Yuki Kashiwagi look.2

As a senior member of a girl band, Ms. Kashiwagi holds a lot of sway with the younger girls. She’s 26 now, so we asked her about being a pop idol, and her future aspirations. Also, she gives us a breakdown on her personality that you would never have expected. Get set for a revealing and in-depth part two of our interview with Yuki Kashiwagi, you don’t want to miss this!

── This was a solo shoot for you; were you nervous?

Yeah. When I’m by myself, everything I do is up to just me, so there’s a lot of pressure, it’s tough. But it also makes me realize the true worth of the job, regardless of what job it is. So yeah, sure I get nervous, but I also get a great sense of accomplishment when I finish.

── How is it when you’re working in a group?

I’m the oldest member of the group, so I’m surrounded by younger girls, and as such I’m teaching all kinds of things to them, thinking things like, “I have to help mold them into good, upstanding girls.” But I’m a member of the group too, so I’m wearing the same thing as the teenagers, which makes me aware of the gap between us when performing on the same stage. Nonetheless, it’s fun to work together with them on stage to make a good performance, and I guess that’s the good point of being in a group.

── When you were little, did you want to be a pop star?

I guess there was part of me that wished to be on stage. But thinking about it realistically, I probably had it in my head that I would be working in an office or something. I love computers (smiles). So I didn’t really have a big picture in my head of being a pop star or anything.

── So then, if you weren’t doing this kind of work, what would you being doing now?

I’d be married! And maybe have some kids. Of course I still want to get married, regardless!

── I see! So, could you give us a little breakdown on your personality?

Okay… well, I’m a little absent-minded (haha). It’s like there’s no big fluctuation in my feelings. I don’t get caught up in things, so if I make it through the day, then I can just start over again the next day with a clean slate. My emotional state is very stable. After joining a girl band, I realized that. I’m around all different types of girls, but compared to them I’m kind of like a guy, I guess I’m an optimist.

── So with that in mind, is there anything recently that’s made you particularly happy?

Yeah, filling up all the points on my point card (laughs). It took a long time to get those points. I keep getting all these new point cards before filling up the last one, so when I finally got a full card, I was happy about that!

── And last, would you tell us about a dream you have for the future?

Well, since I’m already doing this kind of work, I’d like to continue it for as long as possible. For pop idols, big, exaggerated actions help us get support from the audience, but I think that having a mindset like, “Okay, it’s time for a show, I’m going to give it all I’ve got” is the way to bring the audience over to your side. So I want to work as long as I can, to reach as many potential fans as possible.