Nakamaru talks about his audition to join J&A. Enjoy!
PAGE 1998
2019/9/25
Before noon, in a certain place in the metropolitan area
Hello ✋
I'm Nakamaru Yuichi.
Thank you for always reading me. The renewal of Nakamaru's Page in commemoration of the 2000th entry is around the corner.
Today is the 1998th entry. Since this number means a lot for me, I'm going to share an anecdote of my audition in 1998 in the form of my memoirs.
■ My application and Johnny-san
I took the audition to join Johnny's & Associates on November 8th, 1998. The audition took place in the rehearsal room number 709 of the NHK and also, if I remember correctly, in the rehearsal room 711. Probably they are the biggest rehearsal rooms in Japan. 709 was for dancing and 711 for the interviews.
When entering the room, you were given a badge with a number and attached it to your chest. My number was 134. I don't know if it is because it was a day full of emotions for me, but I remember some details very clearly. In the documents they sent me it said there would be a dance test and that I should wear clothes easily to move in, so I remember wearing dark brown sport pants with a white line on the side and a white hoodie. In the front it got a surfer-like logo with something like a hibiscus. I was a full-fledged middle school third grader, but now that I think about it, I was a bit small (for my age).
In the first place, everything began when I was in my third year of middle school and I had a female classmate that loved Johnny's juniors who one day suddenly said, "Why don't you send your application?"
Just when the soccer fever started with the J League in 1993, I was in 3rd grade of elementary school and I started playing soccer. My life revolved around soccer, it was a time were my only interest was soccer and I barely didn't know anything about idols; I think my impression about Johnny's was just that they were in a very flashy world that had nothing to do with me.
But even though I wanted to continue spending everyday as I had been doing, there was only half a year left of my fun life as a middle school student, then a close friend introduced me to the Johnny's world which I didn't know anything about and made me think it would be a good anecdote for my last year of middle school, so I sent the application that other female friend had prepared for me. At first, I thought she was joking, and I took what she said very lightly, but since she persuaded me genuinely for a week, I now really appreciate her for that.
When I arrived to the place of the audition, there were around 600 people who were going to take part in it. At that time, auditions for Johnny's juniors were frequent, but later on I heard that audition had many more people than usual. Although I was born and raised in Tokyo, I had barely gone to Shibuya before so I remember being shocked to see so many handsome boys together.
By the way, I was used to go everywhere by train, but since I had to take a train that I had never ridden before (to go to the audition), my mother came with me. When I sent the application to the agency, or when I had to go to inspect some documents for the first time, for some reason my mother was the one doing it all with me. I thought that telling my father and male friends, one by one, that I had failed the audition would make me look uncool, so I decided not to tell them anyting until I knew what would the final result be. I kept going thinking of making a good anecdote of all of it: that I sent the application, was told to go to the NHK, that I felt a bit excited thinking I might pass, or imagined the disappointment I would feel if I failed, but I was so embarrassed because of that swinging from joy to sorrow, that I didn't tell anybody how I felt.
The audition started at the planned time, and the applicants were scattered across the back of the room; I didn't know what was going to happen, but when I thought it would be the dance test, an old man suddenly started to take the control of the situation.
It was Johnny-san.
It seems he never revealed his identity in the auditions, but since we were so many people and it was difficult to manage us all, that day as an exception, he let us know who he was.
At that moment I thought: now, even if I fail the audition, I've got the best of the stories to tell. That way I could go back to my hometown feeling proud and that made me feel incredibly relieved.
To be continued.
See ya.
Gachan, tsuu-tsuu-tsuu
------
PAGE 1999
2019/9/27
Before noon, in a certain place in the metropolitan area
Hello ✋
I'm Nakamaru Yuichi.
Today's Nakamaru's Page is the 1999th entry, the last one before the renewal. Thank you for always reading me.
Somehow it's been approximately 13 years since I started this blog.
The reason why I can keep the blog and the reason why everything else started is because I took the Johnny's audition.
So this is the continuation of the last time's "Nakamaru, memories of an audition."
• Summary of the previous chapter
The young Nakamaru, as his female friend has suggested, send his application to join Johnny's & Associates, went in the train with his mother, was quite small, wore a white hoodie and headed to the NHK. Then Johnny-san appeared and the audition started.
Chapter 2
■ Response to the dance test
So this man is Johnny-san.
In a few words: a was excited. I knew about who Johnny-san was because my female friend told me about it beforehand. But his existence was like the one of a fictional character, it was like a miracle for him to be there, I even think that at that time I couldn't stop staring at him with my mouth open. I don't know if I was being frivolous, but I just wanted to quickly go back to boast in front of my friends about meeting Johnny-san.
Johnny-san introduced himself briefly and then let a tall person who seemed to be the choreographer have the role to divide us. It seems he was called Sanche-san. Somehow he was a person I had seen in TV shows before, as a young boy who was born and raised in Akabane, meeting one famous person after the other, my eyes were wide open and I was really shocked.
Then, at that moment, after hearing "Johnny" and "Sanche" and many other names I had never heard before, I remember wondering what world was I in, what kind of unknown world had I have jumped in.
The details of the audition's content were becoming clearer. In the rehearsal room 709 the dance lesson and dance test would take place and then in the room 711 we'd have the interviews and the filming of the self-introduction video.
Of course, I had never took a dance lesson before, and on the way to the audition I was really nervous, but there I saw that almost any of the participants had danced before so I finally could feel relaxed a little bit.
And here there was something that surprised me. It might not be something really surprising, but when we were doing the dance steps, the count wasn't in Japanese, but in English, like "one, two, three, four."
How cool, I thought.
These days I'm still not good with English , but at that time, I remember I barely knew any English, to the point to be surprised when they counted like that. It's not like counting in Japanese makes you look stupid, but doing it in English is stylish and leaves a bigger impression. Now I know that counting like that is something natural in the world of dancing, but as a middle school student from Kita-ku who didn't know much about anything, that was something to be surprised by. So we can conclude that the circumstance I was in was "While Johnny-san is watching, the tall choreographer called Sanche-san was doing the counting in English." I can't keep up with the processing of all that information. I'm suddenly in a parallel universe. And so, in that half-confused state I tried to learn the choreography with all my might.
But I wasn't just perplexed all the time. Actually, when I was in my second year of middle school, at the school festival I was going to have a performance so for one month, I practiced dancing after school with a senpai. You can't say they were dance lessons because I was practicing with other amateurs like me, but I did have that experience so I believed that I had that small advantage in dancing. I don't know if it was because of that, but in the middle of all of that frantic moment, I was able to relax a little bit, and maybe that's why I was able to smoothly learn the choreography, I think.
The second half of the dance lesson consisted in positioning us by our skills. A woman who seemed to have a lot of power and didn't know Johnny-san well, was looking at the dancing participants while taking notes. Later on, I learnt that woman was the editor of an idol magazine. So when those two came closer, I frantically tried to stand out. At school I wasn't someone who tried to stand out, but at that place I came to understand that I had to try my best as I had never done before. When people think of working hard, they do work harder. That's what I learnt at that moment.
The choreographer kept adjusting the positions of the participants and surprisingly, I was given a good position.
What was crossing my mind at that moment was "Eh? I seem to be able to do this!"
But as I thought that, I started to think I would trip over my feet and wasn't making any facial expression. My father was very strict and when I was a kid I practised the expression I should make when I worked hard. In my childhood there were many times when he scolded me, and at those times I only thought about how to pass the time faster. And the special skill I got at those moments was being able to make a facial expression that showed I was working hard and a facial expression that showed I was being serious so making those face was very easy for me. This special skill has been very useful in my life. At that time I thought for a little bit, "Dad, thank you."
When I realized it, 2 hours had passed, the dance lesson had ended and I also had had the dance test, but that ended in a moment. The end was a bit of a disappointment, but in the end, I think what was important wasn't whether you were good or not at dancing, but if you could keep in rhythm, your ability of concentration and confirming your body's shape. I know now that I think about it. Almost anybody had any experience in dancing, so I think they were looking for any other outstanding skills. This is based in what someone without any experience in dancing felt, and I don't know if this is the best way of saying it, at that time I thought it was, but there is no doubt that the overall evaluation was made through the dance lesson.
So I felt a lot of emotions, responded based on them and I was able to finish the dance lesson and dance test.
After that, while I was still feeling tired after the sense of accomplishment (I got during the dance test), all the participants were moved to the rehearsal room 711. In the corner of the room there were a table and some chairs. Johnny-san was sitting on one of the chairs and it looked like the interviews were about to start.
To be continued.
Well then, I'll take part on Ikegami-san's "News Sou dattanoka!! SP" that will be airing on Saturday at 18:56.
On Sunday at 7:30 "Shuuichi" will start. This week's "Majissuka" will have the 6th episode of Mr. Unbalanced diet. Look forward to it.
See ya
Gachan, tsuu-tsuu-tsuu
-----
PAGE 2000
2019/9/30
Before noon, in a certain place of the metropolitan area
Hello ✋
I'm Nakamaru Yuichi.
Nakamaru's page reached its 2000th entry and has been renovated! Thank you for always reading me!
More concretely, I think it's thank to you all that I've been able to come this far. I'm aiming to go even farther so I'll work hard as much as I can. The blog changed a little bit with the renewal so I hope you can get used to it quickly.
Also, yesterday was the last day of Hokkaido and so the tour ended.
I had a lot of fun. I was enjoying this year's tour so much, that it went by really fast.
You might feel a bit sad, but please look forward to the next time we have a tour.
Well then, it's time for the 3rd chapter of "Nakamaru, memories of an audition." You might have gotten a bit bored with this, but we are almost finished.
• Summary of the previous chapter
I had the dance lesson and got in a fairly good position. After that the dance test ended in a moment. Next was the interview.
Chapter 3
◼️ My first conversation with Johnny-san
We were moved to the rehearsal room 711. Here the interviews took place, well, more like it was the time to have a question and answer session face to face with Johnny-san. He was surrounded by many participants.
After explaining everything related to juniors, Johnny-san asked us to raise our hand if we had any question. Now and then someone raised his hand and his question was answered and while I heard them talk, I thought that I needed to raise my hand even if I didn't have any question just to stand out and since I had to ask something to do that, I'd ask something that would make me look like a hero when I came back to my hometown.
After some other people finished with their questions and the number of raised hands decreased, I chose the best timing, got some courage and slowly raised my right hand and spoke out loud.
"I've got one."
"Yes. That guy over there with a white hoodie."
"Can someone who isn't cool join Johnny's?"
"Mm... It isn't like that. Then, what do YOU think about yourself?"
Unexpectedly a question was thrown back at me. It shocked me, but I thought that I'd make a bad impression if I just mumbled something so I started to think quickly. I thought that wasn't a place to have a modest answer, but to begin with I wasn't specially confident in my appearance. And while I was still sorting my thoughts, words came out of my mouth.
"I'm below average."
What was that!? What a vague answer. I even used some words I don't even understand very well. The only thing they will remember about me was thinking "What is he saying!?". I failed choosing what to say in the most important moment and I was very disappointed in myself, but that was quickly wiped out of my mind.
"That's not true. YOU are cool."
"Eh?"
"YOU are above average."
I was confused. A big wave went through me and hit my mind. In any case, Johnny-san understood what I wanted to say, I didn't get it well, but it was a fact that he praised me. While my mind was still a mess, he had already continued with the next question and I was slowly feeling the joy (of what had just happened). For some reason, according to Johnny-san's sense of beauty I was above average. There's no better praise. In contrast to the phrase "below average" that doesn't sound very honest, after praising me like "That's not true, you are cool" and "above average," it wouldn't even matter if it was a joke of an adult who wasn't actually praising me. I had never met someone who could give such a cool answer so quickly before. I remember that moved me. In such a short while, I could understand a little bit what kind of person Johnny-san was. And now that I think about it, that was my first conversation with Johnny-san.
In any case, that was the most difficult moment I had ever had in my life. My valoration should not be that bad.
To be continued.
See ya
Gachan, tsuu-tsuu-tsuu
------
PAGE 2001
2019/10/1
Before noon
Hello ✋
I'm Nakamaru Yuichi.
I've been having a outdoor filming for "TameTabi."
 |
Well then, let's continue with "Nakamaru, memories of an audition," today we'll have the 4th chapter.
Summary of the previous chapter
Johnny-san told me I was "above average" and that made me happy.
Chapter 4
◼️ Age
The interview, or more like, the question and answer session ended and when I had already got used to the place where the audition was being held, the happiness of having come to this exciting place and the strage feeling of wanting to become a Johnny's junior along with hope of that happening sprouted up in my head. My evaluation of the dance test was supposed to be good and so was my evaluation of the interview. I started to realize that it was very likely that I would pass. But on the other hand, when I saw hundred of good-looking boys taking part in the audition too, I thought that it was better not to have high expectations so my emotions were a mess.
Actually, when I sent my application, my female friend was worried because I didn't know anything about Johnny's so some time before the audition and for many days, she taught me everything about Johnny's for 20 minutes during our lunch breaks. Like teaching me how to become a junior or how all of that worked. So I knew that there were other kids of my age working as juniors.
And at that moment I noticed something. My age.
Even though my friend had prepare me for Johnny's, she didn't prepare me for the age range in the audition. That was something that shocked me when I arrived to that place. Years later I learnt that there's a limit age to take the Johnny's audition, but at that time, taking part in the audition as a high school student was too late, almost everybody were primary school student or a first or second year middle school student. I didn't know that. Maybe my friend did tell me about it and I didn't listen, but it really was something unexpected for me.
In my audition, there were only a few 3rd year middle school students and not even one high school student. I was expecting many young boys to be there, but I didn't thought there would be such a big age gap between them and me. The age gap between a primary school student and a middle school one is indeed big. Certainly all the participants around me were quite young. But I don't know if it was good luck, but even though now I'm 176cm, at that time I was quite short, I was only 158cm. So at that moment I thought that if I wore a wig to look like a young boy, they would never know I was older. I imagined that. To not be devaluated and to not stand out, I desperately tried to behave naturally. Now that I think about it, it was something admirable.
I've heard that now, high school students and university students increased among Johnny's juniors, but at that time, when you were that age you had to give your dreams up. In other words, high school students are in the age they have to think about their future. And thinking about that, when I took part in the audition I was only a few months away from becoming a high school student so I know it was a quite difficult challenge. I'm glad I was unaware of all of this at that time. If I had known maybe my friend couldn't have been able to convice me, or even if I took the audition, I wouldn't have been able to do it as optimistic as I did. In the end, well, everything went well.
Next was doing a self-introduction in front of a camera. I didn't want to do it because it'd be a shock if I failed, but I did it thinking of making a good memory of it.
Maybe I would pass the audition afterall? What will be the fate of the young Nakamaru?
To be continued.
Today, Wednesday at 23:15 "Kaji yarou!!!" will air. Please, have a look to the housework techniques you will be able to imitate immediately.
See ya
Gachan, tsuu-tsuu-tsuu
------
PAGE 2002
2019/10/4
Afternoon
Hello ✋
I'm Nakamaru Yuichi.
I had an interview for a magazine today. I made a glass stamp.
Well, then , let's continue with "Nakamaru, memories of an audition." It'll have 6 chapters in total, today we'll have Chapter 5.
Summary of the previous chapter
I arrived to the place of the audition, and for the first time I realized I was quite older than the rest of the participants.
Chapter 5
◼️ Self-introduction video
The filming of the self-introduction video was taking place in the rehearsal room 711, the same one as the interview. All the participants had form a queue and to do a self-introduction in front of a camera. After seeing the first ones who did it, I noticed that we were only given just around 30 seconds each.
Nowadays, every smartphone got a camera and we are able to film videos easily, but in 1998, not only mobile phones didn't have cameras, but also it was rare for a student to have a mobile phone in the first place. That's why filming or getting filmed was something that seldom happened. My parents only used their video camera in Sports Days, birthdays or trips. In those days, doing a self-introduction in front of a camera was something to be nervous about, I remember my heart beating fast waiting for my turn.
At that moment, I think Johnny-san, Sanche-san and the editor of the idol magazine went to the room 709, or at least they weren't in the room with us anymore. Instead of them, someone with a loud voice who seemed to be a manager was giving us directions.
At that point, the general atmosphere was that the audition was over and I had the impression they were just filming that video as a final record. I don't know if it was because I couldn't see Johnny-san anymore, but I could finally feel at ease, the ambition I was feeling before was hiding somewhere, because it would be useless to weirdly stand out at this moment and also I wasn't feeling nervous anymore. And I think all the other participants were feeling the same way.
I observed how the other people were doing their self-introductions, but it wasn't anything special, they were just saying their name, age and expressing their thoughts in a few words. It was a moment when everybody was worried about the result of the audition.
It was my turn.
"I'm from Tokyo, my name is Nakamaru Yuichi and I'm 15 years old."
That was all. However, I was nervous. My heart had been beating as it never did before. I remember that the sense of relief after it ended made my heart rate increased for an instant. After the dance test and the interview ended, I thought that all the nervousness had gone, but it seemed it wasn't like that. As a consequence, that moment had been the moment I felt nervous the most. Most probably they have filmed thousands and thousands of people doing that simple self-introduction so I think they are videos that ends up being not watched. But even so I was nervous. Now that I think about it, even if it is something that is not public, even if I was still a participant in the audition, that is my first video as an entertainer.
And then they finally announced the results. The numbers of the successful applicants seemed to be written in a whiteboard close to the wall. Everybody gathered around the whiteboard. I became nervous in an instant.
To be continued.
Today, Friday, "The Shounen Club" will air at 18:00.
On Sunday, from 7:30, "Shuuichi" will air. This week's "Majissuka" will have the 3rd episode of Majissuka Invention Award.
Also, from 19:00 "DASH de ItteQ! Gyouretsu no Dekiru Shabekuri Nitere Kei Ninki Bangumi No.1 Ketteisen" will air. Don't miss it.
See ya
Gachan, tsuu-tsuu-tsuu
-----
PAGE 2003
2019/10/7
Afternoon
Hello ✋
I'm Nakamaru Yuichi.
I've had an outdoor filming.
Well then, today's chapter of "Nakamru, memories of an audition" will be the last one.
Summary of the previous chapter
Filming the self-introduction video made me feel unexpectedly very nervous. Finally it was the time for the announcement of the results.
Chapter 6, final chapter
◼️ The result of Johnny's audition
It was finally that moment.
Before coming to where the audition was taking place, the only thing I had in my mind was making a good memory as a middle school student and having a funny anecdote to tell, but after spending a few hours there, my feelings had a big change. I thought that I'd like to enter into this exciting world and shine along other kids of my age.
The numbers of the people who passed were written in a whiteboard so I got closer.
All the participants tried to be on the front to watch it more clearly.
I was a bit further so I tried to get closer and looked for my number.
At first sight, I saw that there were a few numbers written. It was written from the smallest to the largest number, from left to right. I hurriedly looked for my number, number 134.
I found it.
I saw it immediately. I checked it again to confirm I was seeing it right and compared the number on the whiteboard to the number on my badge. There was no doubt, my number was written in the whiteboard. I passed. I truly passed Johnny's audition.
I suddenly was full of happiness and relief. I wanted to quickly tell someone this no matter what.
I don't remember it clearly, but I think only 9 people passed.
Now that I think about it, it was something amazing to have passed it. Then those 9 people were to have an interview with the mysterious woman who was the editor of an idol magazine. The photo shoot would be the next day or within that same week. I was suddenly to appear in a magazine.
If we didn't have any more questions, we were going to watch the rehearsal of a juniors' show. Of course, I also did it.
I don't know if that moment was exactly the time for the rehearsal, but suddenly Johnny's juniors started to enter the room. Maybe because of the preparation I had had with my friend beforehand they all were people I had already seen, and above all, they all were ikemens (handsome boys). Nowadays ikemen is a word that is lightly used, but they really were at a superior level. They were really ikemens. For example, watch Tackey calmly. That's what being an ikemen is. Because the meaning of being an ikemen is different here in Johnny's.
Most probably ikemen is a word that was born in Gyaru magazines, more than just having a pretty face, it's a word that refers to a man who has a strong personality. So it is a word that compliments the fashion sense of that person and the air around him.
Nowadays its meaning has changed a bit as everybody calls someone with just a pretty face ikemen. With this change in the meaning, I feel it has become a word that is used more lightly, but I'm not using it that way. Tracksuits that could be fashionable in the city. Instead of having trendy hairstyles, having cool hairstyles that will become a trend. They had an astonishing beauty I had not ever seen before that would make you want to imitate them. That made them to be ikemens on a whole different level. I could barely stand up of the shock after seeing them.
In any case, I watched the rehearsal of the Johnny's juniors' show, was told that I'd have the photo shoot of the magazine some other day and I was strongly feeling the success.
Thus, from that day on I was able to take part in the activities of Johnny's juniors. The life of that middle school student who only used to think of soccer was completely changed. At the beginning I didn't know about anything, but I spent the days absorbed in the job, and in any case, I was living everyday to the fullest.
And then some years later KAT-TUN was formed and after a while we debuted and became famous.
All of this is what I can easily remember of November 8th, 1998.
This time, with the occasion of the renewal in the 2000th entry, I became a little emotional with the number 1998, so I thought of writing for myself my memories of the day it all started. But at first I thought I would be able to sum it up in 3 chapters just in time for the 2000th entry, but somehow writing it, a lot of memories came back and it ended up being longer. It's my fault for thinking "since I am writing it, I'll do it in detail." It's good to write about everyting honestly, I can write as much as I'd like and it seems there's still many more things to tell, so I'll write here my memories till the present day.
I've lived many different experiences until now, I'm really grateful to the female friend who made me send my application to join Johnny's and after meeting Johnny-san I learned many different things; it was nothing but good luck that allowed me to experience it all. The basis of all the activities I'm having now as well as my way of thinking is something I'm grateful from the bottom of my heart to Johnny-san. Also, all of these activities started because of all the people who support me. That's why, I'm working hard everyday to make fans happy and one thing to do so is maintaining this challenging place called "Nakamaru's Page," a precious place that allows me to be connected to you all.
We reached the 2000th entry, I'm really grateful. Thank you so much for always reading me!!
Today "Nakamaru's Reading Radio" will start.
See ya
Gachan, tsuu-tsuu-tsuu
------
Thank you so much for translating and compiling the entries!!
ReplyDelete