[ENGLISH TRANSLATION] MIYAVI × HIGHFLYERS Vol.4 INTERVIEW 2018

Original (Japanese) source & credits :  highflyers.nu

Text: Kaya Takatsuna / Photo: Atsuko Tanaka / Photo Retouch: Koto Nagai 

English Translation by Nicki A. (@uchiakebanashi)

One cannot realize dreams that have not been dreamt of. Those who have passion and

determination, are generous and know the joy of sharing with others are those who will achieve

success.

For our final interview with MIYAVI, we are pleased to have him share his view regarding his

extensive activities around the world, his learning method for studying a foreign language, the

difference between Japan and the rest of the world, and also on the things that he finds necessary

today. MIYAVI, as a UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) ambassador, was able to experience being in close contact with children living in refugee camps. These experiences and the fact that he is a father of two daughters has made it clearer to him on how important it is to teach foreign languages and ethics as a means to create a future without conflict. We also got to hear

about his opportunity to reflect on various things, his successes, the people he believes to be the

most successful, and also on the dreams that he wishes to realize from now on.

Education is the most important thing to have next to life essentials. Japan needs more education

on foreign languages and ethics. Wishing for Japanese to go outside and taste the different flavors

and cultures of other countries.

What would you say is the most important thing for you as a guitarist?

Being one with the guitar. That’s where all my performances begin from.

Do you feel that the amount attachment between you and your guitar changes subtly by

the day?

The attachment that I feel is usually about the same though there was a time when I did feel like we weren’t one (laughs). I can’t remember though. Speaking of “becoming one with the guitar”, it was probably around the time when I first met BOBO, changed labels to EMI and released “WHAT’S MY NAME” (released in 2010), that I truly became so. Of course, as I’ve still got some ways to go with the guitar and also with my language studies, I’m always practicing every day.

Your English is very proficient that you sound like a native speaker and this is despite having started your activities overseas only after becoming an adult. How long did you practice your English for?

I really studied a lot (laughs). I went to America for 3 months when I was 25 and while I was there, I made sure to not hang out with Japanese people at all. Other than that, I made friends who are native speakers. In the end, be it with the guitar, soccer and also language studies, it all comes down to how much passion I am willing to put into it.

 

You are currently active in both Japan and overseas. What would you say is the biggest

difference between Japan and the rest of the world?

Even though you say “overseas”, it includes a lot of different countries. Mainly, the saying that “Japan is the best!” is not something that can be said when one has only ever been in Japan. I believe that one can only truly say for the first time, “Japan is nice” once they have really set out into the world and experienced the different flavors and cultures of other countries. We Japanese are living the peaceful life in a safe and rich country where everything is basically in order with trivial kinds of things becoming news (laughs). Therefore, we shouldn’t only be critical, we should also be thankful towards those who built this country, particularly our ancestors and also those who are working hard on the front lines.

What do you think of Japanese people nowadays?

I believe that we should raise the quality of our basic education. After being introduced by Angie(Angelina Jolie), I am now working with the people of UNHCR, an organization known as the High Commissioner for Refugees under the United Nations. Presently, for the people in refugee camps living in life or death conditions, the most important things for them are essentials such as food, water, medical care and sanitary conditions. Despite their circumstances, they still see education as the next most important thing after these life essentials. In Lebanon and Thailand,

the children in refugee camps are provided with education on philosophy and morals. This not only serves as an investment for their future but can also help as a deterrent for future conflicts.

Although it’s the same in Japan, Japan isn’t exactly ingrained with religious beliefs. Putting aside knowing what is right or wrong, I don’t believe that young people today have enough education on what is appropriate in forming their foundation as a person. Other than that, I also think there’s not enough education in foreign language studies. I definitely think that it’ll be better to increase education on both foreign languages and ethics.

Have you ever had thoughts like “If only the world was more like this”?

I’d, without a doubt, like the world to be a place without conflict. I’d like for it to definitely not be right to go to war for the sake of money and for that money to not hold the biggest value in a person’s life. I believe that this is all connected to education. It might probably be because there aren’t much opportunities to teach the values of what makes for a “decent life”. This is our

obligation as adults and for that reason, I feel that we should raise the salaries of educators. It’s not about paying them for the amount of effort they’ve put in in the difficult job of forming a person’s character. It’s a matter on a whole other level in the sense that these children will be the ones to build their countries’ future. For me, education is the most important form of creation. It is after all, what we would be teaching our totally pure children. If we teach them that it’s okay to kill another person, it’s only normal that things will become that way. It’s important that we teach them firsthand the definition of living a happy life even without having anything. If we don’t do so, we will never become happy no matter how much time have passed.

 You have two daughters. What is the most important thing when it comes to raising them?

That’d be communication. We really talk a lot. Children are always watching us and they feel

more than what their parents believe they do. It’s just that their vocabulary is still limited when it comes to expressing their feelings. That’s where we have to try to see from their perspective and listen to what they’re saying. It’s also important to properly explain everything to them. If we neglect that part, some issues will definitely arise somewhere.

You’re a great dad, aren’t you?

The time that I can spend with them is actually quite limited so I really treasure my time with

them. There are a lot of ways to raise children and I find fathers who come back home at regular hours and take baths with their children every day really amazing. Despite that, I’m really happy that I’m able to show my children the things that I do for work. They come to my live shows and I get to have them listen to my work. I’m really happy that I get to show them that their father makes a living by doing these things for the family’s sake and that their father is working

towards making the world a better place.

Well then, what do you believe is important in making one’s dream a reality?

Having dreams. If you don’t have dreams, you won’t be able to turn them into reality. You’d

have to have an intense desire to make them a reality and carry them out.

Then, what would you call a chance? And what should one do in order to not miss that

chance?

Chances are just chances. Although this is corny to say, in order to not miss a chance, one should habitually be prepared for it.

What is the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful person?

Whether or not one can in the end, stay generous. It’s something that I’m also trying to learn. I believe that the results of being able to share your happiness with others and combining this with passion and determination, will surely take shape in various manners. And while short-term

successes are probably something that everyone can acquire right away, for me, the true meaning of success is, more than anything, being able to stay generous, even in spirit.

In your opinion, who is the most successful person to you?

That’d be Grandpa and Grandma. They’ve already passed away but even though they were not well-off, they were very loving towards each other and laughed a lot until the end. I think it’s an ideal way of life and is the best. No matter how rich they became or famous they became, even while suffering and having people around them taking their own lives, they continued living their lives while leaving the rest to God’s will. It’s just ideal.

What is “success” to you?

Being able to ignite every passing second and well, being able to die with a smile on my face.

Lastly, please tell us if you have any dreams that you haven’t fulfilled yet. Also, when do

you think that you would be able to fulfill them?

Unfulfilled dreams… That’d be to have a world that is truly free of conflicts. But well, where

there is night, there is day; there are men and there are women; and where there is light, there is darkness. Sometimes when I ponder on it from that point of view, there are honestly some parts of me that are unsure on whether or not the day will come when conflicts will truly disappear. Even so, I wish that when I’m playing my guitar, I would be able to stop the fighting among the people around the world, even it’s only for a second, and also to be able to create a moment where they would be able to feel peace. In that sense, at least when I’m playing the guitar, the people in front of me are not in conflict with each other. I hope to deliver that to the people of the world and I’ll try to make it a reality until the day I die.

You’ll definitely be able to fulfill them.

I’ll work hard.

Translation by Nicki A. (@uchiakebanashi @onakabel)

[ENGLISH TRANSLATION] MIYAVI × HIGHFLYERS Vol.3 INTERVIEW 2018

Original (Japanese) source & credits :  highflyers.nu

Text: Kaya Takatsuna / Photo: Atsuko Tanaka / Photo Retouch: Koto Nagai 

English Translation by Nicki A. (@uchiakebanashi) 

For our third interview with MIYAVI, we asked him to talk about his lifestyle in America, and also the new challenges he faced as an actor after being casted in the movie directed by Angelina Jolie, “Unbroken”. MIYAVI, who is a believer in the existence of an invisible power, is one to dedicate heartfelt prayers to not only his ancestors but also to the spirit of the places where he holds his live concerts. It’s also a habit of his to perform exercises in order to regulate his blood flow and body temperature. Just as he had established this lifestyle, he was offered a role by Angelina Jolie as the real-life Japanese sergeant, Mutsuhiro Watanabe in the movie “Unbroken”. In this interview, MIYAVI shared about his experiences from his first meeting with Angelina Jolie, the deeply interesting topic on the differences of being an actor and being a musician, and also on how much his activities in assisting refugees influenced him.

Despite being alike in appearances, musicians and actors are essentially different from each other. As a musician, MIYAVI is a role that he plays at 100% every day.

• You are based in America now. Is there anything that you would diligently do every morning as part of your daily routine?

I’d wake up in the morning, drink water, take a shower, do some stretching, and exercise my whole body using dumbbells, exercise ball, exercise tube and etc. I believe that going to the gym and growing fat are both things that are essentially unnatural for the body. We currently live in a convenient era where with just one click we can get all kinds of things delivered to our homes, whereas people in the past had to hunt for their meals. Basically, we are in an age where we don’t move our bodies much. I exercise and stretch every morning in order to reset and understand my blood flow, body temperature as well as the room temperature.

• I’ve heard that you devote a lot of time to spiritual activities.

I give my offerings every day after exercising. I usually dedicate sake and water, and set out muffins, cookies, fruits and others as offerings. For myself, and I’m sure it’s the same for my fans too: the sensation of being deeply moved by sounds, the feeling of having your heart swayed; they are all things that can’t be perceived by our eyes. Things that are separate from the body and flesh such as wave motion, thoughts and spirit; they exist but are invisible to the eyes and we as musicians are those who draw on them for our work. Our being here isn’t due to a God-like birth, but is in fact because we have parents, and because our parents had their own parents and so on. This all just goes to show how we are connected in various ways and I don’t only make prayers in regards to this. Even when I go to unfamiliar places, I give prayers for the locals and also to the spirit of the land there. I guess it’s like saying to them “Excuse me for intruding” (laughs).

• When did you start holding such sentiments?

I have to say that the feeling got stronger after filming the movie “Unbroken”. After my appearance in the movie was confirmed, I got to read books on the people back then who went into the battlefield, fully prepared for death. Just before and immediately following production, I got to visit Yasukuni Shrine and I was also giving prayers every day on the filming location. While I’d always given prayers before, I started properly doing them especially since then.

• Appearing in that movie must have been a very big affair for you.

Of course. It was something huge for me. It opened up a lot of doors for me, including my meeting with Angie (Angelina Jolie). It also allowed me opportunities to challenge various new things. When we die, don’t our body rot away into nothing? Additionally, we can’t bring our status, prestige and possessions with us to the grave. This got me to seriously and consciously think about what I can leave behind for those in the future and I’ve made it my life’s mission to do so.

• I’m sure your role in the movie was really difficult. Was there anything that you were reluctant about?

Yes, there was some reluctance. Before I met Angie in person, I was unsure on whether I had the right qualifications and on whether I would even be able to play the part. I also wondered about why they would leave such a role to someone like me who has not had any professional experience in acting.

• Did the offer for the role come out of nowhere?

Yes. Apparently, seeing as how it was a unique character, she wanted someone with charisma. She believed that a musician or rock star would be best suited for the role of a person who daunts and overpowers captured prisoners of war. That’s how she got around to finding me on the internet and from there I was sent the offer. In the beginning I did feel some hesitation but when she came to Tokyo and we met for the first time she said, “This is a simple story about America and Japan. It’s not a story about which side wins or loses. It’s a story describing how a single person overcame his difficulties and trauma and on how in the end, he eventually became strong enough to reach a state of mind where he is able to forgive others. This story is to share about the life he lived and the path he took to reach the courageous and forgiving mindset he had.” Her enthusiasm got through to me then. Although it was a role that I found to be sensitive, but as it was to convey such a message, I thought that it had a huge significance. Also, more than anything, I wanted to give a response to her enthusiasm. And so, I was allowed the opportunity for a new challenge by deciding to give it my all in my cooperation with her.

• Appearing in a large-scale Hollywood movie like that, did you have an acting coach to work with?

Yoko Narahashi, the casting director who casted Ken Watanabe for “Last Samurai” and Rinko Kikuchi for “Babel”, was my acting coach and she taught me a lot of things. She taught me that “To act is not to act”. As a musician, I 100% act my role as MIYAVI every day. On the other hand, as an actor I have to empty myself and leave myself in a neutral state. I then have to immerse my body in the person that my role represents, and use my body and voice as a medium of expression for that role.  My experience from this taught me that although actors and musicians are similar in the subject of performing in front of cameras, they are actually fundamentally different.

• I’m sure that normally, it’s not easy to become fully immersed in one’s role. How is it that you managed to do so even though you’ve only been active as a musician until then?

I have two daughters of my own and when I think about how I can protect my family in that kind of environment, I feel that I would go to any means to do so. While I’m sure that warring conditions are far beyond what we can imagine, in my imagination, I could feel the enemy’s hatred and was sure that I would do anything if they were to attack us and lay a hand on my family. I was always in that kind of mindset when on location and was consistently on edge. Also, considering how I was playing the role of a villain, I made sure to keep my distance from my co-actors. Other than that, I was able to immerse myself in the role thanks to Angie, Yuko, our director of photography, Roger Deakins (who also worked on “The Shawshank Redemption”), and also thanks to the really wonderful film crew. Angie’s leadership, enthusiasm and attitude of working together and personally with each single person really helped in working on such a difficult story where it was frequently tense on site. Not only were my co-actors nice people, I was also able to be present in such a splendid atmosphere. It was a truly professional setting.

• Do you feel that music and movies are two different fields?

When it comes to the matter of creation as a passion, be it movies, music or fashion, there isn’t much difference between them. However, movies are a complete work of art as it incorporates music and fashion. If we include acting and acoustics into the mix, a single movie is actually a creation made up of various art.  Making movies covers a larger scope in this sense while the environment for making music has a different atmosphere and sense of tempo.

• Were you influenced by Angelina Jolie in anything beyond movies?

I was inspired by her activities in as well as her contribution towards the refugee crisis and got to go to refugee camps in Lebanon and Thailand. I came to realise again how greatly disconnected entertainment and recreations are from world affairs such as the refugee crisis and conflicts. Before meeting Angie, I wasn’t aware about the refugee crisis and also about UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). I never in my life thought that in my career, I would one day be wearing UNHCR’s light blue cap and be visiting refugee camps. While observing the situation on site, I wondered if there was anything I could do. Since I thought that this kind of activity is cool in itself, we started thinking that things might somehow start changing if we could show this kind of activities to others. We hope to draw the younger generation into thinking that a lifestyle of doing activities that helps the earth as cool by presenting them as so. I also started hoping that I would be able to create, in my own way, things that also includes about the state of the world; and that I would be able to spread positivity to those who are willing to listen to my work.

Translation by Nicki A. @onakabel @uchiakebanashi

[ENGLISH TRANSLATION] MIYAVI × HIGHFLYERS Vol.2 INTERVIEW 2018

Original (Japanese) source & credits :  highflyers.nu

Text: Kaya Takatsuna / Photo: Atsuko Tanaka / Photo Retouch: Koto Nagai 

English Translation by Nicki A. (@uchiakebanashi) 

A setback during his time in Cerezo Osaka’s Junior Youth. The moment he discovered that music gave the same excitement as soccer did. Teaching himself how to play the guitar. Leaving for Tokyo until he became a solo artist.

For our second interview with MIYAVI, we asked him to speak about his childhood up to his solo debut. He started playing soccer at the age of 7 and as his talent flourished, he was eventually selected in middle school to join as a member of Cerezo Osaka’s Junior Youth. Unfortunately the results of his efforts all went to waste as he had to retire due to an injury. After tasting his life’s first disappointment, and as if by destiny, MIYAVI came across the guitar. After the sudden loss of an admired senior, he was driven to head out to Tokyo where he encountered the band Dué le Quartz in a live house and was invited to join them. Though he was active with the band as their guitarist for 2 years, they eventually broke up due to a difference in principles. After all this, he finally reached his debut as a solo artist. From his encounter with the guitar, the lapse of his band activity, to the events behind the process of his solo debut, we got MIYAVI to share about the thoughts he had in those points of time.

He headed to Tokyo after facing the death of a senior he had held dearly. After the breakup of his band, his first solo live in Shibuya Town Hall was a success. These were the days he continued to run ahead alongside his insecurities.

• It seems that you’re from Osaka. How were you like as a child?

I played soccer from the age of 7. Everyday I would wake up in the morning, and was always playing before going to school, during lunch break and even after school until it got dark. My parents let me do as I wanted then and honestly, I barely had anything like a rebellious phase. When it came to studying, I think I was a kid who liked learning new things. Other than that, I was like any ordinary boy and was also interested girls.

• Soccer was very popular around that time, right?

Yes, you’re right. It was around the time J-League was first established. My father had originally played soccer and I eventually started playing too but I only became fully absorbed in it after I was chosen as team captain. The moment when I completely lose myself in chasing the ball and see the goal net sway from the ball that I had kicked in, my mind just goes really blank. It’s a feeling that’s immensely similar to when I am enveloped with cheers during a show. Even back then I’d get totally captivated by that satisfying feeling.

• You must have been really serious seeing how you were also a member of J-League’s Cerezo Osaka’s Youth Team.

Their sports ground was in Amagasaki and since it took an hour and a half to get there from where I was living, I had to run to the train station as soon as school finished and get changed inside the train itself. I was commuting like this and would still be late. Also, since it’s a pro team’s soccer ground, they have spotlights so we could train until late at night. Once training ends, I’d next be swaying on a packed train back home. The next day, I’d go to school and repeat the whole thing all over again. When it’s like that, wouldn’t you be so tired that you would spend your break time just sleeping? It came to the extent that my friends started drifting away even though I was still in the center of the school’s soccer team. It was honestly really hard back then.

• Did you enter a J-League team because you were aiming to become a professional player?

Yes. I did make the decision on the basis of becoming a pro but then playing soccer slowly started becoming unenjoyable. When I took a break after hurting my leg, the supervisor changed and everything else changed as well. I couldn’t keep up with the changes and I consequently dropped out not only physically, but also emotionally. Until then, I hadn’t done anything other than play soccer so when I quit, I remember feeling this really big hole open up inside my heart.

• It seems like that was the first time you experienced a feeling of frustration.

Yeah, it was my first setback ever. Following that setback, one day my friends and I were casually like  “Let’s start a band” and we just went with that flow. That was how I originally got my hands on a guitar. Even now I can vividly remember the first moment I held that guitar and played Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do on it with my clumsy hands. In that moment and despite being just a kid, I saw an image of myself in a really huge stadium performing in front of so many people. I thought “This is it!”. After that, I began seriously playing the guitar every day and I started having these vague thoughts of “Will the guitar help change me?” and “Will the guitar help bring me somewhere?”. It felt exciting and gave me a baseless confidence.

• From then, how did you polish your guitar craft?

I constantly played it but my basics were all self-taught. That’s why I still have some reckless parts but to be frank, those who started from the foundation are thousands of times more skillful than me. However, I didn’t start playing to become skillful, I just wanted to fill the hole inside my heart. The hole was grossly big and that just goes to show how much I was consumed with soccer. I’m someone who by nature likes to surprise and startle others. Ever since then, little by little, through the musical instrument that is the guitar, I wished that I could excite and get the hearts of people worldwide racing and so, share these feelings through my live performances.

• Once you are occupied with the guitar, have you felt like you’ve forgotten about time while you are playing it?

Yes. I think it’s my personality. Basically, when it comes to clothing, meals and even my hobbies, once I’ve decided on something, I think I’m the type to stick to it. Even when it comes to language study and also everything else, I believe that learning is something that doesn’t end

.

• After getting your hands on a guitar and becoming engrossed in it, what was the first step that got you to not end the guitar as just a hobby and change it into your calling and livelihood instead?

I first started playing the guitar at 15 but when I was 17, the senior who first showed me the colour of music passed away. He had no eyebrows, carried a mohawk and was a hardcore person who had this unapproachable air about him. To me, he was an elder brother-like existence who granted me the opportunity to listen to various kinds of music. Until then, I had never experienced losing someone close to me like the way he was and I was shocked at how the same sceneries and places could look totally different afterwards. After that, I just didn’t want to be there anymore and for this reason I left for Tokyo.

• So, the death of your senior was what drove you to go to Tokyo.

I made up my mind on that day itself. I got on a night bus and I think I reached Tokyo Station at around 8 in the morning. From there, there were even times when I was living by camping out. At that time, because I was in such a state, live houses let me in a lot and there I got to make a lot of friends. I also became a member of the band Dué le Quartz then. I didn’t plan on joining them at first, but the members, who were all 3-5 years older than me, were immensely warm. As it was soon after the death of the senior whom I adored, I thought that I’d be at ease if I were with them.

• And you’ve been in Tokyo ever since you became a member of that band.

I was active in the band for around 2 years. I’ve always thought that we might as well set out for the world if we’re gonna do this, but it was hard to share that same viewpoint with my band members. I believe that when being in a band, ideals is the most important thing to have after synchronicity and this also applies to groups and corporations. While people generally have different values, and it’s not wrong to want to properly make the people right in front of you happy, but in spite of all that, I feel that it’s significantly important to have a common sense of purpose. Towards the end, as we developed a difference in opinions, we finally decided to break up and as a result, I went solo.

• Having experienced both being in a band and going solo, have you had different thoughts like “Going solo is good” or “Being in a band was great”?

Both have their own pros and cons. It goes without saying that as a solo artist, everything is on me and it’s hard being so but it’s worth doing considering how when I do something, I will get back as much as what I put in. In a band, having 2 people is better than one and having 3 people is better than 2 because of the exciting chemistry that it could give rise to. Being in a band is fun in that sense. Even for me, although I’m a solo artist, I’d very much prefer working with a lot of people, including my staff and producers, over doing everything on my own.

• In the time after leaving Dué le Quartz and starting your solo activities, were the conditions already set for you from the beginning?

Since I had a lot of fans who were supporting me through difficult times, I started creating pieces for my solo activities as soon as we confirmed the band’s disbandment. For my first show, I got to perform at Shibuya Town Hall, something that the band didn’t get to do. The second show was an open-air one (in Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall). The quality was definitely not high but more than anything, I had people who were waiting for me. So, I continued on with the will and thoughts of “I’ll continue tumbling along, even if I have to do it on my own.” and “No matter the form, I’ll continue creating whether it’s something or other.” Thinking back now, I did pretty well.

• Did you not have any doubts when you went solo?

Yeah, I did. Until then, I had never been in the stage’s center much and in a band not only could we share responsibilities, if someone wasn’t feeling, those who are well can help fill in. But when you’re a solo act, even though you have support members in the back, all the weight is basically still on you. Other than that, I was also really insecure when it came to singing. Even though I have to wipe my own ass and despite it being pretty hard carrying all kinds of burden so that I can stand on stage, I’ve gained a lot of things in return.

Translation by Nicki A. (@uchiakebanashi/@onakabel)