Rihokora #41 - Jan. 22, 2022 - Knowing the bu(mu) (=boom, latest trends)

Fashion is for all ages

It's cold this morning... When taking a shower, I forgot to turn the shower head away from me (before the water warmed up) and I ended up taking a cold shower.  It's the kind of thing that wakes you up in the morning, but it's not good for you, so be careful everyone.

My 2nd ep "Reflection" has been released.  Did you have the chance to listen to it?

I'm so relieved it was finalized and available.  I'm really happy that so many people are listening to it.  Tomorrow will be the last day of the tour, in my hometown, in Hiroshima prefecture.  I hope we can finish the tour safely.

Now, lets talk about what I've been doing recently.

As someone who creates content online, I try to keep up with the latest trends, but I'm not yet familiar with TikTok.  I have downloaded the app of course, but I only use it occasionally.  But recently, while I was talking to my grandmother on LINE, she sent me a link.  When I opened it, I found it it was a TikTok video of a hairdresser teaching how to cut bangs.  I couldn't imagine my grandmother recommending me a TikTok video, because it's something my generation supposedly uses.

But then I remembered that my grandmother used to be a hairdresser.  So it was only natural for her to find such a video interesting.  She followed up with messages such as "This part of the technique is amazing" or "Why don't you cut your hair like that?"

Life lessons my grandmother taught me...

I realized that just because the tools we use change, our interests don't.  It was a great learning experience for me who had assumed that TikTok was only for young people.  I was impressed that my grandmother keeps up with the latest trends.

She's in her 70s, and she's interested in a lot of things, and now that I think about it, I never really feel like there's a generation gap when we talk.  And she's probably more interested in fashion than I am (although I should also become more interested).

She collects old rings and accessories and sometimes gives them to me.  She jokes "They're katami (=memento, souvenir, something to remember her by)".

Please don't say things like that grandma.  Having said that, it's not easy to meet at the moment, and I've been busy.  I should make time to go see her.

I hope that when I am as old as my grandmother is now, I will still be fashionable, and enjoy the same things people much younger than me enjoy.

Until next time!

https://wanibooks-newscrunch.com/articles/-/2787

Rihokora #40 - Jan. 8, 2022 - I was surprised!

 This year, is the second time*!

(Note: I believe Riho is referring to the fact that she was born in 1998, which was the year of the Tiger, and 2022 is her second year of the Tiger after 2010)

Happy new year everyone.  I hope you will continue supporting me and Rihokora(mu) in 2022.  2022 is the year of the tiger and I will be turning 24.

I suddenly remembered that when I was in elementary school, my parents took me to the zoo, and let me hold a baby tiger.  I'm not sure about this, but I think we had a conversation such as "it's the year of the tiger, so it's great you got to hold a baby tiger."  I thought I had already told all the stories from my childhood, but I guess there's more that I keep remembering.

I have been rehearsing every day for the January tour.  I am glad I have been busy with live performances and music activities.

When we do music activities, there are always teams formed for song production, or for live performance production.  Since I'm only 23, most of my team members are older than me.  I've been working for 11 years now, but I've always been the youngest member of the team, even in my own projects.

It takes me time to get to know people, and I tend to get intimidated when I am around older people, and I was worried that it would be hard to work, if such feelings continued to exist.  However, after I thought about it, I realized how lucky I am to be the youngest.  Ever since my debut, I have been supported by my relationships with my senpai, and I think it's ok to continue to rely on them.

A real baby tiger!?

When I get to know them, I find it very helpful and enjoyable to talk about various things to my senpai.  I think I actually fit in better with them now.

It's not just because they can share their knowledge about music or the entertainment industry, but it's also because they can share information such as "that inn in Kyushu has a great view, it's relatively close to the airport, and the building has a long history".

When I'm with younger people I keep thinking that I have to be strong, but I don't have to think like that when talking to my senpai.  I feel very lucky that I am again the youngest in my current work environment.

Since I started my solo work, people I met for the first time would often call me a baby, which annoyed me at first, but as I gave it more thought, I realized "maybe I'm still a baby!"

During the rehearsal, I thought "I haven't taken any pictures.  I need to take one!", and I took a picture of myself in the mirror.

https://wanibooks-newscrunch.com/articles/-/2746

Yahoo! News Voice - Riho Sayashi interview (January 5, 2022)

 "I couldn't wait!": What Riho Sayashi learned while writing songs in the covid era

The interview took place on December 14, 2021

Since last year, everyone has experienced difficulties meeting people due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.  Artist Riho Sayashi says that the pandemic made her reconsider how she spends her time, as she "couldn't wait to talk to friends" and felt lonely at times.  We asked Sayashi-san, who says that "leading a normal life isn't something we can take for granted at the moment", to look back at 2021, and tell us how she is feeling now.

Covid made me realize the importance of human interaction

Q: Please tell us about your work as an artist during the covid era.

A: The impact of the pandemic has been much greater, and longer than I had imagined.  You know, last year, I had events in 4 cities other than Tokyo (Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka), but they were cancelled.  When I heard about the decision to cancel them, I couldn't hold back my tears in front of my manager.  I was looking forward to it, and it made me really sad.  I realize how much an artist's career is made by their fans, and I feel that the time I can spend with them is very important.

What made you sad?

I simply realized that my life is richer when I am around people.  In this new situation, it is possible to continue living your life without meeting anyone, if you don't want to.  I noticed that I spent more time at home during the lockdown.

However, when I was at home, I would feel lonely, and when I was chatting online, even after a meeting was over, I would sometimes think "I wish we could keep talking".

How did you deal with that loneliness?

I became more proactive in contacting my friends.  We couldn't talk as much, since we couldn't meet in person, so I valued our interactions.  It's a bit of a cliche thing to say, but in this situation, leading a normal life isn't something we can take for granted.  I couldn't wait to talk to people.  When I contacted someone and then received a reply, it would make me so happy.

Emotion and reason

You are working on an album, where you wrote the lyrics yourself.  How did you feel about that?

The first thing I thought about is how draining it is.  Writing a song takes a lot of work.  It's not something one person can do alone, and I am glad there were a lot of people involved in the process.  It also changed the way I speak and behave to the staff.

I am a rather shy person.  I am the type who has a hard time hitting the send button on an email to someone I'm working with for the first time.  But communication is very important when writing songs, and I had to communicate what I was thinking.

In the past, when performing, I would be using my emotions more, but now that I am also writing songs, I have to act with reason as well.  I don't just think "this is beautiful" or "this is cool", but also "why is this beautiful?" or "why is this cool?"

As I was writing, that back and forth, increased at once.

This year, I thought I want to lead a "teinei" life

What did you cherish the most about last year?

The most important thing I felt was the need to cherish every moment of daily life, things that we often don't pay much attention to.  The time spent with fans, but also the time spent at the live shows.  I feel every moment is precious.

I am very wasteful with my time, and the experiences I had made we want to lead a "teinei" life.

How do you waste your time?

There's a huge gap between my hard-working self, and my lazy self.  When I'm focused, I can work without any rest, but once I'm lazy, I can remain that way for days, and become very inefficient.  So I have to push myself hard and say "No!"

How have you changed compared to how you were a year ago?

Since the interview we did almost a year ago, I think I've gained confidence.  I had said in that interview that I have become an adult, and now it kind of feels like a childish thing to say.  

But the fact that I thought like that a year ago, and now I think differently, is a sign of growth.

Riho Sayashi (Artist): Born in Hiroshima prefecture in 1998;  Joined Morning Musume in 2011 at the age of 12; Graduated from the group at the age of 17 in 2015; Studied in New York; Resumed her activities in September 2020; In 2021 established her own independent label SAVO-R and released her first mini album "DAYBREAK" in August; Her second mini album "REFLECTION" will be released on January 12th, and her tour in Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima will take place from January 15th to January 23rd.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/6cdde2d25a0cd6e5aa96b11d9ab977c24ce1c825?page=1