Sho Sakurai: 20 Years of Arashi Fostered by the Spirit of "independence and self-respect"

Yes, it was tough. The other members of Arashi went to the venues in advance, but I would stay until the end of my classes at high school, then travel alone from Shin-Yokohama to Sendai, Osaka, or Nagoya to cheer at the night volleyball matches. Then, if I could make it, I'd return late at night, or if not, the next morning, and head straight to school.

I think it was because of the school's understanding. When I started my entertainment activities in my second year of Keio Futsubu School, the school's stance was that it was a "family decision," so they were neither for nor against it. The high school had the same stance, but I understood it as them acknowledging me in the sense that they allowed me to be free.

I was grateful it was a boys' school. There was no one screaming "Kyaa-kyaa" anywhere (laughs). However, I must apologize that during my three years of high school, I often fell asleep during class (laughs).

I'm sorry, that was quite rude of me.

The toughest times were my third year of high school and my second and third years of university. In high school, I had just debuted and didn't know the pace of the work. But since I was a student, I couldn't skip school, so it was difficult in the sense that it was my first time balancing the two.

In my third year of university, right during the second-semester exams, I was given my first lead role in a drama series. It completely overlapped with the exams, so it was incredibly hard. Because I had those experiences in high school and university, even if I'm somewhat busy now, I feel like, "I got through that, so I can handle this."

I'm happy to hear you say that, but well, it was mostly stubbornness (laughs). I think there were naturally some teachers and parents who didn't look favorably upon me joining Johnny & Associates and doing entertainment activities. In that environment, I thought about how I could continue my activities. I felt it was by not neglecting my studies, which is a student's primary duty.

That applied to my parents as well. When I entered university, my parents told me, "If you're going to continue with Arashi, you'll have to pay your own tuition if you repeat a year." I took that to mean that if I repeated a year, I wouldn't be allowed to continue my entertainment activities (laughs).

So, half of it was stubbornness. The other half was that I was truly blessed with friends. They lent me notes and helped me in many ways; I was really lucky with the friends I had during my time at Keio.

A friend's girlfriend was a cheerleader, so I went to cheer for her (laughs). It was fun. I think it's thanks to the fact that I had been at Keio University for a long time. For someone in my line of work, people tend to see you as a curiosity, so I think it would have been difficult if I had entered starting from university (laughs).

But fortunately, my long-time friends protected me at times. Above all, in my first year of university, I took classes from Monday to Saturday. For the first month after enrollment, girls would come to see me like, "I heard Sakurai is here," but eventually it became, "That guy is here every day," and it wasn't unusual anymore (laughs).

I also mentioned this at the press conference during graduation, but the people I respect are those in the Athletic Association. They practiced every day until right before exams. I was greatly influenced by that kind of effort. I felt I shouldn't be saying soft things myself.

That's right. I appear once a week, but I've been there the longest, including the TV station staff. One of the triggers for becoming a news caster was being curious about what on earth was happening in the world during "9/11" in 2001. I didn't understand why America would be attacked like that due to my lack of study, so I started looking into it.

Another reason is that, thanks to my parents putting me in Keio University, I felt I should give back. When I thought about what I could return to my work from having graduated from Keio University, I thought that if I could do work like being a caster, that would be it.

I was 24 at the time, but luckily I was offered such an opportunity.

No, I don't read many books. It's more like "learning on-site." I don't think I'm in a position to state my own ideologies or opinions like a so-called anchorman.

Shortly after I started working as a caster, announcer Akira Fukuzawa told me, "A caster is, as the name suggests, like the rotating casters on a chair; your role is to connect person to person, and from inside the TV to the viewers." Those words really clicked with me. I thought, "I will go to disaster areas and deliver the voices of the victims to many people." For example, regarding work-style reform, I don't know much about it because I don't have experience as a typical office worker, but that's exactly why I might be able to convey to viewers, "Oh, so that's how it is."

In that way, I see my role as "conveying and connecting" a single voice to as many people as possible.

That's a difficult one (laughs). However, rather than imitating something else, I want to value being myself—which might be exactly what independence and self-respect is. On the other hand, I think it's fine to be influenced by many things, but it's important to be original rather than an imitation, and I want to cherish that.

You really know a lot, Professor (laughs). I learned the electone from about age 3 to 3rd grade, and the piano from 4th grade to 7th grade. When I turned 30, since I had done it as a child, I decided to take lessons again.

The main purpose was to make the fans happy and have them sing along, but I also felt a little bit like it was a gift for my parents. By showing my parents, who let me take piano lessons as a child, the sight of me playing the piano at Tokyo Dome 30 years later, it felt like I could find some closure within myself.

It might be a big part of it that I've come this far while being helped by the people around me.

No, I don't feel any pressure at all. Basically, I just feel it's an honor and the greatest possible distinction. When I was offered the job for the Olympics held in my own country, or when I first heard about the Emperor's ceremony, it was almost unbelievable—the scale was so large that it didn't feel real. It's a future I never imagined when I was a third-year high school student.

I do the regular TV programs in parallel. In the entertainment world, we are somewhat unique in that we basically always have regular TV shows and also go on tour every year. There's the foundation of group activities, and it's because of that that I can also do things like movies.

Not many, but I do (laughs). Especially now with work-style reform (laughs). Age is also a factor, but unlike when I was young, I get time off at a steady pace. So I think I'm working in a really good way.

To be honest, I haven't been able to think about it yet (laughs). In 2020, I feel I have to pursue things that only Arashi can do. There are many things I want to do as Arashi by December 31st, but I can't think specifically about next year and beyond yet. On the other hand, I'll be turning 39, and looking at my classmates, some are changing jobs, so I do feel it's a timing to move to the next stage.

A while ago, it was interesting when I went drinking with classmates from my first year of university. With friends I see frequently, we don't talk about deep things, but with guys I was meeting for the first time since graduation, I could see 15 years' worth of their lives—what kind of work they did, how they changed jobs, and what they're doing now. It was stimulating to see that there are other ways of living.

I don't think I can be much of a creator, but I might write something. I've liked writing since I was at the Yochisha, as I enjoyed writing essays.

That's a question like a celebrity reporter (laughs). We're thinking about it right now, but it's undecided. How to spend the time until 23:59:59 on New Year's Eve. What we can do for the Arashi fans who support us is the first priority. We have many ideas, but we haven't decided how to land it yet.

True. I think I'll be like Joe Yabuki from "Ashita no Joe." Completely burned out (laughs).

In our generation, the J-League started when we were in 5th grade, and everything was all about soccer. But the Yochisha didn't have a soccer club, so everyone went to the rugby club.

But as a result, it was better than only choosing things I liked. I was able to experience learning unique to rugby, and although it was only for two years, I'm truly glad I was exposed to it.

I was happy. It's presumptuous since I only did it at the Yochisha, but somewhere in my heart, I had the feeling that I had worn the tiger jersey and dabbled in rugby for two years at Keio University, which is known as the root school of Japanese rugby. So it was a joy to be involved in the Rugby World Cup held in my own country 30 years later.

Shortly after our debut, I received a letter from a young female fan in Kyushu who was hospitalized. She was seriously ill, but she had put up posters of us—when we weren't famous yet—on her ceiling, and she said her electrocardiogram would react when Arashi's songs were played.

She eventually passed away, but that became my initial motivation for doing this job. It was the first event that made me realize our songs and music could be a source of strength for people. That's a powerful formative experience.

In the last five years or so, I've finally developed that awareness. It's a bit different from "mentoring," but if my experience can be of any reference, I want to pass it on. Instead of saying "do this," if I explain that "in a case like this, my case was pattern A," they might think, "then maybe I'll try pattern B."

In particular, Yuto Nasu (1st year at Keio University, member of Johnny's Jr. group "Bishonen") is currently trying to balance his studies and entertainment activities. But he's very smart, so I talk to him while thinking my experience might not be much of a reference (laughs).

I'm about 80% happy, but I also feel a tiny bit of guilt. Because I created such a model case. But it serves as motivation to make sure I don't shame those feelings.