Hohomi Nasu look.1

While social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, Hohomi Nasu created her own video series on TikTok spoken in Hakata dialect called “#A word before going to bed” which became a hot topic. She has been called “Angel of the Reiwa Period” and is drawing a huge following primarily among the Z Generation. I asked her about herself and how she started working in the biz.

It has only been a few months since Hohomi Nasu joined Stardust Promotion. She became an instant celebrity primarily through SNS, so calling her the “Cinderella Girl of the coronavirus pandemic” may not be an overstatement. Her messaging potential has grown together with her increasing appearances in commercials and TV, and how people view her has also changed.

“My family and friends would tell me that they saw me on TV or they saw my name in the TV credits because I told them what to look for in advance (laughs). When you become an adult, you don’t contact your friends as much as when you were a student, and due to the coronavirus pandemic you may drift further apart. But when people who you were not that familiar with contact you and you reconnect with people outside your immediate circle, that makes me happy the most.”

Surprisingly, she previously had no aspirations to be in show business and thought it was a world that had nothing to do with her. She never dreamed that a day would come when she would appear in TV. What was her motivation for starting TikTok?

“When a friend was depressed, I thought about what I could do to make her smile again and began TikTok. As I continued uploading videos, I began to think that there were many more people in the world who were feeling down and out – not just my friends. So I decided to deliver messages to make people smile.”

Why did she decide to do TikTok and not Instagram which is also an SNS? Her reply was what one might expect from a Generation Z-er.

“People from a broad range of age groups and countries upload video onto TikTok, so I believe there are more opportunities for you to be seen than on Instagram. Going live on Instagram is basically for interacting with your own followers through live streaming, but it is easier to reach new viewers on TikTok. So I decided on TikTok thinking I could reach many more people and put a smile on their faces. I thought that this method of outreach would be more in line with what I wanted to express and accomplish.”

That said, it was trial and error in the beginning for the longest time. A turning point came at last while social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. This was at a time when everyone was stuck at home not being able to do much.

“Back home in Fukuoka, my mother told me ‘Turn off the light before going to sleep’ in Fukuoka dialect. As I had already been living in Tokyo, the particular intonation and warmth of the Fukuoka dialect brought back memories and left an impression on me. So the next evening I uploaded a video on TikTok and as luck would have it, it was a big hit. ‘#A word before going to bed’ series was born from an inspirational moment in my everyday life.”

Although bewildered by the huge feedback, she felt she may be helping people. She continued uploading content for the “#A word before going to bed” series for a while, and eventually her followers began making requests to see if she could take video of a certain kind or upload video on a certain theme. While responding to such requests, her followers increased. For this and other reasons, she always reads messages that people send her. She explains why it was good for her to brand herself and express herself on TikTok.

“I shared my method of putting on make-up and my impressions on using cosmetics. By sharing my experiences, I also made new discoveries and learned things, which made me want to become better at applying make-up. In filming myself, I put my own stamp on the film as there are angles and filming situations that only I can take. It is important to include your own sensibilities and preferences.”

Finally, I asked her about what motivates her to continue uploading film content.

“Making real connections with people. With friends and family and most of all with my fan base. The reason I can work is thanks to my fans. They send me direct messages or await my uploads to TikTok with anticipation. If I am feeling down, it makes me happy to think there are people waiting to see my work. I feel there is no time to waste feeling down and out. There are many fans who are really warm, and if someone sends me the rare unkind comment, there are those who post admonishing messages such as, ‘let’s refrain from making such comments as they will injure Hohomi-chan.’”

She always receives positive responses even while Live on Instagram. The community formed around Hohomi Nasu is brimming with positive energy.

→ For look.2, I will ask her about her fashion sense.

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Direction : Shinsuke Nozaka
Photo, Movie: Daisuke Sasaki (SIGNO)
Stylist : Kosei Matsuda（SIGNO）
Hair & Make up : Miyuki Yoshida（bside）
Text : Aika Kawada