On stage, on TV, working at full throttle through the year-end

Thank you so much to everyone who came to see "Beyond the Rhine," the joint production by Gekidan Chocolate Cake and Banda La Concha, at the end of last year. It might not have been the kind of show you'd expect to see at Christmas or New Year's, though. (Laughs)

Yet, those who saw it praised it, saying, "This kind of work is important!" and "We really need to see it now more than ever!" What if Japan were divided into north and south? And what if war broke out? And what if your close relatives lived across the border? The Takanashi family, farmers in the south, and the Murakami family in the north. It was a play that taught us what is most important in life.



There was even time to go to the restroom during the performance, no frantic costume changes, no singing or dancing, and best of all, no sweating! (Laughs) I didn't have to worry about my stomach showing in my peasant outfit. And since my makeup was meant to look dirty, it didn't matter if I had age spots, looked puffy, or whatever my face was doing! (Laughs) It was truly a comfortable role.



And I even get to be a police inspector! This time, I filmed the two-hour drama "Inspector Hanyu Soichi" during the days off from the stage play and the day after the final performance. As it's the fourth series of the regular cast, the sense of family has grown even stronger, and everyone was considerate of my schedule while filming. Because of that, I couldn't afford to cause any trouble! I desperately memorized a vast amount of dialogue and was utterly exhausted. I was so impressed with myself, thinking, "Wow, I really managed to memorize all that!" When will I ever be able to face these challenges with a good condition? (Laughs) I also did narration work for "Kamiwaza Japan" right up until the end of the year, wrapping up my work for 2015.




Now, for the 2016 New Year, I visited the Anpanman Museum in Sendai for two days. This is my third time visiting for New Year's since the Great East Japan Earthquake. I want to do whatever I can to help the children in the Tohoku region recover and to encourage as many friends as possible to visit the museum. I performed five shows each day on the 2nd and 3rd!



I danced and sang live with the costumed Anpanman characters from backstage. I conveyed the thoughts of Takashi Yanase and my own wishes to the families. I also had a photo session and autograph session with five winners from each show's lottery.

As always, even when I write the child's name on the autograph board or take a photo with them, the children aren't interested in me at all; they just love the costumed Anpanman. Only the parents seem happy. (Laughs) Well, it's a souvenir. The children who gathered promised to keep cheering for Anpanman forever.

The Tokyo performances of the play "Hoshikuzu no Machi ~Kanketsuhen~" successfully concluded on February 14th, with only the Hyogo performances remaining. In April, I will be performing in the musical "Wagamama" with Eri Watanabe.
Thank you all for your continued support this year.