Talking about "Chaos" 04 | What Yuka Itaya Seeks in a Place She Wants to Visit Often

Talking about “Chaos” 04

Yuka Itaya on the Places She Wants to Visit Often

Actor, model, newscaster, fashion director… Yuka Itaya, who wears many hats, has been frequenting “Kong Tong” for 20 years. What draws her to this place, her true self as someone who loves people and places, and what is the source of her energy?

Edit by TANAKA Toshie (KIMITERASU) Photograph by YOKOKURA Shota Text by HONJO Maho

Everyone She Meets Becomes Fuel for Her Acting

— The restaurant, cafe & bar “Kong Tong” in Sangenjaya celebrated its 20th anniversary in March 2023. You’ve been coming here since it first opened, haven’t you?

Yuka Itaya (hereafter Itaya)I used to see Tatsuro Fukuda, who works behind the counter, every time I went out at night. When he told me he was opening a place, I asked for the location and found out it was right near my old apartment! That connection led it to become my “second living room” since it opened. I’ve used it for after-parties with my actor friends, and when we’d say, “Want to go for one more?” I’d call them drunk, saying, “I’m bringing everyone, are you free?” and we’d pour in. In my 20s, I was coming here four times a week (laughs). After I got married and had children in my 30s, and moved my base closer to the sea, I visited less often. Now that my children are a bit more independent, I’ve been coming back more frequently over the past few years. Sometimes I have meetings here, and I even held a collaboration event for my fashion brand ‘SINME’ and Converse. It feels like a new kind of relationship has begun, different from my 20s.

— You even held your 40th birthday party at “Kong Tong”?

ItayaYes, that was seven years ago. I fondly remember the members of GREAT3 performing! I invited about 120 people, and I thought they’d come and go, but nobody left (laughs). I still vividly remember celebrating in that crowded space.

Talking about “Chaos” 04 | What Yuka Itaya Seeks in a Place She Wants to Visit Often

— You’ve worked as an actor and model, but you’ve also been a newscaster and are now the director of your own fashion brand. Your multifaceted career is astonishing. Do you find yourself taking on more assignments than pursuing your own interests?

ItayaThe job of an actor is fundamentally passive. There’s a producer, a project, and I’m usually offered a role, like, “Would you like to play this part?” Sometimes I encounter roles I never would have imagined, and I love that, but I also felt that being purely passive wasn’t enough. The desire to create something from scratch led me to think, “I love clothes, I want to do a fashion brand,” and that’s how I launched ‘SINME.’ Both acting and apparel are all about encounters and connections. You never know what will connect with what, or how. I’ve always jumped at things that seemed interesting, and that’s led me here. My curiosity has brought me this far.

— One particularly memorable role was your 11-year stint as a newscaster for ‘NEWS ZERO’ from 2007 to 2018. Despite your incredibly busy schedule, you went to the scene, and reported what you saw with your own eyes in your own words. Watching you, I felt you were someone who never shied away from hard work.

ItayaWhen I was asked if I’d be a newscaster, I thought, “As an actor, I absolutely cannot be a newscaster.” But they said, “How about starting with things that interest you within a 30-meter radius, within your reach?” That made me think, “Maybe I can do it.” I also thought, “I want to bring reality to my words.” I absolutely wanted to avoid making superficial comments. So, I told them, “Please let me go to the scene. If I can do that, I’ll do it.” If I were given a script and could play the role of a newscaster, I could do it, but if I were to appear as Yuka Itaya, I wanted to convey things in my own truthful words.

— You also visit the producers for ‘SINME,’ don’t you?

Itaya‘SINME’ actually started when I met a producer from Kojima, which is said to be the birthplace of Japanese denim. Now I also visit knitwear producers, and I strongly desired to work with pearls, so I even flew to Tahiti. I believe that the reality of experiencing a place firsthand is always conveyed to others. What’s more interesting is that the people I met as a newscaster, and the people I worked with as a director, all feed back into my acting. I remember that person from back then, I met someone in that place… all of it becomes fuel for playing roles. In the end, it’s all connected. I’m truly glad I’ve been involved in so many things and met so many people. I feel that from the bottom of my heart.

— Incidentally, when Tsurube Shofukutei spoke about you on his talk show ‘A-Studio+,’ he called you a “genius at connecting people.” Do you have a secret to that matching?

ItayaNo, no, honestly, I don’t think about it at all. I just want to show the wonderful cards I have to the people I like. It’s a simple feeling. I’m far from creating connections; I’m the one who craves them. I think I’m incredibly greedy (laughs).

— Your connection with “Kong Tong” is also quite special. While you frequented it in your 20s, some places you revisit in your 40s, and others you don’t. What do you think is the difference?

ItayaI think it’s definitely the people. In my 20s, I was somewhat desperate to make connections. This place had many interesting adults, and it was like a “social gathering place.” Now, it feels more like a “home.” When I open the door, they always say, “Welcome back.” Actually, come to think of it, “I’m home” and “Welcome back” might have been the password even back then (laughs). Having a place where I can truly relax, and being welcomed there unchanged for 20 years—I’m grateful for that.

“I Like This!” – I Want to Keep Honing That Sensor

— You’ve been active on so many stages. What do you want to do next?

ItayaTravel! I want to travel. I feel that by inputting something new, something new will be born. Destinations could be, for example, rural towns in Spain or Portugal, or perhaps small towns in Taiwan. But on the other hand, I also feel that just being healthy and energetic is enough. Eating delicious food, drinking enjoyable wine, and conversing with people I love… if I can do that, isn’t that perfect? Part of me thinks it’s greedy to want more, but another part of me says, “No, there’s still more!” I can go even further! Both parts exist within me simultaneously.

— On social media and elsewhere, information floods our world, yet your words always carry a sense of health and integrity that is striking. Is there anything you do to maintain that unwavering core?

ItayaHmm, I think it really comes down to “doing what I love.” That’s probably it. I fundamentally love my work, and I couldn’t have continued this long otherwise. For example, with ‘SINME,’ I only make things that I want to wear. If it’s a favorite piece of clothing, even if I put it away for a while, I can wear it again with a fresh feeling when the season comes around, right? That’s the kind of clothing creation I aim for. So, the foundation is always “what I love.” I think I really cherish the sensor for “I like it, therefore it’s fun.”

— By the way, how do you deal with times when your motivation is low?

ItayaThis might be hard for people to believe (laughs), but I’m actually quite melancholic. When I feel myself sinking, I’m the type to delve deeper and deeper to find out what the cause is, and what’s hidden beneath that. That’s because, from experience, I know that encountering a problem at a certain time has meaning, and opening that box you don’t want to touch can slightly open a door to the future. However, lately, perhaps because my power to confront things as an adult has waned, I tend to avoid that process. I need to reflect on that. I want to remain sensitive to the insights gained by digging deeper.

— You accept and resolve feelings of unease and worries as given. Perhaps that is the driving force and strength behind your success in various fields. Speaking of which, the 20th-anniversary party for “Kong Tong” was held on March 9th. Could you tell us how you felt participating?

ItayaIt felt like a reunion, with so many familiar faces gathered. I felt that both people and places gain a certain landscape with the passage of time. It will always be home for me. I want to grow older together with it.

Yuka Itaya
Debuted as an actress in the 1999 film ‘avec mon mari.’ Subsequently appeared in numerous works, starting with the drama ‘Perfect Love!.’ From 2007, she appeared on ‘NEWS ZERO’ and served as its newscaster until 2018. She also MCs the information program ‘Eiga Kobo,’ which introduces films, showcasing her diverse talents. She is a mother of two and also directs her own fashion brand, ‘SINME.’