[Translations - Mag] Sho - Myojo 2001.10

Let's ask Sakurai Sho!

A regular student and a very loving son and brother - Sakurai Sho shares his thoughts about family and school life. When asked, he'd reply after a pausing for a few seconds but whatever he says afterwards always makes sense.

Q1 I've become a bit rebellious lately and I've stopped playing with my brother and sister. If I stayed this way, a gap might develop between us. What should I do?
A1 There was a time when I also felt that way. But don't worry. Your family will always be there for you no matter what. Our family? We get along well. Just the other day, we went out to eat at an Italian restaurant.

Q2 Is it true that you fixed your sister's computer? Cool!
A2 No it's not. I just made the kana input romaji. It's not really that hard.

Q3 When did you get that piercing? It must've hurt!
A3 June. It was before the baseball match I think. I was on anesthesia so I didn't feel anything at all.

Q4 Is it true that your brother calls you "Sho-san"?
TN: The suffix "san" is rarely or never attached to a family member's name when referring to a member of their own family. For me, attaching "san" would lessen the level of intimacy because the suffix adds formality and sometimes implies superiority.
A4 It's really "Sho-chan". But he can't pronounce "chan" correctly so it comes out as "san". We're not that kind of family either. I hope you won't misinterpret this.

Q5 What word do you say all the time?
A5 "Buttonderu". It means "Cool!". Like when I see a funny guy I'd say "That guy's buttonderu!".

Q6 Since when did you become a rapper? Don't tell me you were born saying "Check it out!".
A6 I was already a rapper even before I was born. I was kicking in my mom's tummy while saying "Yo! In the house!"... No. Seriously, I became one only when I became a member of Arashi.

Q7 I'm a second year middle high school student and I'm currently having a hard time juggling my studies and club activities. How do you think should I manage my time?
A7 I think it's impossible to do those 2 things everyday. How about concentrating on your studies before your exams and then concentrate on your club activities only when you don't have any upcoming tests? I also bring my textbooks to work but I can't study while working so I just focus real hard during exam week.

Q8 I find it hard to follow your rap's rhythm. Any suggestions on how I can rap like you?
A8 During recording, I follow a beat they call "Click". But if you want to rap my part, you don't have to rap it the way I do. You'll enjoy it more if you did it your way.

[Translations - Mag] Sho - Myojo 2010.08

5x100 Interview

1. What time did you sleep last night?
- 2AM

2. What time did you wake up this morning?
- 10AM

3. What was the first thing you did after waking up?
- Drank water

4. How long did you prepare before leaving the house?
- I'm usually ready after 30 minutes... but I studied some English today so I left the house after 1 hour and 30 minutes.

5. What did you have for breakfast?
- 2 bananas

6. How much cash do you have on you right now?
- I spent everything yesterday so I only have 7,077 yen. (around $86). I'll get some cash later.

7. What are you wearing today?
- I'm wearing an orange shirt, denim overshirt, jeans, and boots.

8. What do you have inside your bag?
- English review materials, some articles, pencil case, wallet, MP3 player, perfume.
** He really carries a pencil case around? He's more organized than I imagined. **

9. How will you describe your mood today using weather terms?
- Rainy cuz it's raining outside.

10. What's the last thing you bought?
- Wine glass for a friend who recently got married.

11. What made you laugh lately?
- The most recent episode of Arashi ni Shiyagare that we recorded
** I think he was referring to the episode where they had Shimura Ken. **

12. What made you cry lately?
- None.

13. What is the most annoying thing you have experienced lately?
- Nothing really... But every time I think about doing something on a particualr day and I don't get anything done, I wake up really upset the next morning.

14. The most shocking thing lately?
- When I bumped into an acquaintance whom I haven't seen for 15 years.

15. The most exciting thing that's happened to you lately?
- Coming face to face with Professor Kitakata Kenzou in the "Unknown Encounter" segment of Arashi ni Shiyagare.

16. The most depressing thing that's happened to you lately?
- None

17. What's been bothering you lately?
- None

18. Most recent mistake
- Even if I had one, I won't tell you (haha)

19. Most recent news that caught your attention
- What kind of album will Arashi be releasing next?

20. Most recent home appliance that caught your attention
- 3D TV.

21. Most recent picture you took with your cellphone
- Arashi as baka tonos in Shiyagare.
** Episode with Shimura Ken-san. **

22. Aside from calls and e-mails, what other cellphone functions do you usually use?
- Alarm and memo. When I come up with good words or phrases for my rap, I save them on my phone.

23. What cellphone strap do you have on your phone?
- None

24. The thing that you want most
- Summer clothes

25. The person you want to meet the most
- My ancestors 4 generations ago.

26. Place where you want to go the most
- I wanna go to the Gotemba Outlet in private.
** They shot one of their Mannequin 5 SPs there. **

27. What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "summer"?
- Beach. Barbecue.

28. Do you love summer?
- I love it.

29. Beach person? Pool person?
- Beach person

30. Favorite treat during the summer?
- Yakisoba

31. What's your favorite shaved ice flavor?
- Blue Hawaii

32. Are you the type who finishes his summer homework right away?
- Yes

33. What was your favorite game when you were still a kid?
- Dorokei
** The players are divided into 2 teams. 1 team hides the ball and the other team searches for it. While the latter team searches for the ball, the former team runs after them. If the former team catches everyone from the latter team, the former team wins. If the latter team finds the ball, they win.**

34. If you were to do a part-time job, what would it be?
- Anything that has something to do with food and drinks.

35. If you had super powers, what would it be?
- The power to freeze time

36. What do they call you at home?
- Sho-san or Sho-chan.

37. What type of women do you like?
- Someone who smiles/laughs a lot

38. Do you want to meet up with your girlfriend everyday?
- No.

39. Do you want to hear from her everyday?
- I don't really mind if we don't hear from each other everyday but... I guess if I had to choose, it'd be nice if we're constantly in touch.

40. Text or call?
- Text.

41. Do you prefer to go out or just stay home with your girlfriend?
- Go out.

42. Do you change when you're in love?
- A little bit I guess but I'm a bit too old for that. (haha)

43. What's the most important thing when it comes to romance?
- Love, Courage, and Cherry Pie
** Arashi's song **
** haha... I didn't see that one coming. **

44. What will you do for the person you like?
- Whatever she wants me to do.

45. Do you care about the past relationships of the person you like?
- No I don't.

46. Have you had your heart broken?
- Yes.

47. What happens when you get your heart broken?
- I become stronger.
** wuuuh. Nice answer! **

48. What conditions do you have for your future wife?
- Someone who can give me children. Someone who loves kids.

49. What will you say to propose to the girl you love?
- Please take good care of me.

50. How many kids do you want to have?
- 2. 1 girl, 1 boy.

51. What name will you give your children?
- Shojiro and Shoko

52. What defines a man?
- His back

53. What defines a woman?
- Her back (haha)

54. Disregarding gender, what kind of person do you want to be friends with?
- An idiot (in the good sense of the word)

55. Disregarding gender, what kind of person do you not want to be friends with?
- An insensitive person

56. If you could trade places with another member of Arashi, who would it be?
- Nino. I wanna try doing his magic tricks.

57. What do you do when your friends ask you to sing Arashi songs in the karaoke?
- I'll reluctantly sing it.(haha)

58. Latest addiction
- I've been watching a lot of movies on DVD lately

59. Ohno's amazing for...
- his ability to stretch his hands
** haha!!! Kaibutsu-kun?" **

60. Aiba's amazing for...
- his fearlessness when it comes to touching animals.

61. Nino's amazing for...
- looking like he's not listening but he actually is.

62. Jun's amazing for...
- his diligence

63. Sakurai's amazing for...
- biceps

64. How will you describe Japan to foreigners?
- Our countryside's very beautiful.

65. Favorite word
- "Sprint"

66. It makes you happy when you hear it.
- "You have quite an appetite!"

67. Favorite color
- Red

68. Why?
- It's energizing

69. Favorite season
- Spring

70. Why?
- Don't you feel chirpy during that season? Is it just me?

71. Favorite scent
- Citrus scent

72. Favorite sound
- Crickets chirping in the night

73. Favorite bento side dish
- Anything deep fried

74. Best impersonation
- Kane Kosugi

75. Phrase you say often
- "I'm hungry!" (according to their manager)

76. Collection
- Memories

77. Most precious possession
- Memories

78. Weakness
- High places

79. Who has the greatest influence on you?
- Everyone I've met

80. First thing you look at when you meet someone for the first time
- Face

81. What house rules do you have at home?
- None. But I get scolded when I don't greet them.

82. Favorite animal
- Lions are cool when you look at them

83. What's your greatest weapon?
- I run fast!

84. What do people think of you?
- Indecisive

85. What would you do if you were Prime Minister?
- Make the country more prosperous

86. How many hours should there be in a day?
- 48 hours

87. What will you do with the extra time?
- Hang out, study.

88. What does being an "adult" mean?
- Learning how to balance patience and selfishness

89. When will/did you consider yourself as an adult?
- When I was 12

90. What does "Arashi" mean to you?
- My treasure

91. Where do you usually stay when you're at home?
- In front of the computer

92. At home, do you walk barefoot, wearing socks, or wearing slippers?
- Slippers

93. What do you do when you're depressed?
- I bother a friend

94. What will you do when you get home?
- Run over some articles

95. What can't you live without?
- my cellphone

96. What's missing in your life right now?
- Oh! I'm running out of shampoo!

97. What do you wear when you sleep?
- Shirt and shorts

98. If you only had 3 days left before the end of the world, what will you do?
- I'll be totally restless. Of course, I'd spend it with my family.

99. What will you say to your 10-years-after self?
- "Let's get on! Let's get on! Yeah!"
** hahaha!!! **

100. Your last words please.
- Myojo's become Spartan huh (haha)

[Translations - Mag] Sho - Duet 2010.11

Do you have a particular set of guidelines in creating your concert opening speeches?
First, I greet the audience at the upper seating area and then I greet the audience near the stage. After that, I greet everyone in the stadium to create a stronger sense of unity. I also have to properly time my greeting because after that, we have to go back to where we left off in our song. I'm the last one to greet the audience. This is how I've done it for the past 3-4 years. I think I got used to doing it that way because it's what I always do in our dome concerts. Speaking of opening greetings, I think Aiba-kun left quite an impression with his greeting. Was it on our second day? He said something like "I'm so hyped!" just after we started the concert. (haha). On our 3rd day, his opening greeting was "I'm so high!". What are we supposed to do about an opening like that? (haha)

What things do you bear in mind during your concerts?
I haven't done this yet but I wanted to do a collaboration with the audience like rapping together. Instead of instructing them on what to do, I'd rather make the timing easy to follow. The thing is that the venue is quite vast so I think the only way that I can stir up the audience is to face the camera and use that to stir the whole arena up.

How did you come up with your costumes for this concert?
I often wear sleeveless outfits. When we're not wearing a uniform costume, I end up wearing sleevless tops most of the time. I'm not requesting for it though. But it also has its perks like ease of movement. It was also perfect for summer but I would probably have to wear sleeved shirts for our dome concerts (haha). This year, we had messages written using rhinestones on the back of our costumes. Mine said "Rock the World!". I've been using the phrase since I first became the main caster for the Volleyball World Cup and I figured, why not use it now? In no way did I imagine that someone would wear something that said "I love Chiba!". And that someone would make peanut shaped exclamation points! (haha). I was so surprised to see them. I had no idea until I saw them during our rehearsals.

What were you doing while the other members were performing their solos?We only had time to change and prepare for the next performance. If I had some free time, I'd sit and rest for a while.

Were you able to carry out your plans for the concert?
I really wanted to do a portion of "Summer Splash!" with the audience. It's the part Aiba-kun and I did for the recording. Unfortunately, the audience's reaction wasn't so good. (haha)
** I think he's talking about the part where the crowd shouts "Oh yeah!"in the album version..**

What did you say after your last performance?
"Adios amigo!". Actually, Nino said "Baibee!" first but the audience didn't seem to like it so he was like "If you don't like "baibee!", what would you like to hear then?". Then I said "Adios amigo!" (haha). Nino and I often use this phrase. Speaking of Nino, that guy made me do something that I'd never do! But my costume was perfect for it. It was terrible!!! It was a disaster! I can't think of another word to call it!

What was the most moving scene you saw in this concert?
I was blown away the moment we went on stage. It looks completely different from how it looks during rehearsals. Every year, we always see that wonderful spectacle. But we only get the chance to see such a scene when we do our nationwide concerts. The view was so inspiring. This year, they didn't set up audience seating beneath the Olympic Cauldron but the cauldron completed the loop. It was all the more beautiful when the audience turned their penlights on. I'm quite thankful that we had the ballad part.

How will you describe your most recent concert tour?
It was "WARM". We didn't really feel the intense heat during our rehearsals because we were practising in one of the rooms in the basement, not under the heat of the blazing sun. It was much cooler during the actual performance because we went on stage late in the afternoon. It was literally warm during the rehearsals and figuratively warm due to our excitement. Last year and last last year's concerts were also warm in different ways. This year, after the sun set, the breeze felt so good.

What things did you get to see while you were doing your nationwide concert?
When I heard men's and children's voices in the audience, I realized that the audience have evolved and they now include men and children. There were more of them than I expected.

Currently
We're about to start with the filming of "Kamisama no Karute" (God's Clinical Records). Yesterday I went to Nagano Prefecture to meet up with Doctor Natsukawa Sousuke. We talked for 2 hours about a lot of things. When I got home, I had a meeting with the director. We discussed about my... hair... for an hour. It's as if after we come up with the proper hairstyle for this movie, we'll already start with the filming. I have to be on filming mode once again. I even underwent medical training for the movie. They showed me around the hospital for half a day. I went to see real patients, then I went to the out-patient area, and I had the chance to witness real first-aid procedures. I had quite a lot of warming up for the role. The medical instructor gave me his own stethoscope and I'm going to use it in the movie. So it means that I'll be paying Nagano a visit quite often.