- I thought I'd ask you about your childhood. I understand you were pretty wild. (laughs)
Yeah I was always getting all bruised and scraped up.

- But not from fights, right?
Well, once I got into middle school I started getting into fights. (laughs) Up until elementary school I was really naughty kid, from what I remember personally. I'd always come home bleeding. I have an older brother and a sister older than him and recently when we were drinking together they told me how they would always patch me up.

- So you were the youngest of three kids. Did they baby you? Did they torment you?
They tormented me. (laughs) They are quite a bit older: five and seven years, respectively. When you're an adult that kind of difference doesn't matter, I guess but as a kid... Since I was young, I've spent a lot of time surrounded by adults so I don't really feel the difference but when I was a kid I really felt it.

- They probably didn't mean to torment you.
No, no, no. (laughs) They tormented me. They even admit it now. But now we drink together and we get along very well. Unusually so. Like friends.

- When siblings are close in age they can fight as equals, can't they. They fight over the inner-house hierarchy. But with that kind of age difference, you couldn't win, I guess.
Yeah. Not against my brother.

- So you started fighting outside of the house. (laughs)
Yeah. When I started middle school both my brother and sister had moved to Tokyo and I was alone. Once I started middle school I fought a lot. I was like a redneck bully. I was always out at night getting into trouble with my friends. At that time I'd fight with anyone I met that I didn't like.

- Like you were always pissed off? Yeah. I always had a lot of free time. It was the boonies. (laughs) There is nothing out there. Now that I've started paying attention to the spiritual, when I go out there I think it's wonderful but back then I was looking for something exciting.

- Do you remember what you did for fun when you were little? Jippogen and kick the can.

- What's Jippogen?
It's probably called different things in different places. (He starts to explain.)

- I don't understand how you got all banged up playing games like that. (laughs)
When I was playing I'd be running around and I'd sink in on the paths between the rice paddies or fall into the paddies. (laughs) Also, we rode bikes and we'd play games where you would ride down a long hill without pedaling to see who could go the farthest. We'd push our bike up the hill and then start from there.

- Was it like mountain biking for you?
Yes, yes, exactly. And so when we did things like that we'd fall into rivers or run into parked cars. Twice I was flipped by a car, over the front side. I had an impression of license plate on my thigh.

- Hearing stuff like that, it seems like you had a lot of energy.
That was definitely the case when I was living out there. And then at some point I started thinking, "I wanna get outta here as soon as possible." I didn't even think, "Well if I went to Tokyo, what would I do?" I just thought about getting out. For instance, I think there are some kids who turn all their energy to study. But I hated classes at school. I think I only went to about half of them. I liked my friends and there were some teachers with whom I could get along. I think what depressed me the most was the fact that we had to think about cooperation in working with groups. I really hated stuff like that. I enjoyed it more when I was just with my friends. When it comes to school... I think it's the same way now but if you don't know what's popular you can't enter into conversations. That's really annoying. It was much more fun to go home and listen to Ozaki Yutaka and Lenny Kravitz.

- Who was the first artist that you really consciously listened to?
It was Ozaki. It was about a year before he died.

- What did you like about him?
It was his lyrics.

- Could you identify with them?
Yeah. When I was listening to him back then I was going out and doing the same kind of things. (laughs) Because I was getting into mischief back then.

- Were you doing that stuff for the thrill?
Umm... I guess I couldn't suppress my energy and I started turning it towards the wrong things. But now, I sing and I create things and I am using it specifically. Personally I sing but there are also people who find their role in painting or people who find it in working for companies. But I didn't have any specific direction like that.

- Didn't people ever tell you to use your energy to play sports?
I was involved with after school stuff. I was in track. I was really good at the high jump. And in eighth grade I joined the basketball team and was doing both.

- And you were going out and doing stuff at night too? You had an incredible amount of energy.
Yeah, I was always moving. (laughs) I never slept.

-Did you ever think that you wanted to just stay up 24/7?
Yes! That kind of energy is incredible, isn't it? Now I only really have energy to bike somewhere or something. I'll finish recording around 3 a.m., get home around 4 have some beer or wine alone and, having slept for two hours I'll get up. Something will be calling me. It's like I can hear a voice. So I'll get ready and at six in the morning or something, I'll go to the ocean.

-Was it the ocean calling you or something else?
It's a lot of things. It's like my heart's saying, "I want to go."

- Do you like alcohol?
Umm... I don't drink that much but if I'm by myself half a liter of beer or half a bottle of wine is plenty to make me comfortable.

-You've been talking about things like becoming more aware but I seems like alcohol would dampen that wouldn't it? I thought perhaps you were trying to dampen that.
For the last two years I've been drinking to relax. Of course I also drink for fun.

- Like cutting down on the intensity.
Exactly. When I unwind a little I can have more fun and I can become more positive.

- It seems like you'd be really crazy in concentrated form.
Yeah that's why I use experiencing nature as a means to escape from that. When one touches something truly beautiful it's like "Ah, these things that are weighing on me right now aren't that big a deal." That's why surfing and biking seem like ways to touch the wind. I've heard that horse riding is nice as well. It's been recommended and I'm like, "I wanna try."

- Let's get back to the main story. What did you plan to do when you came out to Tokyo?
I was thinking, "I guess for now I just want to sing."

- Did you sing in junior high?
I was in a cover band. From about eighth grade I guess. We covered LUNA SEA. Also we did stuff like Boowy. Because it was the middle of nowhere the stuff that was popular was a little old. But the one artist that I loved for myself was Ozaki. So I guess at heart I'm folksy. If I expand on that, than it's stuff like blues. One's initiation is something that will never change, because that was what you were listening to when the desire to be a musician was born in your soul.

- At that time your desire to sing wasn't a desire to sing something specific it was just, "I want to sing?"
I did feel that I wanted to go to Tokyo as a singer. There aren't any problems at all now but back then I wasn't close to my parents and so I really wanted to go to Tokyo. That's why I felt like, "Yes! I've done it!" when got out here. I was really happy. But then I was like, "What should I do now?" (laughs) I was really rowdy but... (laughs).

- Did you get like that right after moving to Tokyo?
Yeah. For about two years.

- What did you come to Tokyo to do? (laughs)
I was attracted to the rock and roll ideal and so I got like that. I also had a strong wish for destruction.

- Was there anything else you were doing at that time?
I was in my first idol band. That's why it's a strange story because as soon as I moved to Tokyo I started doing music but I was still groping in the dark.

- Are you the type that believes in trying something for oneself?
Absolutely. I have to try things. I want to experience things.

- How did you get out of that destructive mindset?
It was through a meeting. The person started to save me. And once that had started I started to meet more spiritual people. My feelings became more positive and I began to understand that positivity was much more powerful and important. Until then I had held the mistaken belief that darkness and negativity were cool and more virtuous. And at the time I had an image of Sugizo-san that was of the latter type but when I actually met him he was different. Sugizo-san said himself that he had also gone through that. And that was a great help to me at the time.

-About how long were you an idol?
Two years... and a half.

- Then you had already stopped boy bands by the time you calmed down?
Yes. (laughs) After that I just did solo work. Under the name RED. I did that for... about 4 years. I was always going around to the live houses and on the weekends I would play in front of train stations. I would sing alone with an acoustic guitar. When you are an idol, you meet a lot of different kinds of musicians, don't you? You meet producers and directors too. So I got a lot of very good experience when I was an idol. When a fifteen year old, who doesn't know anything and has no skill, comes out of the boonies and debuts, he can do a series of activities. I learned a lot starting an independent rock band from nothing. That was a really good experience. And then towards the end I learned how to play guitar and write songs and I figured out what I wanted to do so I was like "Okay! I'm going solo."

- When you do something like that the change in yourself and in your surroundings produces a great change in the lyrics you write. Are there any that are painful to read now?
There are. There are ones where I'm like, "Wow! I was really troubled." And angry. I was really angry at myself as I was growing into an adult. As those kinds of things entered into me it was as if my precious innocence was being dirtied. Because those are things that come from anger.

- But the nucleus of your being changed as little as possible, I suppose.
Exactly. Because that is something made with your soul.

- Are there, for instance, things you listened to when you were angry that, once you calmed down, you no longer wanted to listen to?
Umm... It depends on what you're talking about. If we just talk about music, looking at myself back then from my current viewpoint, there are parts that I can love and there are parts where I think, "I really don't need that!"

- But I would think that those parts that you can love have increased.
I guess. It all comes out in how one presents oneself, doesn't it. Before I was more poisonous. (laughs) For instance the energy I put into a shout is different now. Before I wanted it to be poisonous, I wanted to be that kind of person, when I shouted. Now I have a more positive shout. Even when I'm singing about something sad, it's like I'm heading towards the light up ahead.

- Are you the type to change yourself consciously? Or are you the type to go along with a natural flow?
There are two ways. One way is when someone who loves me helps me at the last moment for some reason. The other way is when I'm struggling and doing a lot of things. I think like, "I want to remake my body for the sake of singing" or "Let's think of a different approach." Also, there is meditation. When I remove the anger and uncertainty with meditation, it seems as if the natural flow changes.

- Meditation?
I've been very spiritually sensitive since I was young because I was surprisingly predisposed to be a spirit medium. When chaos intrudes on my heart, my peace flies away from me. But when I don’t have that peace I my heart I am not able to fight off the chaos. When I meditate, I am able to push the chaos away, return to my most neutral self. And I can begin to see things that cannot be seen with the eyes. So I want to keep myself always in that neutral state. For that reason, I expose myself to nature, choose my music, and learn by reading books about the spiritual. Those people who can best understand that kind of thing are my friends and family. It seems that it is common in my family. Also people who are close to me and Sugizo-san are the same.

- When did you start working on The FLARE?
Last year. That's why we have a lot of songs. But when you try to make something of higher quality it can no longer be made that easily.

- Sugizo-san writes lyrics as well doesn't he? How is it different from writing lyrics that you wrote yourself?
When you sing something that is linked to your own feelings you sing as yourself. But now there are times when there are words that are not my own feelings, as expected. Of course, we discuss everything and try to find a common ground. But when that happens it seems as if someone else's spirit is entering you when you sing.

- Is it like, "Ah. I've become a beautiful instrument."
Yeah. I'm translating Sugizo-san's consciousness. For that reason it becomes, conversely, an approach where I am not thinking about how I will sing or my approach but instead am searching for the words. It is an interesting feeling.

- Is there anything you want to do from here on out?
I want to raise The FLARE up to a higher level where are activities go more smoothly. I want to play more shows. The energy is much more direct at shows. Like a bike, I don't want it to be like riding on a stopped bike, I want to move along. And it's like there's that one moment when your heart intertwines with the hearts of the people who came to see you. It feels like that moment is everything. In my life, that is the place where I can be most at peace. I want to make the people who support us happy. I want to become big together. I think Sugizo-san feels the same way. Our largest and most closely held dream is for The FLARE to play the Budokan.

- Well then, is there anything you forgot to say?
There's... nothing I guess. I've talked a lot today. (laughs)

- I made you talk a lot. (laughs)