Motoki Nakazawa look.2

In recent years, actor Motoki Nakazawa has been the talk of the town appearing in numerous TV shows and films such as the NHK series “Anpan.” For Look 2, he throws on a khaki brown long coat with a vintage ambience that has made its way to the Onitsuka Tiger 2025 Fall/Winter Collection. It has a boldness that he throws on very well making use of his tall 183cm stature. Peeking out from the throw on is a blue knit that exudes warmth highlighting his breezy persona.

“Much of my everyday garb is of a simple taste so this ensemble outfit stimulated me to try on more colorful items. I prefer shoes that are a little thin and the shoes I wore for this take are stylish with cushioning and I like!”

Motoki who has been single-minded about his craft has been taking on a new challenge since last year. This is his first photo album which will go on sale in October. It has been in the making for a year over the course of the four seasons and a number of photo shoots and interviews with the photographers and editor. It is also a look back on the path he has taken, with photos of his favorite bakery and streets that he walked in his hometown. It is a one of a kind collection of him being himself. At the time of this interview, he had just completed shooting for the photo album.

“Producing this photo album was an opportunity for me to look back on the path I have taken in my life. The theme of the collection is ‘Path’ and we went back to my hometown and took photos in front of the bakery I was fond of as a child which brought back memories. Revisiting a place as an adult is a different take on things compared to what you remember as a child. I remember thinking ‘was this street this narrow?’ This difference in perspective was interesting for me. As I took on different acting roles during this time, my face and body size is different depending on when the photos were taken. They have captured me in a variety of looks so it is a one of a kind photo album.”

From elementary school to senior high school, Motoki was absorbed in club activities which included soccer, baseball, and handball. In the WOWOW original TV drama “Strobe Edge” he plays Daiki Korenaga which Nakazawa says was refreshing as he experienced a dazzling adolescence like in a teen manga.

“I was wholly absorbed in club activities during grade school so the adolescence that I experienced through Strobe Edge was much more dazzling! I felt like it was the springtime of my youth when we filmed a scene on the school roof in particular as the roof of my actual high school was inaccessible (laughs). Dealing with my character Daiki was a lot of fun and I became friendly with the cast members. I hope it will thrill your heart!”

He showed his “dazzling” side in this teen drama, but Motoki says that he enjoys moving his body and the physical aspect of acting. A role that put his daily regimen of running and strength training to good use was in the film “WIND BREAKER” to be released December 5th. Playing a tough guy was a first for him but he says there were aspects about his character he could relate to.

“The filming was all done on location in Okinawa so it was a nice backdrop. It is about a delinquent gang but unlike your traditional gang it is a group of delinquent school boys whose mission is to protect the town. This is a film that people will come to see for the action! It is a live-action adaptation of a popular manga and the film immerses you in that world. The character that I play Toma Hiiragi is tough looking but he is like a mother figure who brings everyone together. Even if he is pushed around by the leader, the juxtaposition of him acting tough and drinking antacids is funny. So it is not like he is scary looking all the time but is endearing and you can empathize with him too.”

He says that cooking is his respite from the biz. He has recently been trying his hand at pickling vegetables.

“I love cooking and making Japanese pickles out of cucumber, daikon, carrots, and eggplant. I want to try pickling something out of the ordinary next! It is quite refreshing to focus only on cooking.”

Nakazawa is taking on new private and public challenges which are sure to help him in his path forward.

→ In Look 1, I ask Motoki Nakazawa about his job as an actor.

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Direction: Shinsuke Nozaka
Photo, Movie: Yoshiaki Sekine (SIGNO)
Stylist: Kosei Matsuda
Hair & Make up: Akihito Hayami (CHUUNI)
Edit, Writer: Saki Shibata