Kazushi Miyazawa talked about the charm of his hometown, Yamanashi, and his thoughts on his 35th anniversary album.
Miyazawa appeared on “MUSIC+1” in “STEP ONE” (navigator: Sasha, Neuhaus Moena), which was broadcast on J-WAVE on Tuesday, April 23rd. She has a corner where she asks guests about topics that are “+1” other than music.
35 years of “Long and Winding Road”
Miyazawa appears in the video series “Voice Trails of Be.Okinawa” that conveys the charm of Okinawa, which is currently being released. Sasha interviews three people with ties to Okinawa.
Sasha appealed to the listeners, saying, “Mr. Miyazawa, who is very knowledgeable and studied about the history of Okinawa, which we tend to overlook, is very interesting, so please watch it after the program ends.” Afterwards, Miyazawa looked back on his musical life on the 35th anniversary.
Miyazawa:I’d like to say it went by in a blink of an eye, but surprisingly it didn’t. I guess it was a good journey after all. Moreover, looking back, it was not a straight road; there were times when I derailed, stopped, or left the front line, and there were many twists and turns. There are highs and lows, but I guess you could call it a long and winding road.
Sasha:However, there are some views that can only be seen by taking a detour.
Miyazawa:That’s true, but there are also times when I deliberately go off track. After all, there were times when I wanted to pursue South American music, and I couldn’t pursue it without digressing from the J-POP framework. I feel like it was a series of things like that.
Sasha:Mr. Miyazawa and THE BOOM were the first to incorporate this kind of music into the pop scene in Japan.
Album like short stories
Miyazawa, who celebrated his 35th anniversary, will release his new album “~35~” on Wednesday, April 24th. She spoke about her thoughts on the album, which featured numerous guests.
Sasha:Almost all of the songs have guests, except for one.
Miyazawa:It is said that he created things with most of the guests’ regular musicians. So instead of having people come to my field, I went out and recorded it, which is a bit unusual for my work.
Sasha:Why did you decide to do something like this on your 35th anniversary?
Miyazawa:It’s not like it’s a culmination of things I’ve looked back on, it’s just something that came to mind and I said, “I’d like to sing with him.” I wanted to write a song about my hometown of Yamanashi with Ryota Fujimaki, my junior from the same hometown, so I decided to get in touch with him. That’s why each song is like a collection of short stories, each with a different story.
Sasha:nice.
Miyazawa:It’s not a concept album or anything like that.
Neuhaus:At what point did you come up with that idea? When you decided to create something, did you first think of a person or a theme? What was the process like?
Miyazawa:I was also talking to the staff about working with really young people. A group called HoRookies from Okinawa is in their 20s, younger than my children, but I approached them because the song they did was about the future of Okinawa. THE BOOM’s early song “Hoshi no Love Letter” was written when I was a university student, and I thought it would be fun to do a duet with Kaori Kishitani, who had walked a similar path.
The program will air the collaboration song “Tokage” with Fujimaki, which is included in “~35~”, and Miyazawa talked about the process of creating the song.
Sasha:Mr. Miyazawa has a strong image of Okinawa, but this is a collaboration between people from his hometown of Yamanashi Prefecture. It’s “Tokyo” with Fujimaki-san, but what kind of song is this?
Miyazawa:It’s not that “things were nice back then” or “things were beautiful back then,” but rather that I’ll always remember the scenery from back then, but I want to move forward. It’s a song I wrote the lyrics for, gave it to Fujimaki-kun, and said, “Please feel free to make a song.”
Yamanashi has everything that is most important to humans.
Today’s “+1” is a nod to the aired “Tokyo” and will delve into the charm of Miyazawa’s hometown. Miyazawa will hold a “Love Song Concert 2024 singing about love and peace” in Yamanashi on June 9th (Sunday).
Sasha:What kind of place is Yamanashi from your perspective?
Miyazawa:To be honest, there is nothing physical about it. That’s what’s good about it. When I was young, I was like, “There’s nothing here. I don’t feel like I can become a pro even if I stay here, so I have to move to Tokyo.” But when I moved to Tokyo, got married, had children, raised them, and sent them to school, I thought about Yamanashi, and although there was nothing there, the water was beautiful, the vegetables and fruits were delicious, and the moon was nearby. The air is as clean as it looks. In short, all the things that are most important to humans are there. There are very few disasters, and when I think about it, I realized what a wonderful place to be born. It’s a common story.
Neuhaus:You can understand it when you look away.
Sasha:Mt. Fuji is always there too.
Miyazawa:I lived in a place called Fujimi, and I grew up looking at Mt. Fuji.
Sasha:Is it something special?
Miyazawa:It’s something we take for granted, and it’s always in our field of vision.
Sasha:It’s a luxury.
Miyazawa:That’s what he was like.
When I asked the question, “Is there anything like this in Yamanashi that you would like to experience?” Miyazawa responded, “The water is clean, so I would like to see a factory that makes alcohol.I would like you to tour a whiskey factory, and a winery because it is famous for wine.” commented.
Miyazawa:When I was a child, I thought of wine as more of a grape than a wine, and it seemed like it couldn’t really be compared to European products, but now there are many products that are comparable in quality. There are also many places where you can tour wineries. You can even browse around using the keyword “alcohol.”
Neuhaus:Decide on your favorite theme. In addition to alcohol, there are places where you can pick fruits, for example.
Miyazawa:You can also enjoy it with fruits, and I think you can have a lot of fun with just one keyword.
Sasha:I also like the hot springs in Kofu.
Miyazawa:You can enjoy the hot springs alone.
Sasha:It’s great that Kofu Onsen is near the station.
Miyazawa:There is a place called “Hottarakashi Onsen.” The hot water is average, but the scenery is amazing, and on a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji, and it’s located on a mountain where you can see the Kofu Basin. There are also many people who come from all over the country, such as bikers, as their destination.
Neuhaus:There are many things you can do to relax and unwind.
Miyazawa:The food is delicious, such as hoto and soba.
Sasha:This is proof that water is delicious.
Miyazawa:Bird offal called Tori Motsu. It’s not stewed, but it’s sweet and spicy, and it’s stir-fried quickly. This and soba are a set for Yamanashi people.
Sasha:It’s something you can eat as a set.
Miyazawa:While eating soba, you can choose between strong and light flavors.
Sasha:You have already taught me so much.
Neuhaus:By making a list, you can make a lot of plans for Golden Week.
Miyazawa:It’s a great place, so please come and visit us.
Sasha:I was once told the famous quote, “It’s good because it doesn’t have anything.”
Finally, Miyazawa commented on the 35th anniversary concert “Kimi to Sakiteru Rakuen”. Regarding the performance at Tokyo’s Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall on May 25th (Saturday), “I think it will probably bring back all kinds of memories for everyone,” and regarding the performance at Osaka’s Hattori Ryokuchi Open-Air Concert Hall on June 1st (Saturday), “We are concerned about the coronavirus.” At that time, I said, “I have to do a concert,” so I rented this space and managed to do it.”He told the audience that he wanted everyone to come and visit the venue.
For the latest information on Miyazawa, please visit the official website.
J-WAVE’s “STEP ONE” corner “MUSIC+1” features popular musicians as guests. Broadcasts start around 12:30 from Monday to Thursday.
Tags: Kazushi Miyazawa talks charm hometown Yamanashi important humans JWAVE NEWS
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