We Still Subbing

  Q Since this pairing is considered quite rare, please start by telling us about how you two first met. Murai: We shared the same dressing room during the final round of the 3rd generation audition, didn’t we? Mukai: We did! To distract ourselves from the nerves back then, we all played a game together. Was it the ‘Spinach Game’*? T/N: A rhythm game where you “pass spinach” to other person(s). The number of spinach being passed around will increase / decrease along the game, and if you fail to keep up you lose. Murai: That’s right! How nostalgic. Mukai: Very nostalgic, doesn’t it? Q What were your impressions of each other back then? Mukai: During the training period before the passing announcement, I fell ill and couldn’t participate in the dance presentation. I was feeling really down and that’s when Yu reached out to me. I thought “What a warmhearted girl”. Murai: I don’t remember that at all (laughs). What did I say? Mukai: You said “Hang in there!”. Even though we hadn’t talk...

  PT 1: Group Relationship Q: What are Buddies to you? The members confess their real feelings. Please receive their feelings that they feel daily properly. Asai: A presence that supports my heart and the reason I can move forward. Ishimori: My pride. Inaguma: A presence that is always by my side just like a family. Endo Hikari: My light. Endo Riko: A presence that became my reason to do my activities. Ozono: My nutrition, a presence that I can’t do without. Onuma: The reason I can always work hard! Odakura: A presence that I can share a lot of my feelings with, and my support mentally for my activities. Katsumata: A light that would illuminate my way ahead. Kosaka: Because of Buddies’ support, I can spend every day cheerfully. Kojima: An irreplaceable presence. Sato: A presence that I can’t thank enough. Takemoto: If Buddies weren’t there, I wouldn’t have any reason to work hard. Taniguchi: A presence that inspires me. Tamura: A reassuring presence. Those who are by my side no mat...

Note: You can scroll horizontally and vertically to read all the questions and everyone's answers! Raw: rai Translation: rai QC: tmi PT 2: MESSAGE TO BUDDIES & 5TH ANNIVERSARY LIVE

  Note: You can scroll horizontally and vertically to read all the questions and everyone's answers! Raw: anon Translation: tmi QC: koac

  Q The 14th single ‘The Growing Up Train’ is soon to be released and you have been selected as a member for the title track. How are you feeling about it? Itoha: For me… whether I’m in the senbatsu or the BACKS, my feelings and the level of passion I put into working hard don’t change regardless of my position. My goal is always to surpass my previous self and I hope that by doing so I can contribute something to the group, that mindset hasn’t really changed since I first joined. However, the fact that the fourth generation members joined us has been a huge deal for me. There are quite a few girls who are very gutsy and they look so composed even right before a live performance.  Since I tend to get nervous easily, I feel like I need to become a more reliable person for the fourth generation members to look up to. Even though we are close in age, because they have experiences like working part time or going to university, how should I put it… since they have seen more of th...

  Observing the 3rd Generation — The 4th generation members performed the 3rd generation’s song ‘Seijaku no Bouryoku’ during their training camp and at the ‘First Showcase’ (12th June 2025). Did you feel anything while watching their performance? Mukai: When we watched them at the ‘First Showcase’, we were so moved that some of the 3rd generation members even cried. It was a performance that only the 4th generation could pull off, and it really inspired us, making us feel like, ‘We have to work hard too’. Ishimori: I could feel their respect for the original version of ‘Seijaku no Bouryoku’. Their individual interpretations also came through clearly and it was stimulating to learn that, ‘This kind of performance style is also possible’. It really gave me a fresh perspective. Murayama: I was really looking forward to it, but I couldn’t make it to the ‘First Showcase’ because of another work commitment. I watched the footage at home and even through a screen, I could really feel thei...

  I graduated from the University of Kitakyushu this spring. After joining Sakurazaka46 in 2023, I have been commuting to school 1,000 kilometers one way by plane. Balancing my studies with idol activities in Tokyo has been hard, but I was able to overcome it with the mindset of never giving up on doing my best. During high school, there was a period of time where I didn’t feel like doing my best. I quit the brass band, which I’ve been doing as a club activity for three years in middle school, just after one month. It’s a school where everyone is doing their studies and club activities at such a high level, so maybe I couldn’t keep up. I decided to focus on my studies after that, and when the university entrance exam was coming up, I would take the first train at 5 AM and go to school to study alone. I don’t want to feel awkward with my friends because of the exams, so I wouldn’t even tell them about the results of my mock exams. Even if they asked me, I would just say “Maybe I got...