– When did you first start being conscious of your own face? Did you like it or hate it?
[No, I’ve never really liked my own face. I don’t really look in the mirror and go “Ugh,” or anything though (laughs). I wonder if anyone says “I like my own face!”]

-There are quite a few people who look at glass just to see their own reflections, though.
[But it’s not something they say in public (laughs). “I love it enough to stare at the mirror every day,” or something like that.]

– Well, no one says that (laughs). So then, do you not like to look at mirrors, tetsu-san?
[Just a little. I’ve talked about it wih Chako-san (hair and make-up artist, Ms. Araki Chako) She said I’m probably the one who looks at mirrors the least during work. It’s like I just let them stick garbage on my face then go stand in front of the cameras without caring.]

– Wow, you don’t seem like it. That’s a bit unexpected. You might be a bit too indifferent.
[I think I come across as a bit of a narcissist, in my public image. But I’m nothing like that.]

– So, for example, if it weren’t for work, the only time you’d see your face in the mirror would be when you wash it first thing in the morning.
[No, if I don’t have work, I don’t wash my face (laughs). I really stay the way I woke up (laughs). The way I slept. If I don’t think I’ll be going out that day, I won’t bother washing my face, or even changing clothes. Really.]

– Seriously? How…… unexpected. People who don’t care about their appearance really do exist.
[Right? Oh, but I look in the mirror when I brush my teeth. But some days I’ll brush my teeth and still not wash my face. I hate doing it. It’s such a pain. I hate washing only my face. Why not just take a bath instead? (laughs)]

– Why is that? Why do you dislike getting your face wet so much?
[It just feels wrong. For example, when we finish a photo shoot, everyone washes off their make up and goes home, but I’d rather get completely drenched, even if it’s just in the studio’s bathroom or something. It’s not easy. It’s pretty bad. So yeah, it’s difficult to get a chance to soak every time, so I at least use a towel. That’s why my bathroom at home is incredibly clean. The mirror and floor, too. Even the faucet handles sparkle. I mean, I soak there all the time, so I wipe it clean every time. So it always stays clean.]

– Ahahahaha. But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
[But when I wash my face, I need to wipe things off, and it’s another little round of cleaning. That makes it a bother, so I don’t wash it.]

– I see. But you have such lovely skin, tetsu-san.
[I’m told that a lot, and I answer “How!?” I don’t think I have especially nice skin. It makes me think “If you’re going to give me compliments, I want them to be about something else,” or “Maybe there’s nothing else about me to compliment,” or something like that.]

– That’s not true. It’s so nice it seems like you must take extra good care of it.
[But I don’t. Except, maybe it helps that I don’t smoke.]

– That could be. But, considering you’re a man in your thirties, I think it’s ok to be proud of your beautiful skin.
[Eh? I’m not going to take that from you. You liar. (both crack up laughing)]

– I’m not lying! (laughs) Let’s look at the “face of the band” now. What’s your interpretation of that?
[The face is hyde. Don’t people say “I know who hyde is, but who is tetsu?” a lot?]

– Ah, is that so? I think you’re the face too, tetsu-san.
[A lot of people only know hyde……and tetsu (laughs). But you’re only saying that because you’re dealing with me right now. I bet if you were talking to yukkie, you’d say “People know hyde and yukkie,” wouldn’t you? But, you know, people ask “tetsu, that’s the guitar player, right?”]

– (laughs) That certainly goes back to knowing the “face”.
[Well, really, normally people only know hyde, don’t they? His name and his face. Isn’t that part of being a band? I think that’s ok. Well, ideally, I think it would be great if everyone knew all our names and faces, like SMAP (1), but in the end, we’re a rock band so of course that won’t happen. That’s how it is. It’s kinda cold. It’s as if the vocalist has to be the face of the band, and it’s wrong to have it be any other way. When I was looking for members to start up the band, I didn’t want the guy on vocals to stand out less than I did. I really wanted to start a band with a vocalist who had more shine than I did. The vocalist spends more time in the spotlight, so I had to (pained laugh). It’s like with Amuro and Shinji (2), just because the main character has the best position.]

– Indeed. Well, this might seem like a strange question, but is there any face you’ve seen that made you wish you had been born with that face instead?
[Lessee……… I can’t think of any, cause they all turn into me (laughs)]

– Good point! You already have it, too! (laughs)
[But, doesn’t everyone think that? Think sort of like this. “Well, mine’s good,” or something.]

-Interviewer : Honma Yuuko
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. SMAP is an incredibly famous Japanese all-boy pop band. Besides making music, they also appear in commercials, dramas, host their own shows, and have tons of merchandise. A Western analogue would be the Backstreet Boys, but SMAP is probably bigger than the BSB ever were. Go back.

2. He’s referencing his two favourite anime, Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Amuro (Ray) and Shinji (Ikari) are the respective main characters of these series. Go back.