L'Arc~Compendium

This is the translated script of the documentary by TV Asahi concerning ASIALIVE. It was transcribed by ear, and so there may be errors in hard to hear areas. Also, any phrases in Korean or Chinese are tentatvely romanised or simply not translated, as I cannot speak either language. Please forgive romanisation errors for these languages.

To better appreciate this script, please be familiar with the corresponding file beforehand.

Begin

(Footage of the last day of AWAKE tour)

Narration : August 31st 2005, Yoyogi National Athletic Hall, the members of the popular rock band, L’Arc~en~Ciel, concluded AWAKE tour, which spanned twelve venues.

tetsu : Thank you. We’ll be waiting in Korea!

(footage of the airport)

Caption : Departing for ASIALIVE

Narration : The following day, September first, the members are to depart for Korea.

tetsu : (arriving at the airport) Good morning.

Narration : Since their formation in 1991, L’Arc~en~Ciel has been a popular rock band continuously rushing toward the top of Japan’s music scene.

(footage on the plane)

Narration : This time, they are embarking on their first overseas tour. This program was made over one month of filming. Over 100 hours of footage was produced, and valuable interviews were also contributed. This document represents L’Arc~en~Ciel in full.

(Title screen)

(Footage of Kimpo International airport in Seoul, Korea)

Narration : The first stop on ASIALIVE 2005 is the Korean capital, Seoul. Five hundred Korean fans have gathered to greet the members upon their arrival at Kimpo International Airport.

(they arrive, fans shriek)

Caption : Arriving at Kimpo Airport

hyde : At first it was calm… well, usually when Japanese artists go there, it’s pretty quiet, right? So at first I smiled a little. But then, well… It was like being on sale at a bargain market. That’s how it felt.

Narration : The Korean fans who had waited at the airport all rushed in at once, wanting to be right in front of the members. It caused a great panic in the airport lobby.

(footage of them fighting their way out and getting into a van)

tetsu (off screen) : I knew there was gonna be a fuss, but I was hoping for calm… (much off screen laughing)

(in the van)

ken : Some of those kids were ready to bite us! I think usually, over here, they’ve got brave old guys making a human rope, but this time, it was fan girls doing it. Or that’s what it looked like. Those fat old guys are really heroes (laughs).

tetsu : I was really hoping it would be calm when we got here. That was scarier than Thailand.

hyde : A lot happened but, it was probably the moment where L’Arc~en~Ciel showed the most unified power since our formation.

Narration : Even on the way to the city of Seoul…

yukihiro : They followed us in taxis. That part wasn’t terribly different from how it is in Japan.

(footage of a party)

Narration : Then, that night, there was a reception party with assorted reporters.

Everyone : Cheers!

Narration : One of the reasons they had been looking forward to Korea was the yakiniku. How is the flavour of genuine Korean yakiniku? (Note: Also called Korean barbecue, it’s the dish you see tetsu eating at this point.)

tetsu : (plays with his food) I have a sensitive tongue. (he finally eats it)
Cameraman : Well? How is it?
tetsu : (after much chewing) It’s very hot. (Note : hot in temperature, not spice)

ken : I’m gonna try this one. It looks tasty.
Cameraman : Is it good?
ken : Delicious. (points to another dish) This thing though tasted kinda bland.

Cameraman : How is the flavour?
hyde : Mmmm… delicious.
Cameraman : (laughs)
hyde : She just finished saying the Japanese stuff is better.

(footage of Seoul at night)

Narration : After the party, the four of them went out into Seoul.

ken : I can’t read Korean at all, so I have no idea what I’m looking at.
Staff lady : You don’t understand it at all.

Narration : Despite their tight schedule, they took some valuable time off to see the real Korea.

(footage of press conference)

Narration : On the day immediately preceding the day of the live, they held a press conference for the Korean media. Even in Korea, there is much anticipation for a Japanese rock band, and so over one hundred members of the press came to this event.

Announcer : (Presumably, he announced them.)

ken : (Greets the crowd in Korean)
MC : This time, things are a little different from usual.

Reporter (Or more accurately, an interpreter) : Please say a few words of greeting for your Korean fans.
hyde : I thought it would be best if we could meet as soon as possible.

Narration : After the press conference, they had no time to rest. After a quick stop at their hotel, they proceeded to the location of the live.

(footage of the Olympic park)

Narration : The venue chosen for their Korean live is the Olympic Park’s gymnasium. As an indoor venue, it is among the largest. This will be the first time Japanese artists perform there.

(inside the venue)

Staff member to hyde : This way.
hyde : It’s cold!

(footage of them setting up)

Cameraman : What do you think of this place?
hyde : Aaah… It’s round.
(laughter from behind the camera)

(footage of VIP room)

Narration : The room that became the member’s ready room had this type of atmosphere.

hyde : It’s as impressive as Budoukan. Big like a circus tent. See, like what’s up there.
someone off screen : It’s the biggest venue in Seoul, and you’re doing a concert here.
tetsu : Oh really? The biggest indoor place, right?

Caption : the venue for the Seoul live

tetsu : When it comes to Japan, Budoukan is kinda… um… it makes you feel like you’re getting a royal inspection. Certainly, having Japanese artists play at the biggest venue, it’s something, isn’t it?

(Footage of break room)

Narration : In the break room, while waiting for the Korean concert, they have begun discussing the live. In contrast with earlier, their faces have taken on a serious expression.

Staff member : Pam papa pampam.
tetsu : That?
Staff : No? I guess not (laughs). But if we did it that way, pam papa pam… deedeededede (he’s demonstrating a tune)
hyde : What is that supposed to be?
Staff : Right before the Link guitar solo. Before the solo, you know?
(he goes on to demonstrate his beat to a perplexed hyde)
hyde : So… so what’s your point?
Staff : Come on! Didn’t you wonder, after AWAKE tour, if maybe this band needs a little foresight? So, now it’s ASIALIVE…
tetsu : I think it’s kinda…
Staff : Let me try one more time! I wanted to try this for today.
hyde : I don’t think that’s gonna happen.

(dootage of ken jamming)

Narration : The unseen ken has been practising guitar all by himself.

ken : I always practise with this. Though it’s been a while since I practised so much, before a live.

(Footage of the stage)

Narration : Then, rehearsal began. Although L’Arc had worked hard on AWAKE tour, they are now heading into ASIALIVE, and today is the first day of that tour. A short while after the beginning of rehearsal, an unforeseen accident delayed the members. Those on stage could not hear any sound coming from the usual places.

tetsu : I can hear myself but… (plays with his earphones) I couldn’t hear hyde at all.
Staff : I’ll make sure it gets fixed.

(hyde makes an announcement to the staff)

(Footage of yukihiro heading outside)

ken : Just about ready? (In Osaka-ben)
yukihiro : (nods)
ken : You are, right?
yukihiro : Everything’s set up. It’s all there (pointing with his hands).
ken : Ha. Awesome. Easy for ya.
yukihiro : Seems like something’s weird with the sound now, though.
Cameraman : You seem awfully calm about it. (yukihiro lights up a cigarette) Ah, so that’s why you’re outside (laughs).
ken : But it’s them that’re happier.
Cameraman : Guess so (laughs).
yukihiro : Well you know, it’s not like they made me go away, but the problem’s with the vocals, so…
Cameraman : Oh, I see. So you can’t start yet. (yukihiro nods)

(Back on stage)

tetsu : The sound’s still wrong. I can’t hear it.
Staff : How’s the input?
tetsu : Not good. It’s like what goes in isn’t what comes out, you know? Some sound perfect, but others sound totally wrong.

Staff : The vocal area isn’t connected yet, right?

Narration : Eighteen hours remain until the curtain goes up. The staff members are also working hard as they make the final round of checks.

Staff : Connected.

Caption : Rehearsal resumes.

Narration : Rehearsal resumes. The sound problems detected by the members had to do with configurations being different from those in Japan. Tomorrow will be L’Arc’s first live for Korean fans, and for this the members and staff continue to put in their sincere efforts.

ken : (calls a staff member over) I think I’m gonna need different strings. Get the other strings ready, please. (some more talking drowned out by drumming) Yeah okay, then set it up over there.
Staff : Is it okay if I just bring it down for you?
ken : But it’s a different channel, isn’t it?
Staff : Oh so you seriously want it set up…
ken : Yeah yeah yeah yeah. The other one’s small. I use the small one for the last song though.
Staff : Got it.
ken : Great. Later.

Narration : ken, the guitarist, makes precise requests to the staff.

ken : Turn up the sound in here just a tiny bit. (pointing at his headphone) It’s okay if you do it while I’m playing.

Narration : yukihiro, the drummer is monitoring and adjusting everything himself, piece by piece.

Narration : Rehearsal went on until late in the night.

Caption : The day of the live.

Narration : At last, the day of the live. In anticipation of the show, the Korean fans have been gathering in front of the venue since very early in the day. Meanwhile, inside the venue, the members and staff have reached the final stages of rehearsal and preparation. Although there are still four hours remaining until the doors open, a huge line is forming outside. Then, the doors finally open.

(Footage backstage)

Staff : Five more minutes of standby.

(Footage of them walking to the stage)

Staff : Leader, if you could take over please!
tetsu : Okay! Eeeh… It’s our first live in Seoul, Korea. Let’s show Seoul how hot we can be. Let’s go!
All : HEY!

caption : First impression of the Korean fans

yukihiro : Before we started, when the members come out, before that, there’s special effects and intro music. Even there, I thought their cheers were impressive.

(Footage of the live : Killing Me)

Caption : The reaction of the Korean fans

hyde : After all, they waited a long time, right? That came across very strongly.
ken : Hmm, but, it kind of reminded me of way back when we used to play in live houses.

(Footage of the live : Heaven’s Drive, Link)

Caption : Why he went down into the crowd

hyde : Well I kinda thought I was too high up, so I might as well go down there. Yeah.
Interviewer : It must have been incredible.
hyde : Yeah, it was. It was interesting.

Caption : Impression of the Korean fans

tetsu : There were seats in the arena, but they didn’t sit down, they got in front of their seats, or stood on them. I think.
Interviewer : Isn’t that impressive? Getting such a reaction even in the middle of a live.
tetsu : It’s hot. It’s like, getting a feel for this continent.

Caption : Seoul live closing party

Narration : They have made it as far as this first live in Seoul.
tetsu (in background) : It was great!
Narration : To celebrate this success, a closing party was held.
tetsu (in background) : I think we stirred them up! I wanna come back next year.
Someone : (asks him a question in Korean)
tetsu : Yes.
(Applause)

Caption : The day after the live

Narration : On the following day, in order to enjoy their brief break, the four members each ventured out into the city.

(Footage of tetsu wandering around)

Caption : What did you visit in Korea?

tetsu : I went sneaking around where Korean celebs go. Like at a famous cafe and stuff.

Caption : Salon de The

tetsu : At a terrace… At that terrace, there was a sofa that Yon-sama likes to sit at. We were right next to it.

(Footage of tetsu and hyde at the cafe)

tetsu : I wanna go to Yon-sama’s house.

Caption : A dish Yon-sama likes

tetsu : Awesome~

Cameraman : How is it?
tetsu : (with mouthful of food) Tasty.

Caption : Batgodong

Narration : The next place the pair visited was a seafood restaurant very popular in Korea.

(Footage of tetsu and hyde in the restaurant)

Caption : Korea’s famous raw octopus

Narration : One item they ordered was Korea’s famous raw octopus

tetsu : Octopus is high in cholesterol.
Cameraman : Is it? That’s surprising.
tetsu : I had a blood test recently, and the doctor said I have high cholesterol.
Cameraman : (laughs)
tetsu : I have doctor’s orders not to eat this. (laughs)
Cameraman : So the doctor’s stopping you.

hyde : (Cringes) (cringes more) (cringes in slow motion) I like octopus, but… eww, I’m not sure I can eat this. Eww. (eats it anyway)
Cameraman : Wow, you ate it.
hyde : It won’t stop moving.

Caption : About the raw octopus

hyde : It was moving. More than I’d imagined. It gave me goosebumps.
Interviewer : I think I would like to have seen that. I imagine it must have really wriggled.
hyde : Yeah. It wasn’t like this, it was more like -this- (demonstrates with his arm). Unpredictable movements. It was really… what’s the word… … … Zo? (laughs) I can’t put it into words. (laughs)
Interviewer : That’s quite…
hyde : It was incredible. I thought I was gonna cry.
Interviewer : But how did it taste?
hyde : Oh it was pretty tasty.

Caption : ken’s day off

ken : I had a little time, so I kinda just wandered around the city, strolling around. I didn’t see anything I wanted to buy. But over there, I saw a lot of old guys with these sponge lizards on their backs. They put them down and went like this (his hand shakes) and it looked like it was actually walking. I really wanted one of those, it was the only thing I wanted to get.

(footage of ken playing with a sponge lizard)

ken : It’s popular in Korea. When I saw it I was like “Woah, that’s unusual!” (laughs) “I gotta get one!”
“Lizard” : Hii… Good afternoon~ I’m a Korean sponge lizard. (whooshing lizard sounds)

ken : For a while I kept playing with it at home, like this (demonstrates). It was replacing my smoking. Sorta. It was a diversion. I’m kidding (laughs).

Caption : hyde, off for promotions in Shanghai

Narration : The following day, hyde separated from the other members and went to Shanghai in order to do some promoting on his own.

Caption : Arriving at Pudong Airport

hyde : I thought it was very white.

Caption : Pudong International airport

Narration : In Shanghai, too, the fans awaited hyde’s arrival at the airport.

hyde : It made me think Korea hadn’t been so bad. All of a sudden, one of the event people took my hand and started running. Yeah but if I run, the fan girls will run too! So yeah… it felt like a sport or something. I didn’t know where I was supposed to go, so I was being pulled around. I’d rather be on a horse. I thought “Someone’s gonna die… Probably me.”

Off screen staff member : That was dangerous!
hyde : I was running like this! (demonstrates being pulled)

Narration : As hyde was doing promotional work by himself, several fans and media people gathered, generating much excitement in Shanghai.

Caption : Members go to Shanghai

Narration : And then, on September 9th, the members all travelled to Shanghai for the live. All of their displacements were assisted by the Chinese public security forces, who cleared the path.

(Footage of their trek through Shanghai, then footage at the party)

Narration : That night, there was another welcoming party in Shanghai. For this part of the tour, the members each took up the challenge of saying their MC in the local language. Even during the meal, hyde was working hard to memorise his words.

Caption : Overseas live MC

hyde : We were in China, so I wanted to say something in Chinese. Besides, when foreign artists come and talk in English, we don’t understand a thing they say. I think all they could get is “Konnichiwa”. The rest would be like “Huh? What’s he babbling about?” But of course, I can’t speak it well. I think I looked bad. I had to learn fast.

Caption : Shanghai Great Stage, the day of the live

Caption : In the waiting room, right before the live

ken : Doumo, doumo… Da jia (Note : “Thanks” in Japanese, but “Everyone” in Chinese. It seems he is saying them together because they have similar intonations. Thanks Hissori and frozenmyst for the explanation.)
Staff member : (corrects his intonation)
ken : Oh that’s right… It’s like DOmo, right, so DA jia. (laughs) I hope I remember this.

ken’s notes : “You all look cute, it makes me happy.”
(A staff member helps him practise)

ken : Tai gao shin la. Did you understand that? Bet you didn’t. If they all sit down all of a sudden, I’ll know I said something wrong.

Caption : MC in Chinese

ken : I couldn’t memorise it. It goes like this (demonstrates intonations with voice and hands), so if you just memorize the words directly, you’re in big trouble. While you’re talking you gotta go like THIS and this and this with the words…
Interviewer : You mean the accent, the intonations…
ken : That’s right, the accents. I couldn’t remember them.

(Footage of ken’s MC)

what ken planned to say (according to Japanese captions) : My Chinese friends! Good evening everyone! Yesterday in the hotel, I played Goban (Note: A game where you line up stones. Thanks Hissori for the correction and explanation.)
what ken actually said (again according to Japanese captions) : Yesterday in the hotel, I killed five chickens.
Crowd : (laughs)
Security guard : …

ken : Even later, when someone explained what I said wrong, I couldn’t tell the difference.

Caption : About the Chinese security guards

tetsu : Usually, the security guys have their backs to the artists and face the crowd while holding it back. But these guys were facing us. All of them. I thought that wouldn’t be enough. The front row was all security though.

(footage of the live : New World, Lost Heaven)

Caption : Impression of the Shanghai live

ken : It’s not that it was like this in Korea and this way in Shanghai…
Interviewer : It was like a normal show.
ken : Like usual, mmhmmm. … Though, there were some differences in the specific way they responded. But I couldn’t say how.

(footage of the live : STAY AWAY)

Caption : Impression of the Shanghai live

tetsu : In Korea, I wondered how come they knew our songs so well.

(More live footage)

yukihiro : Over there, too, it seems we’re widespread to a certain extent. It was all only talk before, but then seeing this made me feel like all this time has accomplished something.

Narration : Even though standing is not permitted in Chinese venues, this live was a first as the crowd were all standing. This event was later broadcast on twelve Chinese networks.

Caption : Right after the live

Staff : Are the four of them here?
Other Staff : Yes. Okay.
(Some Chinese phrases…)

Narration : In order to avoid the chaotic fans, the members had to head out of the venue as soon as the live ended, but when they showed their faces outside…

(footage of them escaping to their bus)

Caption : Surrounded by fans

yukihiro : The fans were banging on the windows.
Interviewer : Wow. Really?
yukihiro : That was scary.

(footage of fans smacking curtained bus windows)

hyde : They were shaking the bus. Really. We all thought “We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die!”

(Sponsor message)

Caption : Grand Hyatt Shanghai

Narration : L’Arc~en~Ciel ASIALIVE. The place where they stayed in Shanghai was the world’s tallest skyscraper hotel, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai.

Caption : Shanghai lodgings

tetsu : The 58th or 59th floor…. That’s where we stayed. But there were more floors above that.
Interviewer : Is that so?
tetsu : 70 floors? 80 floors or so. I think it had about 80 floors.
Interviewer : Eeeh. So how was the view? The scenery must have been wonderful.
tetsu : Mmm. It was awesome.

(footage of tetsu in his hotel room)

tetsu : Wow… this is amazing. It makes Japan seem so small.
Cameraman : And it’s beautifully built.
tetsu : I’m gonna climb all the way up, from the bottom.
Cameraman : (laughs) Do whatever you want.

(tetsu opens a closet)
Cameraman : That’s where clothes can go.
(they go into the bathroom)
Cameraman : This way, the bath. (films a very large sink) This is not a bath.

Caption : The day after the live

tetsu : There was a bit of typhoon. The day of the live, I think.
Interviewer : The day of the live in China?
tetsu : Maybe the day after. Well, it was really shaking. (laughs)
Interviewer : Because it’s high up, it would sway, wouldn’t it?
tetsu : It was swaying. I was wondering if the building would get knocked over (laughs). It was a little scary.

Caption : As the typhoon was making landfall

ken : They mentioned it on TV, but I had totally forgotten. And the hotel, we were staying in an 80 floor hotel, then all the lights in it changed, suddenly, into a three. I didn’t know why. Turned out it was a level three warning (laughs). That’s when I started wondering if I’d be okay going out.

Caption : Heading for the TV tower as the typhoon makes landfall

ken : What number typhoon? 14? 15? Wow.

(footage inside the TV tower)

ken : Just thinking of going down this many floors is tiring.
ken (reading) : 350 metre Space Module
ken : Can we see the typhoon? (looks out the window) Well, now I’ve seen a typhoon. Woooahhh. It’s swaying, swaying, swaying.

ken : Well anyway, it really felt like I was in China. Like I came to Shanghai. That’s why I went up there. But it was shaking, the tower.
Interviewer : Because of the typhoon? You were in the middle of it.
ken : And, I could see clouds, right? They were so fast! Like this! (demonstrates) And this, and this. I was thinking “What am I gonna do?” and decided to go back down, but when I did that, I could hear “Aiyah yah yah!” cause everyone spoke Chinese. There was a boy calling the elevator, and everyone was rushing. Haaa! Hyaa! (he demonstrates) I thought “This is bad~” talking with the people who came with me. So then, when we got into the elevator, it was kinda shaking. Ga dang bang dang! (demonstrating) Whoah… And then we decided not to ride the elevator. We got off.

(Footage of inside the tower)

Cameraman : There’s no stairs.
ken : You’re kidding!

ken : Stairs?

(he finally makes it out)

ken : The typhoon was too strong, so the elevator’s no good (laughs). Never thought I’d die in here!

Interviewer : Wasn’t that scary?
ken : Yeah, it was. It’s best not to go up to tall places during typhoons.

Caption : Tokyo Dome, final day of ASIALIVE

Narration : September 25th, the final day of ASIALIVE. Two months after the conclusion of AWAKE tour, they went to Seoul and Shanghai and have now come here to Tokyo Dome for the conclusion.

(footage of the live : Driver’s High)

Caption : About Tokyo Dome

hyde : The Dome was the first place where we played with our current members. So thinking of it that way, the place has meaning.

yukihiro : Before Niji, hyde-kun said a few words in his MC, and the crowd went quiet for a moment.

(hyde’s MC)

hyde : We had AWAKE tour, then this one… and now the next song will be the last one. For ASIALIVE we went around to Korea and China. We could communicate, not in words, but we still understood each other. It was wonderful, and moving. Thank you. So… it’s over? So… this is the first song we, these members, played together, right here. Niji.

(Footage of Niji)

tetsu : When we became this group of four, the very first place we played at was Tokyo Dome. The first song we played there was Niji. It means the same thing as L’Arc~en~Ciel does, in French. And before the song, hyde said something about it, and I got something in my eye.

ken : Somehow, while we were playing… I thought that even though I don’t know how long we’ll be together, right then, I thought we were more of a band. We were united. Playing, performing a little better. And the audience went quiet, too.

Caption : Next year is the 15th anniversary

tetsu : Next year is our 15th. Yeaah. Fifteen years… I’ll look forward to it.

hyde : Well… I feel like I truly understand L’Arc~en~Ciel.
Interviewer : Really?
hyde : I’m sure nothing will change. Not a single thing will change.

ken : Me too… It’s beyond anything I’d imagined, anything I thought would happen. There’s pleasure in it.

yukihiro : I don’t really think about it, but this whole time, I’ve felt like we’ve been progressing just like we should. There are still things I want us to experience, and I feel like we’ll take the next steps.

(footage of them leaving the stage)

Caption : L’Arc, from now on…

Narration : L’Arc~en~Ciel. We asked them where they would go from here.

hyde : I’m sure nothing is going to change. We’re each going to do what we like to do, expressing ourselves, and then we’ll all come together, expressing it all as one, as a group, a band. No matter how many years or decades go by, I don’t think this style will change. I think this might be the meaning of a miracle. Each of us, the four of us, merge together so well. That’s hard to do but, we’ve always believed it, and we keep on coming together. I think that’s a miracle. Probably. … … … All I can say is that this is amazing.

tetsu : When you sit down with me for the 20th anniversary, I’ll say “Eeeh? 20 years?” But by then I think there will be more tall buildings around here (laughs).
Interviewer : Yes, if we have the interviewer right here.
tetsu : Yeah. By then, we’ll have been through a tour of Europe, won’t we?
Interviewer : Ahaha. A European tour?
tetsu : Yeah.

(The last bit is just info on how to win a copy of the ASIALIVE photo book and AWAKE DVD, then credits roll as Link plays)

Transcribed and translated by Natalie Arnold

– Speaking of shopping, you list it as one of your interests, don’t you, tetsu-san?
[Not so much recently. But I used to, in the past. Um, this might be a bad way of saying it, but lately there hasn’t been anything I want (laughs). Maybe I already have it all. Anyway, I have too much stuff, I want to cut back. Since I keep moving into bigger and bigger places, the amount of luggage I have keeps going up. There was a time when I’d have wondered how it’d be possible to have so much stuff. If I calmly looked at every item one at a time, I’d find it’s all stuff I don’t really want. Stuff I don’t use, stuff that’s still sitting carelessly in the paper bag I bought it in, I’ve got tons of stuff like that. I never opened it. I don’t even want it anymore. I want things to be simpler. But, it’s been more than I year since I started thinking this way, and I’ve still got all that stuff, and even more stuff, too (laughs). I’m not properly organised yet. I’ve still got lots to get rid of.]

– But, going back to how you used to say it was a good hobby, did you enjoy shopping?
[Yeah, until about three years ago, I loved shopping. Especially when I went overseas. I got to go overseas for work, and I’d come back with twice as much luggage as I’d left with (laughs). I let out my stress that way. After all, I can’t walk around in foreign countries the same way I do at home, or shop the same way, so when I went abroad for work, I got wrapped up in my shopping. Then, since I don’t go shopping much when I’m in Tokyo, I’d buy something thinking “They don’t sell this in Japan,” then I’d get back and hear “They sell that in Shibuya.” And if I was thinking “It’s cheaper overseas, isn’t it?” the price wouldn’t be any different. The hard part was bringing everything back with me (laughs).]

– Were you greedy when you were little?
[I guess so, back when I was little. Like for Gundam models. I wanted to get the whole set of Gundams, but they made too many so I gave up half way. But, if I were to go back to my parents’ home, there would still be some there. Ancient models from back when Bandai was still using the Banzai mark. Ones they don’t make anymore. They must be rare by now, right? Other than that…… not really. Maybe for remote-controlled cars. They started making those when I was in my third year of elementary school. The finished RC cars were so slow, weren’t they? That’s why they could never satisfy me. I got the ones from a kit instead.]

– You didn’t play with the pre-assembled ones but got the ones that come as a kit? In elementary school? That’s rather early.
[Everyone around me built kits. My only close friends were two, three years older than me, though. Those senpai all had “Tamiya” model cars. But for some reason, all of mine were from the maker “Ootaki”, see, even back then I liked being different (laughs). Like, “I don’t like Tamiya. Everyone’s got Tamiya.” Everyone had Sanwa propos, but I had a Futaba one. (1)]

– I see. Now that brings back memories. Now, moving on, you must have gradually started spending more and more money on clothing.
[I think I started spending money on clothes around the time I started getting into rock. Around year two or three of middle school. Wearing slim pants, bleaching my jeans, stuff like that. I bleached them in the bathtub. Scraping them with little rocks (laughs).]

– If you started listening to rock in your second year of middle school, I imagine instruments must have been next?
[That’s right. I bought some instruments. But, mostly it was stuff people I knew had and were selling off. Mainly that. Cause I didn’t have any money.]

– I see. Then you buy rather more instruments now.
[I buy tons of them now. Incredibly many.]

– When you buy instruments, I’m sure you must take sound quality into consideration, but do they also have value for you as a collector?
[Yes they do. Well, I buy ones that sound good as well as rare ones for my collection, I keep a balance between both kinds. I have some that sound incredibly good, and I also have some collector’s items that are rare in the world.]

– So, how many do you have now?
[Putting basses and guitars together, I have over 100.]

– Do you also use the ones you bought as collector’s items?
[Yeah. I use them for recording, the vintage ones. I don’t want to use them on stage though. When I want to change the tone of a song, I fly through my instruments, trying out different basses. But, of course, I have a basic set of main basses and I usually use one of those ten or so. They’re my primary weapons, but I’m always thinking of looking for a new addition to the line. That’s what I was thinking of doing before heading into the recording this time, but I didn’t find any that really worked. Then, I found a new one and bought it midway through recording. Now, there’s only a limited number of basses in Japan. They don’t bring that many into the country. The goods aren’t coming in. Anyway, I went around talking to people at all sorts of agencies, but they didn’t have any in stock, so they let me play everything they had on display in the store, and even let me bring them to the studio. I picked out what I bought from those.]

– They allowed you to take what you wanted.
[Of course they did.]

– I see. Well, I suppose buying instruments doesn’t feel like real shopping, does it? It’s an important part of your work.
[Yeaaah, I guess so. But, at the time I was doing the most shopping, I was buying one every week (laughs).]

1. Tamiya, Ootaki, Sanwa, and Futaba are all Japanese makers of remote-controlled (RC) cars and accessories. As far as I can tell, “propo” refers to the controller for these toy cars.Go back.

[L’Arc~en~Ciel means rainbow, and there’re seven colours in a rainbow, so that’s how this theme starts right? (laughs)]

– Well, I suppose we can go about it that way (laughs). For the record, what are the seven colours that make up a rainbow?
[Oh, I don’t know. But strictly speaking, a rainbow doesn’t really have seven colours, does it? There’s a bit more than that, right? There’re some colours that you can’t really pick out with the naked eye, for sure.]

– Is that so? I didn’t know that.
[Then do you know why we say a rainbow has “seven” colours? It’s because there’re seven days in a week!]

– Eeh, is that really true!?
[No idea (smiles).]

– (laughs) By the way, tetsu-san, your favourite colour is red, right?
[Yes, I like red. A long time ago, a fortune-teller told me that my lucky colour was red. Yeah, well, I liked it even before that happened (laughs). I like Char (from Gundam) and I like Asuka (from Evangelion). Both of them have red for their image colour. However, there’s a subtle difference between the reds I like and the reds I hate. It can’t be just any shade of red. For different things sometimes a darker red is better, sometimes a lighter red is better, it varies like that.]

– Specifically, what kind of red do you prefer?
[Let’s see~. For a while I liked the “Fiesta Red” colour from Fender. It’s a bit scarlet-like, tinged with salmon pink. It’s like the colour of sunset, only a little bit lighter. It’s a vintage instrument, made over 30 years ago, so it seems natural for it to have that sunset colour. I really loved that colour, so I blew a lot of money on buying lots of Fiesta Red Fenders.]

– Conversely, which reds don’t you like?
[For a while, I drove a Ferrari, and generally, they’re red, right? But I hate Ferrari red, so I drove a blue one. The official name of that colour was “Blu Tour de France”.]

– Ah, I think I understand what you mean. Now, how about clothing?
[When it comes to clothes, it’s not a problem, I never wear red. Red, well, people’s eyes are drawn to that colour, right? I don’t usually dress so conspicuously. I do have some red casual wear though.]

– What do you think about girls wearing red?
[Let’s see~. The design and the material and things like that matter a lot. It’s kinda hard to say.]

– This is a bit abrupt, but… tetsu-san, what colour is most of your underwear?
[My underwear? Mine’s pretty flashy. Flashy themed. Crazy underwear (laughs). I generally wear boxers, but I have some pink ones, and I have lots where the rubber part is rainbow coloured. The flashier the underwear, the better. ken-chan said something kinda like that, too.]

– I wonder why that is.
[It’s true though, isn’t it? Like, flashy lining for a school uniform! Or something kinda like that. I’m not sure. I have lots of underwear, at least 50 or 60 pairs, probably. I like Paul Smith brand. Lots of times, I’ll think this pair’s cute, that pair’s cute, and buy them.]

– I see. But after all, tetsu-san, when it comes to colour you’re best off being colourful, right?
[No, I think that’s just my public image. Like I said earlier, I never wear flashy clothes. What I wear on stage, those stage outfits are in a completely different category. In a huge, open-air place, the people at the back can’t see much more than a dot, right? On stage, it’s not just the members, but there’s also cameramen and staff running around, so this way they can tell if its a band member or a cameraman. I’m very conscious of that and so that’s why I use lots of colours. Colourful outfits that reflect light easily, and even my hair and makeup. I never dress that way normally (laughs).]

– I see, I see. But, tetsu-san, the colourful look suits you well.
[Hmmm, I guess so. Well, it goes with my character.]

– Just seeing that colourful look cheers one up. Now, is there anything else you can think of that goes with the colour theme……
[Oh, I don’t like colour contacts. I think it’s okay for the stage or for photographs, though. People who wear them all the time are scary. Like, where they going? or something (laughs).]

– Interviewer : Harada Sachi
Translated by Natalie Arnold

– tetsu-san, are you the type that prefers solitude or communication?
[I like solitude. I love being alone. Even when I’m alone I don’t get lonely.]

– That’s a bit unexpected. Then, what about meals? It’s lonely to eat alone.
[That’s true. Eating alone doesn’t taste as good. It’s like, I wanna have a conversation to enjoy while I eat. Eating alone, it ends up feeling like I’m just feeding myself. To be honest, going to eat with someone and then saying goodbye right after would be the most fun. But, inviting someone just to eat is kinda bad, somehow. Cause, after that you’re supposed to date, right? Really, it’s better to just eat. That’s a very selfish thing to say, though.]

– I see. Now, these days, there are various forms of communication. Talking in person, or on the phone, or emailing, or writing letters. tetsu-san, which method do you use the most?
[I don’t write letters. I barely even email. I only receive them. I’ll answer one out of every two or three. It’s cause I’m busy. Even just checking email takes a few minutes. Don’t steal my time, I say. The phone too, since I’ll only answer when I’m in a really good mood. If I’m in kind of a bad spot when the phone rings, I won’t answer it. I’ll check who it is and leave it, that’s good enough. Oh, and I don’t like making calls, either. It might not be a good time for me to call, they might be busy, I think of all sorts of things like that and don’t call. So I’m passive about calls, too.]

– Ooh. But, tetsu-san, your image makes you seem as if you’ve always got lots of friends around to have fun with, though.
[Seriously!? Do I look like such a happy person? Well, I’m the type you should call with your voice. That’s why I’ll say things like “She won’t look me in the eye,” or “She doesn’t talk at all,” to a girl’s friends. And then they answer “I guess she’s not good with words,” or “I guess she’s nervous so she’s trying not to talk too much,” and stuff (laughs). I don’t start talking on my own. But if someone talks to me, I’ll talk a lot. I’m a little shy, you see.]

– For example, many people are very clever when it comes to finding things to say at a first meeting, right? Do you ever feel envious of those people?
[No, I never do. I don’t really like talkative people. Though even I think I talk too much sometimes. I basically prefer quieter types of people. You know how some people will walk right into a person’s heart with shoes on at a first meeting(1)? I don’t like those people. Then again some people don’t talk at all, even if you go over to them, and they won’t ever go over to you, I can’t communicate with those people either. It’s a difficult balance. Also, I’m very careful about what I say, myself, since after all, I need to use the proper, polite way of speaking(2). I can’t stand people who go straight to speaking roughly. It’s like, the moment they do that the door to my heart closes halfway, all on its own. Probably, since the 69 in TETSU69 is the year I was born, lots of people look down at me now that they know my real age. In L’Arc~en~Ciel we didn’t make our ages publicly known, so people who were clearly younger than us sucked up to us a lot. So, they strongly resisted the urge to speak roughly. I only forgive that sort of talk among my close friends. Oh, and if someone older speaks to me like that? That’s not a problem at all.]

– I see. That was the hidden meaning of the 69 in TETSU69. This is a very interesting topic. When did this sort of thing start to bother you?
[A long time ago, it didn’t bother me as much. Even if someone was older, I wouldn’t call them ‘san’ (laughs)(3). When I was in high school, I had friends who were two, three years older, so they did the same to me. But when you’re really friends, when you’re truly close enough to have a honest, open communication, age doesn’t matter and you can talk rudely if you want. It doesn’t matter if they’re above or below me. It’s kind of a timing thing, if I see that person as part of my inner circle then it’s OK. But that takes a long time. On the other hand, if it’s someone I want to get to know well in a short time, I’ll work up the courage to talk roughly with them right from the start. It was like that with yukkie (yukihiro). yukkie’s been in this business longer, right? He’s a school year above me too, so I really should have started out speaking politely, but I figured “We’re gonna be in a band together now, so politeness is no good,” and spoke roughly to yukkie. It took courage though, as if I were asking him on a grown-up date.]

– Now, how about communication with fans? I suppose the time you communicate with the fans most is during lives.
[I’m not sure when I started being this way, but I honestly can’t tell how the fans who come to a concert are reacting. In the past, I could judge the audience’s reaction, tell if it was good or bad. But, around the time I went pro, I think I started losing that. Even though it’s our responsibility to give the crowd a good ride. When we do a bad job, we don’t recognize the importance of being told “You guys give a bad ride,” it’s professional negligence. If we’re giving a bad ride and we’re not having a good time playing either, it’s inexcusable to the people who were looking forward to coming to see us. Of course, the fun varies from person to person, I think some people stand up regardless of how much fun they’re having. Lives are where I want to give 100%, present the best of myself.]

– Interviewer : Kikuchi Keisuke
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1. In Japan, one removes one’s shoes before entering a home. Walking in with shoes on is very rude.Go back.

2. The Japanese language has distinct levels of politeness used for addressing different types of people, depending on your position relative to the speaker. For instance, you can’t address a stranger the same way you would a good friend, since that would be rude. Also, you are supposed to be polite to anyone superior to you, in age or in social rank or in anything else.Go back.

3. Calling someone by name, without -san or any other suffix, is exceptionally rude unless you are close friends or family with reason to be so casual. Go back.
– Interviewer : Kikuchi Keisuke
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1. In Japan, one removes one’s shoes before entering a home. Walking in with shoes on is very rude.Go back.

2. The Japanese language has distinct levels of politeness used for addressing different types of people, depending on your position relative to the speaker. For instance, you can’t address a stranger the same way you would a good friend, since that would be rude. Also, you are supposed to be polite to anyone superior to you, in age or in social rank or in anything else.Go back.

3. Calling someone by name, without -san or any other suffix, is exceptionally rude unless you are close friends or family with reason to be so casual. Go back.

– What do you think about the existence of your fans?
[The fan presence? I don’t think they can all be lumped under the word fan. Cause, I think there are different degrees of it. There’s some wildly enthusiastic fans, but there’s also some who aren’t really fans, but still fan enough to ask for an autograph or something (laughs). There are some people like that, you know. I think it’s extremely dangerous to lump them all together with the word fan. Some kids have been cheering us on since many years ago, and I read fan letters from kids who’ve been sending them for years, now.]

– Do you ever get inspired by the words contained in those fan letters?
[That does happen. Only very occasionally, though. But, it has nothing to do with how long the person has been a fan. Some kids have a long history as fans but still don’t understand me at all, and some do even though they’ve only been fans for a short time. Each person is completely different.]

– What kind of words do you like to read?
[There aren’t any specific words in particular, but when I read a letter that makes it clear that the person understands me, that they’re really seeing me, that they’re paying attention to me, it makes me happy. Like, ah, so they know about that. But when it comes to most of them, it’s like they’re writing in their own diaries (laughs). That gets a little tiring. It’s stuff I don’t know about. A lot of the time it seems like they’ve totally got the wrong idea about me. I’m not that kind of guy of at all (laughs).]

– Do you get letters asking for advice?
[Yeah, I do. Oh, and sometimes people get mad at me for things I didn’t even say. Like, when did I ever say that? It’s surprising sometimes. In those cases, instead of copying out what I’m supposed to have said, clip it out and send it to me, and if it’s something I said on TV or radio then send me the tape or video. In most cases, it wasn’t even me who said it.]

– It’s like a telephone game, since in many cases the piece of information has been repeated many times.
[Yeaaah. Makes me wonder what they’re talking about.]

– During a live, what do you think of the fans sitting in the audience?
[Mostly, I’m just grateful.]

– Do you feel you want to live up to their expectations?
[I’m glad they support what we do, but I don’t know what people like. And besides, their tastes change. If we were to restrict ourselves to what people want, if we did only what they want us to do, then we’d never improve, would we? But I am grateful. I just won’t be pushed around by fan opinion. But I’m not saying that to be harsh with them. I think it’s only natural that what I do ends up satisfying the fans. But, anyway, “I’m full of love for my fans” and sweet things like that, saying that sort of thing makes me sick.]

– On the other hand, saying those things might be healthy. For instance, there are artists who’ll say things like “We’re becoming one with all of you!” during their MC segments.
[That’s impossible for people from Kansai(1) (laughs). If I went to see a show where they said that, I’d go “The hell’re they sayin?” all bored-like. Cold~!(2) What’s the point of that, it’s not like they’re starting a religion. You know, to be honest, when I’m on stage, I don’t talk much during the MC parts. I don’t have anything to say. “Thanks for coming to the show today,” as an MC, isn’t that boring? But, that’s about all there is to say. And if I were to make my MCs serious, it’d be boring. So, isn’t it better that I shake things up by throwing my bananas?]

– How do you feel when you read a fan letter that says, for instance, “I went to a L’Arc~en~Ciel show and it cheered me up”, or “it helped me recover from something bad”?
[I’m glad to hear it. I think it’s good that something I did helped somebody out. It’s just that I don’t explicitly aim to do that sort of thing. Of course, I’m aware that some of my activities are going to influence somebody, somewhere, in some situation, I think that’s only natural. But, that doesn’t mean it’s a form of love, or anything like that. Talking like I am now, I must sound so cool, or cold even. I’m easily misunderstood. But, things like religion are what I hate the most. When someone tells me “I’ll always follow you,” that makes me happy all by itself. I think “Thank you.” But I don’t want to say “Come follow me.” I apply ‘Those who come will not be refused, those who refuse will not be chased’ to everything.]

– You don’t depend on anyone and aren’t depended on by anyone. You’re an individual, you need to keep your independence. That’s what you mean, isn’t it?
[Fundamentally, that’s how I am. I’m not trying to be especially cold to my fans, in some ways I’m actually quite warm (laughs). It’s just that saying you do it all for the fans, because you love them, that’s hypocritical and I hate it. Cause, I think that when you do this professionally, it’s a business. CDs and lives, those things are done to make money.]

– That is certainly correct. tetsu-san, I think you say many things that are obviously true.
[I think so too. I like things that make sense.]

– Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1. Natives of Kansai, where Osaka is located, are reputed to have a more down-to-Earth, sarcastic attitude than other Japanese.Go back.

2. When a joke fails to make people laugh, it is said to be cold. Go back.

– How and why did you decide to make your own label in the first place?
[My motives were actually very simple : I was releasing my own solo work and wanted a label, a logo mark to go with it. At first though, it was a virtual label, a label in name only.]

– But now, a few more artists belong to it, right?
[Since I made it, it’s taken on the form of a true label, but it still doesn’t have much of a function. It’s got three other artists besides TETSU69, and they’ve got indie releases but that’s really a coincidence. Sometimes we met when recording, but it was by chance, it really feels like a natural flow of events. I never decided to collect artists, never held any auditions, but I knew some people who wanted to release stuff, and so I said “So, how about we work together for a bit?” Just casual offers like that.]

– Well then, do you have a vision for the kind of label colour you want to acquire?
[No way, I’m not thinking of it on such a large scale. It’s going to take a long time before it gets to the stage where a real colour can be determined, and I think I’ll need a lot more artists, too. It might never get that far. If I get a little bit more staff, then I might. Since I haven’t got that much staff yet, I don’t think the label can take such a big step right now.]

– The name SPROUSE is a word you made from “sprout” and “rouse” isn’t it? How did you come up with that word?
[I thought that the printed trademark didn’t suit the space it was taking on the releases, so I quit using it, then I was wondering what to use and checked a dictionary, looking for something. The first word I saw was “sprout” which means when a new bud starts to grow or something like that, and I thought it was perfect, but “sprout” was taken by someone else so I didn’t take it as a registered trademark. Then, I looked in the dictionary again and saw the word “rouse,” meaning to awaken, so the meaning worked well, and it sounded good, so I thought I’d try combining the two words. Since it’s a made up word, it was sure to be available as a registered trademark. But, SPROUSE.com was taken by someone in America, so I figured there must be someone in the world who came up with the same thing.]

– Was the logo mark made to reflect your own inclinations, tetsu-san?
[Yes it was. I made it look like both a crown and an arrow. The top feels like it’s stretching out, too. Oh, and since I like soccer, I made it look a bit like a soccer team’s logo, too (laughs).]

– What’s the best part of having a label? What’s most interesting?
[There’s more awful stuff involved than interesting stuff, actually. I started by getting a barcode, first. Then the CD numbers, I had to request them so that it would match up with the standard for all the CDs in the world. Each maker has a distinct number, so for instance Sony has SRCL, Ki/oon has KSCL and so on. I wanted SPROUSE to get SP or something, you know? But Sony had already taken SP. The first two letters represent the maker’s name, then the third one, C, is C as in CD. Then, the last letter is totally up to the maker. If it’s the first part of a series for instance, then you can use 1 then 2 or A then B, it can be anything you like. SPROUSE has LSCA-1001, and so on like that.]

– Why did you make it LS?
[There wasn’t much else left. One of the available ones was LS, so the label SPROUSE is LS, and it has L like in L’Arc, so that’s good. Then, I heard from the people in charge. They said to me “What are you going to do with all this once you have it?” “It’ll be three figures, right?” and all that other reasonable stuff (laughs).]

– Concerning label management, have you experienced anything you hadn’t before?
[Well, I made arrangements with the merchants who handle circulation. It’s just that I got to understand the way finances work, but I had to study a lot to do it. As an artist, I don’t speak as selfishly anymore (laughs). Before, I could only relate to how artists felt, but now I think I can also understand the staff’s feelings. I understand their excuses, now, too. Even before that, though, I intended to be more understanding than other musicians. I thought about whether to sell something completely different or not, when not to release the results, and when not to say what I want to say.]

– Do you have an image of what you want to make the label into in the future?
[There are a lot of difficulties involved in implementing that sort of thing. First of all, if the artists don’t want to sell their stuff, then there’s nothing that can be done. Right now, the whole label revolves around making money for TETSU69, but if the other artists don’t want to sell, then I can’t do anything. In the end, it takes money to do what you want to do. Normally, as the number of staff increases, the first promotions are done properly, the products get completed and so on, but so far there hasn’t exactly been an established system. We’re in an era where CDs don’t sell, too. I think the name SPROUSE will remain, but it might go back to being only virtual, I really don’t know what’s coming next.]

Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold

[I like it when spring flows into summer. The weather is so light, too, and I feel a bit more open, myself.]

– Do you prefer heat or cold?
[Hmm, I guess I’d rather have heat. I don’t do well with cold. But, I’ve never been the type to spend much time outdoors, throughout the year. So I don’t really feel the seasons. You know, as soon as I get outside I just get into my car. Then, I move around, go into a building somewhere, so really, unless its for a shoot or something, I have no idea what the outside temperature is. And so, even though I know summer is hot and winter is cold, I don’t really feel it. It’s because I only ever go out for short distances.]

– Japan has four wonderful seasons, but you don’t really take notice of them, do you?
[That’s right, since way back. But I do think it’s a good thing to have four seasons. Sometimes I hate being cold and sometimes I hate being hot, but it’s not really summer if it isn’t hot. When winter comes, I know spring is on the way, and that doubles the joy.]

– Then, how about I ask you about each of the seasons in turn? What does spring mean to you, tetsu-san?
[Spring? Spring… in Japan, spring is the time for new school years and graduations, so its the back to school season. But, why do we do that in April, in Japan? If you look around internationally, not many others do that. So why? Because the sakura are in bloom(1)? But, doesn’t it make you feel like something is going to happen soon?]

– Certainly. Tied to having four seasons, once winter passes, more than the start of a new lifestyle, there’s an amazing, exciting, warm feeling as the new season begins. tetsu-san, do you have any memories of spring?
[Memories of spring…… Let’s see. My elementary school entrance ceremony? I’m not sure it was the ceremony itself, but on the way home, my mother was riding a bike and I was skipping down the road next to her, heading home. Down a straight road that went a bit past home. I was sort of skipping, keeping up with my mother’s bike, and we both went all the way home like that.]

– That’s a nice story. A lovely episode with spring as its backdrop; so wonderful. Now, how about summer?
[Summer is dangerous, as in “hito Natsu no Keiken” (2) (laughs). After all, a lot of kids change a bit when summer vacation comes around. By September, they’ve got different hair colours or something. I never did anything like that though. Because I thought it was “summer vacation-like” (laughs). To me, there was no point in changing just because it was summer vacation. Besides, it’s only one month, how much can you really change? If you’re going to change, you could just as easily do it gradually while you were still going to school. Does school really hold you down that much?]

– Now, tetsu-san, do you have a particular summer memory to share?
[A summer memory? If you mention summer, I think of “1999 GRAND CROSS TOUR”. It was hot. It’s a summer that remained in my memories. Actually, I don’t remember anything else about that summer. Anyway, it was extreme. We had a live every Saturday during that period. On most of the Fridays before, we had rehearsal. No same-day rehearsals. We had cover bands do the opening act, right? At that point I’d think that if the audience didn’t start coming in soon, it wouldn’t work. It takes a while to let that many people in. So yeah, Friday rehearsals. And Saturday lives, right. On Monday we’d head back to Tokyo. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday were normal work days in Tokyo, but Friday we’d go to the next venue and have rehearsal, that was the cycle.]

– The set’s construction was impressive, too.
[Put it up, break it down, move it, put it up again. It was like putting up a building every week. Must have been awful for the staff though.]

– Let’s go on to autumn. What’s autumn like for you?
[I don’t like autumn. It’s kinda sad, you know? Gradually getting colder. And it means my birthday is coming, too.]

– What, you don’t like your birthday?!
[I hate it. I’ve always been like that. I never once thought “I want to grow up quick”. Growing old one year at a time, it’s not exactly depressing, but it is sad.]

– Autumn is the sad season. Do you have any memories of it?
[Bunkasai and sports day(3), I don’t have any memories of those. I just goofed off (laughs). Hmm, let me think. I kinda regret that there’s a spring break, a summer break, and a winter break, but there’s no autumn break.]

– (laughs) But, autumn is probably the season with the most colourful scenery.
[Yeah, the autumn colours. I like watching the falling leaves dance in the wind while I drive around. Was it Hakone? Where they danced.]

– Lastly, winter. Your impressions and memories?
[Winter is, well, I like how cities light up before Christmas. I wish it could be like that all year. The atmosphere, the cold, the cool, it’s all so pretty. At night, too, it looks pretty. That lasts until the new year, but then it’s cold and I start hoping spring will come soon. By the way, some years ago we got a pretty big snowfall in Tokyo, you know? That time, I bought a remote-controlled hovercraft and played with it on the snow! It didn’t have much power so it couldn’t go very far, but it was fun. That was right during L’Arc’s remote-controlled toy boom, when I bought that. The snow came down, so I thought “Snow! Hovercraft!” (laughs)]

– Interviewer : Kikuchi Keisuke
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1. Sakura are cherry blossoms. The sakura flower is Japan’s national flower, and there certainly are tons of cherry trees there. The first day where the sakura bloom is usually a day off because everyone goes off to do some hanami : picnics while watching the flowers.Go back.

2. This is a song title that translates to “One summer experience.” The song is by GO!GO!7188 and came out in 2002. Read the lyrics here. Go back.

3. Two special days that typify Japanese school life. The first is centred on cultural activities, the second on sports and physical fitness. Go back.

– You’re fairly secretive about it, but you keep up your physical strength, don’t you?
[I do. I have a small body, so I get asked “Are you eating properly?” and people worry needlessly (laughs). I’m a big eater though. I eat so much but don’t get fat, it’s in my genes. I was never on any sports teams, so physical training isn’t part of my image, and I think it surprises people, but I’ve always had good reflexes. I was born with good reflexes and fast feet. I thought I had a pretty tough body too, but then I started going to the gym and I was told it’s actually soft. Before I started training, (the trainer in charge of massaging) said they were going to dig into me. Then, when I was getting stretched, they stopped at about the same angle a normal person could reach. It wasn’t affecting me at all, so I said “Push me a little farther, please,” and they answered something like “Eeeh?! Are you sure?!” They told me “Out of everyone we have here, no one else is this tender.” I definitely don’t get injured much. When your body is stiff, it’s easy to get hurt. It’s probably because mine’s so tender that I’ve never gotten injured much.]

– You have the ideal athletic body. You don’t put on weight, your body is soft, and you seem to have nice muscles.
[When I put my mind to building muscle, they built up right away. I could be a musician or a soccer player…… but I never wavered even once (laughs). That reminds me, yesterday I dreamed I was playing soccer. I screwed up wonderfully. It’s embarrassing so I won’t tell you the details (laughs). But it felt like the whole country was watching me.]

– (laughs) As an example, did you ever get into a sports club?
[No, not really.]

– Then, you’re just good at everything?
[Well, to a degree.]

– In that case, did you simply never bother to get seriously involved with anything?
[I never thought my body was especially strong, ever. Even though I don’t have a weak constitution or anything (laughs).]

– Well then, how do you feel about watching sports?
[Watching? I’ll watch soccer sometimes. I always watch the international games, but don’t watch the J-league much (1). As for sports shows, I’ll watch a digest or something. I’ve never really cared much for watching sports. I hate baseball, and marathons too. There’s nothing to watch, they’re just running (laughs).]

– May I bring up the gym again? Do you visit the gym regularly?
[I haven’t been going lately. Since the recording started, I’ve only gone once or twice. And it’s been cold, too.]

– Then, it wouldn’t be quite right to say you were going to the gym with regular physical activity as your goal.
[That might be true. But you know, if it suited my lifestyle rhythm, I think I’d go every day.]

– There’s no extra room in your schedule where you can fit it in, right? How about before a tour?
[Before a tour, I have space for it, time wise. Promotions are paragraphs, so the work I have to do is substantially just reading. Basically, once I’ve finished that part of my day, I’ve got time to plan for things like going to the gym. Around then, I’m thinking of preparing my body for the tour, anyway.]

– You expose your body quite a bit during lives, right? Then, you’re probably concerned about the lines of your body, too.
[Well, I don’t really…… I don’t want to build up too much muscle. So I’m persistently moderate.]

– Is that so? Even so, I think you have the figure of a boxer, tetsu-san.
[I’m not that cool.]

– But I really think so. Your body is slender with just the right amount of muscle.
[Oh, really? Well, there’s no fat on me, so my muscles are visible.]

– You can eat a ton and not get fat, not put on any weight. I’m envious.
[I’m so lucky, being able to eat anything without getting fat. You know, being on stage takes more physical power than you’d imagine. Back during “Danger II” (An event put on by the record company responsible for L’Arc~en~Ciel. Held at Nihon Budoukan on December 26 2003, tetsu went on stage as both TETSU69 and part of L’Arc~en~Ciel), being both a vocalist and a bassist in the same day was quite the experience. That’s when I realized bass is exhausting.]

– Is it?
[Being a vocalist is more mentally taxing, and you have to make sure you take good care of your throat and so on, but physically, in terms of physical strength, it’s harder to be a bassist. First off, a bass is heavy, you know. Carrying that, plucking those thick strings, and moving around the stage while performing, it’s quite the sport. Even thinking about being on stage for just under two hours is already tiring. People who aren’t especially sportive wouldn’t be able to stand being on stage that long. So that’s why I go to the gym sometimes, and every day right before a tour, because I can’t afford to lose my strength.]

– Interviewer : Kikuchi Keisuke
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1. The J-league is Japan’s professional soccer league. It features only Japanese teams, as opposed to all-star teams from around the world competing on the international circuit.Go back.

– tetsu-san, are you normally health conscious?
[Hmmm, I think I have to be, but I can’t be.]

– In what ways do you have to be?
[I think meals are most important. One of the trainers at the gym I go to said so too, that although training and moving your body are important, meals are what’s most important. I think my eating habits are rather poor.]

– To compensate for that, do you take supplements?
[I do, but I don’t think it’s very healthy. I think that eating nothing but health food products ends up being unhealthy instead.]

– But, even though you say that, you have beautiful skin. No acne or anything.
[People honestly tell me that, but I think it’s totally not true. I get some~ Sometimes. But please don’t say acne, I’m young. Say pimples (laughs).]

– Pimples are when you’re under twenty (laughs). Actually, what do you do when you get a pimple?
[I fight. I crush them swiftly. It’s bad for my skin but that’s not a problem. I won’t allow them! How dare these things come up on my face without permission! Or something (laughs)]

– (laughs) Since you’re now into your mid-thirties, I expect you think about your age?
[I do. Even my going to a gym is connected to that sort of thought. Before, I went to a different gym sometimes, but since I switched to the one I go to now it feels much more genuine.]

– Well. You do know what’s good for your body. How many times a week do you go to the gym?
[The trainer tells me to come in twice a week, but that’s hard so I try to go once a week. But actually I’m not going that much (bitter laugh).]

– When you don’t go, isn’t your physical condition completely different?
[It is. It kinda feels like my muscles get dull. I don’t have any equipment at home so I don’t do anything.]

– Which machines do you like to work out on?
[I pretty much like all the machines. I hate running the most. Running is the only tiring part. I run for about 25 minutes. My heart rate is monitored, and a trainer is next to me, changing the speed after I’ve run for a certain span of time.]

– Sounds like something an athlete would do.
[That is what I do. I chose the course myself, and I didn’t know it at first but I do the same thing as pro athletes. So, I was wondering why it was so tiring, and I told the trainer “The rest of the training isn’t that tiring, but the running part is depressing,” so he told me “That can’t be helped. It’s a program nobody but a pro athlete will do.” You’re kidding~! I thought (laughs).]

– But there have been results to your hard work, right?
[Yeah, I trained just before “Shibuya Seven days 2003” and I didn’t get tired at all for the “Seven days”. Amazing results. So, yeah, I think I’ll keep it up.]

– Interviewer : Harada Sachi
Translated by Natalie Arnold

– You have a strong image as a “lover of beauty,” you know.
[I do have that image. In reality, I’m not like that though.]

– You can actually relax when your room is messy, you’re that kind of person?
[No? I relax more when things are clean, but it doesn’t have to be that clean, at my place. I have a lot of stuff, so it gets scattered. And so, even though I think having things be neat and pretty is admirable, I wouldn’t call myself a lover of beauty. Really, living in a hotel would be ideal. Having only the minimal necessities…… that sounds ideal, but of course that’s not sensible (laughs).]

– You actually admire a non-sensible lifestyle.
[Yeah, I do. It’s something I think about sometimes. For work, I have a lot of baggage, right? I’d take it all, rent a bigger warehouse, and keep it there (laughs), then go live in a hotel, that’d be fun. I even calculated a way for it to be cheap, cheaper than my rent (laughs).]

– Really?! Wouldn’t that be nice! So then, why don’t you do it?
[Yeah? But, after all…… I won’t throw stuff away, will I? I mean, if my stuff was in a warehouse, when I decide that “I don’t want this anymore” I have to go get rid of it, right? That would be such a pain……]

– Wahahaha! I see, I see.
[But, if I thought it over calmly for a looong time, looked at everything I own one thing at a time, and asked myself “Do I really need this? Do I need it to live?” I’d find nothing but stuff I can live without. I could probably live with just a few instruments and my computer.]

– That might be so. All the more reason to try it (laughs).
[It’s so simple. I wouldn’t have to clean, and when I got hungry I could just call room service. If I had a bit less baggage I’d really do it.]

– By the way, don’t you find it enriching to have things you like all around you?
[No, but, now, there are quite a few designer hotels, aren’t there? I think that’s not a problem at all.]

– The problem is baggage.
[But, well, I’ve moved so often, and I think from all that moving I’ve learned to cut down on luggage. This way, I wouldn’t even move once…… It’s been almost ten years since I came to Tokyo, and if I’d lived for ten years in the same place, I think it would have been awesome. I’d rent out the mansion next door to mine, and the next one down and so on.]

– So the whole floor would be yours, tetsu-san (laughs). How are your friend’s homes? When you go over and things are messy, does it bother you?
[It does. When someone’s house bothers me, it makes me want to clean their house.]

– It does! How come?
[I guess it’s because I can judge it calmly. I don’t get strange ideas, and I can see things calmly and ask “You don’t want this, right?” or “Wouldn’t it be neater if you did this that way?”]

– That means you could be irresponsible, too (laughs). But you don’t actually do much of that for yourself, do you?
[That’s why I’m not a lover of beauty. I’m a type A, so sometimes I have moments where I want to clean excessively, make everything pretty. Really, that happens several times a year.]

– If you start doing that, do you do it thoroughly?
[I do. But, that condition doesn’t last long. Just two or three days.]

– Even though you seem like you do a bit of cleaning every day. Like hanging up your jacket when you take it off, putting things away, you seem like you normally do that.
[I’m good for nothing. When I take something off I just leave it on a sofa or chair that happens to be nearby. I try to hang things up in the closet, when I remember to. I have a walk-in closet at my place, and it’s a pain to go in there (laughs).]

– Eeeh! (laughs) That’s so extravagant! I’m jealous!
[It’s inside my bedroom, but when I go into my bedroom I just leave things on the chair in there, like jackets or whatever. Opening that second door, going in there, I know I only have to walk a few steps extra, but it’s still a pain. Oh, and there’s a chair in my walk-in closet.]

– Ahahaha! I can see where this is going.
[Even when I go into the walk-in closet, I should put things up on hangers, but I just leave stuff on that chair instead.]

– Why not put things back where you found them? I understand. I’m the same way with CDs, but later when I feel like listening to a certain CD, I can’t find it, so you probably can’t find the clothes you want to wear, either.
[Yeah. And I forget, like “Oh, I have this CD?” Or I’ll buy the same CD two, three times. “I had it! Damn~” (laughs)]

– Would you like to improve that aspect of yourself?
[How I’m so sloppy? …… Mmmmm, well, that’s how it is, right? At the moment, I’m thinking “I gotta do things properly” but there’s no way I’m actually that horrible (laughs).]

– Interviewer : Honma Yuuko
Translated by Natalie Arnold