#yashagaike

I don’t know what I want to do ≠ Bad. What’s important is to have the spirit to enjoy.

Miyu gave an interview with W-Online, in promotion for his stage  project with PARCO STAGE “Yashagaike“, Demon Pond, which was performed  from May 2nd to 23rd.   The interview is divided into three chapters, with the first  chapter discussing the stage play and Miyu’s approach to the role,  while the second chapter gives insights into his time as a student, and the third chapter is about his time  abroad.

I will post the translation in the following order: Chapter 2→ Chapter 3 → Chapter 1.

Q: Irino-san, you’re also very active in drama and on stage, right.

Irino: I got a lot of voice acting opportunities, but I actually started out in a theater company. I like the work of expression, so I’ve always wanted to be active in different fields. Doing so also gives me the chance to meet a lot of people, to discover a lot of things and to gain a lot of inspiration, and I want to continue challenging myself in many things.

Q: Speaking of challenge, you went oversea studying in 2017.

Irino: When an oversea theater company comes to Japan to perform, the actors are not always all from the top cast. Sometimes, there are actors from the third or fourth position in the line-up too. Still, these actors show such a high degree of perfection in their performance, and this makes me feel kind of frustrated. That was the reason why I thought I should go oversea and experience for myself what it’s like there.

Q: Where did you go for your oversea study?

Irino: I was mainly in England. In Japan, I often got to work with performers from England, so I was interested in British theater. Also, I planned to visit a lot of theaters to see a lot of their plays, so I backpacked through Europe to various places.

Q: How was the experience?

Irino: First, the vibe of the audience is different. It may be something culturally integrated that performing arts has become part of the daily life there. In the workshops I went to, there were not only professional performers, housewives also attended them naturally. It was refreshing to see how seriously they studied the approach to acting. It wasn’t about becoming a professional or not, they just enjoyed it. I realized that theater was something close to them.

Q: During your time there, did you feel “the language barrier”?

Irino: I didn’t understand everything, but I felt that it was important to learn how to adjust in that kind of environment. It’s exactly because you don’t understand everything that you are able to see some things. And in that sense, too, I’m glad that I went.

Q: The experiences you gained from that time, were they helpful for your acting?

Irino: I’m not sure how much they influenced my acting, but I feel that things I saw enabled me to cultivate my sense of values as to what I like and don’t like. I think, when I was little I didn’t really know what I liked and didn’t like. I tended to agree with other people as to what they find amazing. But now, I have a clear angle, so I think that they did have an influence on me mentally.

Q: Lastly, do you have a message for the young readers, who are thinking about their future?

Irino: As for me, I didn’t have a clear goal, it just happened that what I was doing led to it becoming my profession. That’s why I think that it doesn’t mean it’s bad if you haven’t found something you want to do. What is important is the power to enjoy, or rather, the spirit of curiousity and to have fun. Even if you don’t particularly like something, you may find joy while continuing and it may become your career.

Q: Meaning, to first of all look at what is in front of you and just simply try it without thinking too hard about it.

Irino: When I was in my 20s, I thought “It may be too late now for dancing.” and I didn’t challenge myself at it. But that’s not it at all, and I think that I should have just given it a try back then. Still, I don’t think that it’s too late for it now. Therefore, if you think something may be interesting to try, just go for it and see. Instead of looking for a reason as for why you can’t do something, it’s important to focus on what you can gain, including from failures. That kind of spirit is what I hope people would treasure.

Link to Chapter 1

Demon Pond / Yashagaike (1979, Masahiro Shinoda)

夜叉ゲ池　（篠田正浩）

20200802（土）

夜叉ヶ池（池の標高1,099m、別名「雨乞いの池」、福井県南越前町岩佐）登山。

越前国南条郡池ノ上に住む豪農の弥平次が干ばつのため、池の主の大蛇に「田に水を入れてくれるのなら自分の娘を嫁にあげよう」と約束した。田に水が入り作物が活気を取り戻したため、約束通り愛娘の一人を嫁に出した。娘は蛇体となり大蛇とともに夜叉ヶ池に入った。後に女蛇となった娘は龍神となり、干ばつの日には雨を降らすそうな。 南越前町商工会のHPに、要約ですがこのような伝説が紹介されています。

Yashagaike (1979)