– You have very pretty, fluffy hair, but to what extent do you concern yourself with hair care?
[No, I don’t do anything in particular. I do nothing. I’ve had very pretty hair since way back, if I do say so myself. Go ahead and touch it. It’s really soft.]

– So it is. I’m jealous! It’s perfectly soft.
[Isn’t it? It feels softer than it looks. When I was a kid, the hairdresser lady would always say “You have hair like a girl” or something like that to me. But I didn’t like it all that much. It’s easy to style, but it’s damaged hair, isn’t it? It never curls anymore, you know? Except for bed hair (laughs).]

– (laughs) Do you think it’s a good idea to play around with it a lot?
[Yeah. Back in middle school, I admired the kids with curly hair, thinking “Must be nice.” But then again, they’d tell me how they would rather have my hair. “It sucks when it rains,” they said.]

– How about different hairstyles, or messing around with different hair colours? What’s your reaction to that?
[Ah, but I’m not as particular about it as I was in middle and high school. It only matters because of the kind of work I do, probably. It doesn’t matter how my hair looks when I’m on my own time. In the end, it’s for work…… For lives or for photos, I just leave it to the hair and make-up people. Then they do the best they can with the haircut and length I have. Besides, when I go out, I usually wear a hat, right? So it really doesn’t matter what my hair looks like.]

– I see. So you spent rather more time on it in middle school?
[Yeah, yeah. “Hey you! You gonna go onstage like that?!” I spent 30~40 minutes styling it every morning.]

– When there was a hairstyle you liked, did you worry a lot about whether it would be too hard to reproduce?
[Sometimes, I did. Those days, I had a lot of tension. “Today, I decide my hairdo!” or something like that.]

– Somehow, your saying that is adorable (laughs).
[Well, that’s how it was for guys in middle and high school. I had to get up a bit early because of it. In the morning, my dad would be in front of the mirror, and I’d be thinking “Who cares what Dad looks like? Hurry up already!” (laughs).]

– (laughs) Well, that’s adolescence. What’s the best hairstyle you’ve had out of your days with L’Arc?
[1998, probably, when I had that brownish-red hairdo.]

– You were blond for a while too, right? In 1999. Why did you go blond?
[I wanted to experience it at least once in my life. Being blond. My 20s were ending and I didn’t think it was right to go blond past age 30.]

– Haha, I’m sorry! (<- She dyed her hair blond at age 30. Pained laugh)
[Hahahaha! You’re in your thirties? (laughs). No, you see, a guy has to worry more about preserving it at this stage in life, right? So it was probably my last shot.]

– I see, so it was your symbol of rebellion. How did it go?
[It drew in a lot of dogs, that hairdo (laughs). Of course, for work, it wasn’t a problem. For my work on stage, it’s good to stand out, but that’s not the case for my private time. I had to wear a hat whenever I went out, because just being blond draws attention, doesn’t it? So, it would give me away. That sucked.]

– How about now, do you have any challenges when it comes to your hair?
[No, I’m carefree, about my hair. I always leave it up to Chako-san (Araki Chako) from hair and make-up.]

– Ah, I see. You must have a lot of faith in her.
[Yeah, but it’s lots of fun. Before, I’d be asked “How do you want it today?” and think “I dunno, just make it look cool. You’re the pro.” Hair and make-up artists are supposed to be able to say “For this person, with this type of hair, this length and this colour are best suited. Looks cool” and then make it happen. So don’t ask me what to do. Chako-san can do that easily. All I have to do is say “I’d like it cut” when I feel like cutting it.]

– So then, you aren’t especially picky about anything hair related, tetsu-san?
[……If I were, it would be about my bangs. I don’t feel right without bangs. I don’t think having my hair all back is good for me.]

– Ah, maybe it isn’t. You feel uncomfortable showing your forehead?
[Kind of, since it doesn’t really have a peak. It’s like I don’t have the confidence to put all my hair back. It exposes the whole head, doesn’t it? I don’t have that much confidence in my own head, so I can’t do it. That’s just my personal opinion though. But I think it’s great when people go with the all-back style. That’s why if I tried that style, it would mean I had gotten more confident. “Don’t I look cool?” Ahaha!]

– Yeah. Maybe when you start to go gray, you’ll look incredibly cool with all-back hair.
[No, I probably won’t be able to do it, after all. I don’t want to show everything, so it’s like I hide behind my bangs.]

Interviewer : Honma Yuuko
Translated by Natalie Arnold.