They might seem easy-going, yet they still exist far away from us. That coldness is also very lovely. That’s why they are stars; that’s why they are SMAP.
“Stars are those who exist faraway to be loved by us.”
When it comes to SMAP, people usually think of them as the extraordinary stars. Of course that is true, but I have a stronger impression of them as “professionals.”
People who have been to a SMAP concert will probably understand, as a form of entertainment SMAP puts on Japan’s number one show. They are amazing in singing and dancing. And in the end they appear in the huge carts. This way the audience from second and third floor can see them more clearly. They think of all audiences, so even the audiences in the furthest seats can see them sing and dance. It’s such a natural thing for them to do and it makes everyone fired up. In midst of everyone’s shouts of joy, I thought of the word “shukusai” (feasting day/religious festival). I think SMAP’s existence is also a spiritual one that makes a lot of people happy. That is why SMAP’s concert is not a “O-matsuri” (festival) but a “shukusai” (religious festival).
I have been to SMAP concert a number of times, and I always get a little too excited for my age. I was even older than the guardians who came with their daughters (actually there are many people like that at the concerts, they are probably mother and daughter SMAP fans), but I still waved my uchiwa and screamed my heads out.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!”
The members in front of me were waving at my direction. I firmly believed that they saw me and were waving at me. They are beyond any doubts big stars for they were able to give us the illusion that they were looking and waving at us and only at us. Despite my age I still squealed to my friend who was sitting next to me,
“Hey! I am certain that they were looking at me!!”
And then I started screaming again,
“Kyaaaa!!! So lovely~”
Smap’s concerts are long. They always last close to four hours with no cheating. I found out two years ago that even after the long concert they still had to work.
It happened when I was invited to go to their Tokyo Dome concert by an editor. I was handed a VIP backstage pass.
“Please also stay for the party afterwards,” I was told.
What party?
I finally understood what the party was after the concert ended. I was taken to a room in the Dome where there were some alcohol and snacks. By snacks I mean sandwich, Inari sushi, fried chicken and the like. After I got my pack of food I started looking around me.
Of course there were other celebrities present, but most of the people there at the party were people from the media and the record company. My editor friend told me, “The members will be coming in a few moments.”
I thought they would just show up for a bit to greet everyone. The members, who had showered and changed, entered one by one and started mingling with the people there.
“How was the concert today?”
They asked seriously and engaged in deep conversations with the guests. They could always just greet us a little like,
“Everyone, thank you very much!”
then leave. It would be fine because they are such big stars. It is only natural. They should have been exhausted from being on stage for four hours. I imagine they would want to go home as soon as they could. Even so they hold very good manners and interacted with everyone with the utmost sincerity. I was so surprised about that because I realized then that they had to do this every night during the concert tour.
I was moved, very moved. In the name of research I took pictures with the members individually.
In this party, there were no flocks of ordinary people crowding SMAP for pictures since all the guests were people from the industry. I was pretty much the only person who was snapping away, and I got criticized for my behavior by my make-up and hair stylist after the party.
“My friend was at the party and said you kept taking pictures with SMAP. How sneaky! My friend said she/he was very jealous.”
Of course I have gotten permission from their manager before I took the pictures. I also realized that in that situation actually everyone had wanted to do what I did-take pictures of them.
This reminded me of a party I attended around 10 years ago. The magazine “AnAn” threw a huge party to celebrate its 35th anniversary. There were a lot of celebrities present, but when SMAP’s Kimura was handed the microphone the commotion was unbelievable.
People there were mostly from the media, and they were the pros who were used to seeing celebrities. But in order to see Kimura-san more clearly, they were all pushing forward. At that time I thought Kimura was the prime example of what being a star is about.
Even though I have been on “SMAPXSMAP” twice, regretfully I have not been able to connect with SMAP members individually.
Kusanagi-kun is the only member who I have had a meal with two times. The second time when we had Yakiniku, he treated. From then on, I was charmed by his kindness and his naïve personality,
“I will find Kusanagi-kun a fine wife,”
I announced to everyone.
Also I want to have a conversation with Inagaki-kun about books. Someday if we have the chance to judge an essay competition together for a women’s magazine, it will probably be a lot of fun.
This is the growing ambition of an old lady.
The many fans who are reading this essay right now are probably thinking this:
“How nice to be someone from the media! How nice to be a writer! They can party with SMAP so naturally. They get to have meals with SMAP.”
But I would like to say this:
“Stars” are not that easy to approach. They might seem easy-going, yet they still exist far away from us. That coldness is also very lovely. That’s why they are stars; that’s why they are SMAP.