Arena 37c, May 2005, Part 2

Translated by: Sweiled

1. Please DO NOT take my translations and use them for whatever reason, without my permission.
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[number] = more explanation of the sentence below
xxx = more detailed explanations
[xxx] = what I felt a certain part of the sentence meant
(xxx) = other meanings of the word or literal translations or missing word/words not specifically mentioned. For e.g. (The fans) screamed when he entered!

A promise made to fans for a snowboard event
I: Spring is in the air… When you think of spring, (the first thing that comes to mind) is skiing in spring… Yes, an unexpected turn of events (lit: impossible development) indeed. [1] Actually, Gackt held a fanclub members-only event “白銀の夜と雪の戯れ 2005” on 26th March to 27th March in ‘ca et la’ ski resort in Gunma prefecture. Close to 1,000 fans participated. (Gackt) booked the whole ski resort for Saturday and Sunday. (The fans) were divided into teams and a huge sports game event was held on the snow. It was a lively day indeed. It’s just like Gackt-san. Anything he comes up with will be of a huge scale!
[1] The interviewer is actually joking here. Of course ski is the last thing that came into mind when you think of spring, because people normally do it during winter. Only Gackt will think up something like this is the underlying implication.
G: Yes, but that (event) is a promise I made to my fans. No matter what, I have to book a place because I made a promise (lit. cannot not do it) (laughs). There are people who badmouth me and say that I am using the fans to make money (lit. take money from fans) but you can’t make a profit out of that. (laughs) It takes a lot [of time/money/effort] to hold this ski event in Japan. An average of 4,000 people visit a ski resort on weekends but we have to book the whole place for only 1,000 of us. We had to clear many obstacles before we can achieve that. (lit. walk a long road to reach that point)


I: You booked the whole place for Saturday and Sunday?
G: Yes, I did.


I: Gackt-san yourself snowboarded as well didn’t you?
G: The fans and I went skiing during nighttime because we booked the resort from Saturday night. On the next day, we held a sports event in the morning (laughs). And it starts at 8 AM in the morning. What started all this (the ski event) was something I said during a live (concert) previously. During the live, I said that I would definitely hold a snowboard event in Japan. And so a promise was made. If I do not (hold my words and) do it, I would be called a liar now, won’t I? (laughs) But you need quite a huge sum of money to book a ski resort like that and holding a ski event would be impossible if you do not talk to the people above [1]. So the first thing I did was to find an owner. (laughs)
[1] Literal translation. 上の人間 . It refers to those people with ‘power’ or ‘authority’. Bosses would be called that and subordinates would be called the opposite.


I: So that is where you start from! (laughs)
G: (Yes) From there. (I started) from building connections (lit. make human relations). And I met the owner of ‘ca et la’ ski resort in Gunma and we became close friends. He is a very good owner. He said that it is ok if it is for Gaku-chan. Even though (the reservation) was for Saturday and Sunday. It’s really crazy [1]. I felt bad about it yet grateful at the same time. It’s usually impossible (to book it) on Saturdays and Sundays.
[1] Mechakucha. Mechakucha ii can be loosely translated to ‘Fuckin good!” Indicates that something is extremely good. And in this case, it will mean something along the line of ‘sounds impossible’ or ‘it’s crazy! (as in amazing)’


I: Even if you manage to book it somehow, people [owners] would normally ask you to avoid Saturdays and Sundays.
G: Right? And we reserved the whole ski slope on Sunday except for one which was opened for the children in the nursing institute [1] of Gunma. His kindness really struck me [2]. The children in the nursing house did not want the resort to close because there is no other place they can play in. When school starts, they will not be able to tell their friends where they played (during the weekends). And that owner wanted to open one of the ski slopes just for the sake of those children. And he told me, “Gaku-chan, I need your help on that day.” When I asked him, “What’s wrong?”, he said, “I want you to talk to those children.” He also said, “Show them your face. I would like you to give them dreams [3]. Because that is something I cannot do.” Of course, I said to him that I am willing to do anything within my power. (lit. if I can do it, I will do it) And it so happened that my schedule was free but I do think that it is very meaningful [4]. I felt that it was destined. That there are people who do things without thinking of profits and such, and do them only just because they wanted to see the smiling face of the children. Don’t you think those people are admirable? It has been a while since I last met someone like that.
[1] 養護施設 . It means nursing house and more commonly used for nursing houses for handicapped people or old people. However, it is definitely not so in this case (they are snowboarding). The house is more for children who do not have guardians or were abused previously.
[2] The word can also mean will or intention. So he could also mean that the owner’s strong intention/will in letting the children have a place to play amazed him. I chose kindness though because I think that is more correct in this case.
[3] In dreams here, he refers to goals and ambitions. By meeting someone famous and great like Gackt, the owner hopes to give the children ‘dreams’.
[4] The way he phrases the sentence gives me the feeling that even if his schedule were not free on that day, he would still make some time out to meet the children. Because he felt that it was very meaningful.


I: It is a very meaningful act indeed.
G: Yes, I think so. It took me 2 years, since I made that promise with the fans, to accomplish this (lit. reach here). However, it was after this year’s January that the owner and I became close friend. I often think, we made it (organize and hold the event) within 3 months. This ‘ca et la’ ski resort is the newest ski resort in Japan. The facilities are good and because I became close with the staff there, they often teach me (skills in snowboarding). Snowboarding there is the best. I hope that it will become a popular ski resort.


The moment you think “Ah, it’s spring…”
I: Gackt-san, when is the exact moment you feel that spring has come?
G: When I see couples cuddling close to each other and holding hands as they walk because the weather is cold. That’s when I would think, “Ah, it’s spring time…” Because it is cold during winter, (couples) do not hold hand, do they? (Seeing) couples walk arm in arm. Don’t you feel that spring has come when you start seeing couples holding hands?


When you talk of spring, graduation ceremony comes to mind…
I: Did you attend the graduation ceremony?
G: Yes, I attended. I graduated properly [1] (laughs). But, I don’t think I have much of a good memory of graduation ceremonies. There are teachers I can’t stand (むかつく mukatsuku: to feel sick; irritated; offended; angry.) who attended the ceremony and they ran away as soon as they saw my face because they thought I would punch [2] them… Something like that. (laughs)
[1] Very literal translation would be ‘I could graduate like the way I was supposed to’. It could be interpreted two ways. One would be that he always performs badly in classes and are seriously in danger of retaining classes. But he managed to pull through in the end. The other is he attended the ceremony properly and hence, has ‘officially’ graduated.
[2] He used the word ‘yaru’ here. It means a lot of things, the most commonly used one being for ‘to do’. But I believe in this context, it means more to punch or hit or fighting the teachers, etc…


I: Aah, that’s good. I thought you would really do it (punch them) (laughs).
G: During the graduation ceremony, the first person I saw (lit. who was there) as I came in [to the hall] was that teacher. (He) was walking and grabbed my two hands as soon as he saw my face. He clasped it tight without letting go. He held on firmly because he thought he would be punched (by me) (laughs). And he said, “Ganbare yo!” [1] and walked away quickly as soon as he let my hands go. He was the councilor [2] for the karate club (laughs).
[1] Ganbare can be loosely translated to ‘work hard!’ The teacher is wishing him all the best basically.
[2] Each club has a teacher in charge of them. The club advisor. And usually, they will be good at the activity the clubs are in. For example, the club advisor for the arts club will most likely be an arts teacher. And someone who is good in judo will probably be the one chosen to be its club advisor.


When you talk of spring, school entrance ceremony comes to mind…
I: You have any memories of entrance ceremony?
G: Hmm, entrance ceremony. It was during senior high school (ceremony) that a ‘happening’[1] occurred.
[1] It means here that ‘something’ happened. Some incident, I would say…


I: Eh! You already got into trouble (lit. there was a ‘happening’) since the beginning of school?
G: Yes, yes. Because the whole lot of them from various schools were gathered there. [1] Everybody was giragira (glaring at each other) (laughs). We were going, “What is your problem?” “What?” (We) kept staring at each other. We were staring at each other even though we are in the same class. (laughs)
[1] I think he meant that all the bad boys from all the different schools were gathered there. And so you get a whole bunch of ‘punks’ in that class.


I: And all of you became close after being in the same class for 1 year?
G: We did. Amazingly. (laughs) That was really amazing. At first, (I) would really think, “He is such an idiot!” We would introduce ourselves at first [1] and when we were about to walk back to our seats, we will meet the next person who was going up right? Both were unwilling to give way (laughs) and would keep saying “Move, I say!” “You move!” It was interesting. And then, there is also the seniors. The seniors who are popular like to come and ‘check’ the new students. [2] Because I don’t like that, I told them, “Nanda omae, kono yaro~!”[3] That was how my first meeting with the seniors went… (laughs)
[1] In Japan, students make self-introductions when they first enroll and also when they change classes as they get promoted. Their names, previous school/class and other information normally.
[2] Seniors like to come in and check out the new intakes. To show them who is ‘boss’ in the school and who ‘rules’ here as well.
[3] Can be translated to “What do you want (or what is your problem), you son of a bitch!” yarou can also be translated to bastard, asshole or more mildly, rascal.


I: And you did that in turn (to the next batch of intakes) when you became a senior yourself?
G: Ah, I didn’t do that. Because I hate those kinds of things. When I came across a younger student with lots of guts, I would tell them, “You sure have lots of guts” I would talk to them normally [1] and became close friends naturally. I would feel happy when I see a younger student who is ikeike [2]
[1] As in he would not throw his senior status around and would talk to them with a normal tone/attitude instead.
[2] I believe in this context, it means someone with lots of fighting spirit and guts or courage.


I: But you were already piripiri [1]even though it was early spring. Shouldn’t you feel more peaceful during springtime [2]?
[1] Piripiri is used to describe an electric feeling. So in this case, it refers more to the tension being high-charged. Everybody is feeling tensed up and ready to fight feel to it…
[2] I think this is what he meant. During springtime, flowers are blossoming and there is a ‘love is in the air’ feel. So they should feel peace and love yet here they are fighting and glaring at each other. High tension in between them.
G: Iya. (No) This is a period of piripiri for men. When you enter a company, those of the same age will become your rival, right? There (in the company) the difference between someone whose performance improves and someone who doesn’t will show. And I wonder if it is not because they kept clashing with each other that (people) become close friends eventually. [1] That is the reason why I view spring the way I do. When I was in junior high school, I was caught by the teacher and brought to the counseling room [2] He was angry. “What’s with your uniform?” I changed the button (pinned on) the inner collar of our school uniform and there were words like “tengai kodoku”[3] written (lit. carved) on it. [4] He was angry just because of that. He asked “Why did you change the button?” and when I answered “Because it (looks) cool”, he pushed me hard. [5] (laughs). That was my memory of enrollment ceremony. (laughs)
[1] Since graduation is during spring time, graduates would also start work around the same time. That was why he suddenly talked about entering working life. You will tend to view those of the same age as your rival when you start work and when you compete with them (clash), you will become close friends eventually. Because by competing with them, you get to know them better as well. That is what I think he meant here.
[2] The room you are normally called to go to where the teacher gives you the punishment. Discipline room.
[3] I’m not sure if there is any specific meaning to this word. 天涯孤独 If it was a movie title or anything like that, but basically the phrase describes someone who is alone. No relatives, no friend, lives life by him/herself.
[4] Normally they have their school logo pinned on to the outer collar of their school uniform. According to my Japanese friend, what Gackt did was he pinned the button with those words on the inner side of their school uniform. And the words are really small and would be almost impossible to catch. Which is why it’s amazing that the teacher caught it and even got so angry because of it. My friend said that the school rules in Japan is very strict and that Gackt must have went to a very strict school.
[5] This is a very strong action. Pushing someone so hard that you send him flying to the other corner of the room.


A day in spring for Gackt
I: Gackt-san, what would be an ideal day of spring to you?
G: Go to Yoyogi park and read a book there. After that, I will go to a friend’s house and play fireworks.


I: You like fireworks, don’t you?
G: Yes, I love it. When this time of the year comes, my friend would say “Let’s play firework” and invite everybody over. And there will be a whole field of sakura trees planted in the garden. And close to 50 of my close friends will come (lit. go).


I: 50 people! Don’t tell me that the garden is as big as a park’s?
G: That’s right. Not big enough that you can play baseball there, but it is quite big. But my friend’s father is very scary. He stormed in while yelling, “Who’s the one who parked their car in that kind of place~?” Even though we are all in our 30s and 40s, everybody went ‘shiin’ [1] (laughs). That was funny.
[1] shiin. Represents silence. Everybody was shocked into silence here because his friend’s father was so scary.


I: Of course there will be (viewing of) cherry blossoms at night as well, won’t there?
G: Yes, sakura at night. It is pretty. There is no place in Tokyo where you can view sakura at your own leisure (lit. slowly). I stayed in denenchofu in the past and the sakura on the sakura slope were beautiful. There is (also) a place in Kyoto I would really like to take [you][1] to. I would like to take a photo [of it]. There is a waterway road [2] on top of the exit of the tunnel from Yamanashi to Kyoto and when you pass through that, (you will see) a lot of sakura trees along both sides of the road. I really went there often. The sakura in Yasaka Shrine or Maruyama Park is also beautiful. I would like to drive there and see (the sakura) again this year.
[1] He didn’t specifically mention who he wants to bring. But I’m assuming the interviewer because he mentioned photography in the next sentence.
[2] I believe this is a road built along the waterway. And you can see sakuras blooming on both sides of the road.

Note: In Japan, the education system is slightly different. You have 12 years of education in total. 6 years of elementary school, followed by three years each of junior high school and senior high school. You will be 18 years old by the time you are ready to enter university. And school starts in spring and not June or January like some other countries. That is why you get graduation and enrollment ceremony in springtime.