Club Volvic: My On Time (January 24, 2007)

Translated by: gekka_no_neko (@LJ)
Please do not copy, take, redistribute, retranslate or repost this translation without my permission. Thank you~


About the theme for this tour[1]?
The tour this time was limited to fanclub members, you know. Because we all stayed underground this past year, working and training, I summed it all up by calling it “Training Days”. This was definitely the most intense[2] concert out of all the concerts I’ve done up until now. Honestly, in the middle of performing, there were so many times ……yeah, so many times I really thought I would collapse. It was really intense. 

Well, I’m not exaggerating just because it was my own concert, but if you tell me that there is another artist that can put on a concert like mine, I’d like to see it. There are probably only two or three who could do it, you know. At least there aren’t any (capable of that) in Asia. The concept and everything else takes a lot of time and labor. I don’t think there’s anyone else who would go to the trouble of challenging themselves to do that kind of thing. But, being able to pull it off is deeply rewarding. That’s why I do it.


How are you careful about staying hydrated?
When we started training for this tour, it was fun because we started talking about how many liters a person could drink. The members and staff decided to try to drink three liters of Volvic in one day, at the very least. For me, I wonder how much I drink per day. Ten of these bottles. I also tested myself to see how much I could drink in one day. The most I drank was eighteen of these bottles, I think. I wondered what would happen. What would happen if I drank three or five liters. At first I thought it’d be impossible, but, how do you say it, the portion you drink leaves the body. Moreover, the impurities and the bad stuff go with it. The condition of your body is completely different (after drinking).


What words would describe the image you get from water? 
Well there are a lot of images, you know. Cleanliness, purity. Valleys. Yeah, rivers. That comes closest. Not the ocean, huh. I like the image of going into the mountains, and going to the riverside in the mountains. It’s a calming feeling to hear the irregular sounds of flowing water breaking the silence.


What message did you put into the new song[3]?
I had the opportunity to make this song after a listener of a radio show sent me a letter. As a result of the earthquake in Kobe, there was a disaster prevention program at his school, a unique program that only existed at that school; but of course people are forgetful creatures. The pain caused by that earthquake was steadily being forgotten. That program was losing enrollment numbers. So he sent a letter asking for my support. It’s really easy to ask people for help. But I believe what’s important is to be aware of what you yourself are capable of accomplishing. 
I told him that they should use their strength to show the incoming students why this program exists. I told him that if they were able to exceed the enrollment limit in the program by the time exams came around, by communicating to others the fact that they want people to enter the program, then I would definitely attend the graduation ceremony. Sure enough, they exceeded the enrollment limit that year. They tried really hard to make it happen, but what I did was just to push their backs a little bit. 
Yeah, so this song was like a reward, and it became a song that could give a little push to young people who are trying hard from now on. Yeah, that’s what I think.


About music?
Music. A mission, I guess. For me. If there’s one goal within that, and this might be kind of a big subject, but if there’s one goal within that, then it has to do with my strong pride in being an Asian. The thing is, the ties between various Asian countries are extremely weak, and I think perhaps the connections the Japanese have with Americans is stronger than those they have with the Chinese or Koreans. 

But as Asians, I think we (Japanese) should have more ties with other Asians. If we don’t, then this country will gradually end up in a bad situation. The power of culture can accomplish in one or two years what could not be accomplished by the world of politics in sixty years. I think that’s the power of culture. I think we (as artists) have that power, and are in the position to take advantage of the opportunity (to use that power). 
Through me, the number of people who come to understand Japan will increase. That’s not merely cultural exchange. It’s loving their own country. It’s looking hard at one’s own country. And it also connects to the acceptance [5] of other countries. For that reason, as one Asian artist, I believe Asian countries should be more connected to each other. I believe I am shouldering that one burden. I believe that is one mission[4] in my music.

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