Ishimori Rika and Murayama Miu interview from MARQUEE Vol.151

Not only in their age, but Ishimori Rika and Murayama Miu from Sakurazaka46’s third generation also differ in their aura and personalities. Ishimori is the comforting type of idol with a reputation for her singing abilities. She is a reliable person who’s also good at cooking. Murayama is highly regarded  for her dancing, and she has a unique side that you wouldn’t expect from her refined facial features and cool aura. Why were they chosen to be featured on the covers?

Well… That’s because it has to be them. As revealed in the interview, the two were always supporting each other by each other's side, sometimes like sisters, sometimes like best friends. “Perhaps the fans still don’t know that we’re close to each other,” said them with a laugh. Surely, this interview is filled with stories that you have never known before.

Their characteristics

— We interviewed Nakashima Yuzuki-san and Mukai Itoha-san before, and well, the more we dug, the more interesting it became.

Ishimori. Hahaha. Did you hear about Yuzu’s audition story? Yuzu sang “Furusato” for the singing evaluation. Moreover, she sang it a capella (laughs).

— Huh!?

Murayama: Seems like she said “I’m fine with singing it a capella.” (laughs) Hehe, she’s really funny.

Ishimori: (Matono) Mio-chan’s “Soran bushi” was funny too, wasn’t it?

— Among the unique third generation members, this time we are featuring you, Ishimori-san and Murayama-san. Is this your first time for just the two of you to have a photoshoot together?

Ishimori & Murayama: Yes it is!!

— Seems like the two of you went to karaoke recently.

Ishimori: I like going to karaoke by myself, but Miu has always praised my singing since before. When we hung out together, she said “I won’t sing, but I want to hear Rika’s singing,” so when I wanted to go to karaoke, I asked her if she would join, and then she came.

Murayama: When I entered the room, she was sitting there holding her knees while waiting for me. Perhaps she didn’t want the employees to enter when she was singing, but she was sitting there looking all lonely. (laughs)

— It was your second time ever going to karaoke, wasn’t it, Murayama-san?

Murayama: Yes, it was my first time going since I went for practice before the singing evaluation portion for the audition. Actually on that topic, Rika sang the song she performed at the final round of auditions (aiko’s Hanabi) for me. Somehow… I recalled the memories of that day, and it felt really nostalgic. Since I first heard Rika’s voice during the auditions, I thought that she would pass for sure because she was so good. She’s not just good, but there’s something about her voice that attracts you.

Ishimori: Hehe, I’m glad to hear that (blushes).

Murayama: The members other than me also said “Rika’s singing has something that touches your heart.”

— How do you view each other's idol-like qualities?

Murayama: Rika can evaluate herself objectively, and she acts after understanding the role that she should play. I respect her for that because that’s a quality that I don’t have in me.

Ishimori: I think Miu really suits Sakurazaka46. She’s not someone who talks a lot in her daily life, but she’s someone who is always the center of the conversation. More than anything, she’s very good at dancing and very lively when she’s performing. It’s not just me, but the fans also said that they like Miu’s performance. I think out of the third generation members, Miu suits Sakurazaka46’s style and the vibe of the group’s songs the most.

Murayama: (Looking happy and raising the corners of her mouth) Hehe.

Ishimori: Well, she’s not affectionate though.

Murayama: …Huh?

All: (laughs).

Ishimori: Hahaha. It might be because she’s shy, but she’s not the type of girl who’s usually all smiley. I think Sakurazaka46 really suits her better than the typical idols.

Their motivation for auditioning for Sakurazaka46

— By the way, what kind of lives did you have before joining Sakurazaka46 and what made you want to take the audition?

Murayama: I have been to their concerts and handshake events since the Keyakizaka46 days. To put it simply, I was a fan. However, I never thought of auditioning. But when I heard the phrase “Sakurazaka46 is recruiting for new members” I was taken aback and decided to audition. Also, our lives before becoming an idol, was it? Hmm… Honestly, I didn’t have any good memories of my school days. I really didn’t have any friends. I wasn’t bullied or anything, but I just spent my time in silence (laughs). And, I just kept eating sweet potatoes by myself. Because I love sweet potatoes.

— One sweet potato a day, wasn’t it?

Murayama: No, I ate more than one. Also, I often spent my time drawing.

Ishimori: Since as long as I can remember, I’ve always built walls between me and others. I didn’t know how to express myself. I was having a lot of problems with interpersonal relationships, so I started speaking very carefully to not show any weakness. On the other hand, I’ve always liked idols since before. Originally, I liked the cute and sparkly kind of idols, but I was drawn to the sight of seemingly ordinary girls breaking their shells and just giving their all to their performance when I saw Keyakizaka46. Since then I came to like Keyakizaka46, and shortly thereafter the group changed their name to Sakurazaka46, and they started recruiting for new members. I’ve always wanted to break out of my own shell, and I took the audition with the intention of “finding a new me” in mind.

Looking back at the audition

— Looking back at the audition, was there anything that was memorable to you?

Murayama: First of all, I didn’t tell my family that I was auditioning. I also never said that I wanted to work in the entertainment industry, but perhaps because I liked idols, my mother was afraid of me becoming one. We had this conversation where she was like “Just promise me one thing, that you will never go down that path.” And I was like “Yeah yeah, I won’t,” so it was hard for me to tell them that I was auditioning. After I got into the final round, I held my breath and came clean to them. And then… Well, I ended up getting a long lecture. That time really felt like hell (laughs).

— Your mother is a stylist, right?

Murayama: That’s right. She knows a bit about this industry, so she got quite mad at me and said “I don’t want you to do this.” In the end, my mother said “You can go” because she didn’t think I would be accepted, and she was really really surprised when I passed.

Ishimori: I was 20 years old when I took the audition, so I progressed through the audition rounds in parallel with job searching. I also didn’t tell my family at first, but as I got through the rounds, I told them that I got through this far and they asked me “Why do you want to enter Sakurazaka46?” and I told them my feelings honestly. Then, they said, “You only have one life and I think it’s better if you get to experience a lot of things, so go ahead and try.” My mother also told me “But if Rika was younger, Mom would’ve stopped you.” I think it was the fact that I was already an adult that prompted her to support me.

— If it wasn’t for Sakurazaka46, what kind of work were you planning to do?

Ishimori: I’m currently in my senior year in university, majoring in food-related studies. I’m mainly learning about agriculture and food ingredients, so I thought I'd get a job in product development or something related to food products, and I interviewed at companies that produce snacks, side dishes, sake, etc.

How it was like when they passed the audition

— What was your state of mind like when it was announced that you passed the audition for Sakurazaka46?

Murayama: It was exactly like what you can see in the documentary. The fact that I took the audition itself was already like a dream to me, it felt so unreal. Even when my name was called, I didn’t think that I got accepted, so I didn’t cry and was just like “Huh…” Do you get what I’m saying?

Ishimori: Yeah, I do.

Murayama: The girls around me were all crying, so I thought “Huh? I’m not crying.” It didn’t feel real yet.

Ishimori: But you cried during the audition.

Murayama: Ah, you’re right (blushes).

— Why did you cry?

Murayama: My mother told me that this would be my first and last audition, so my mind was full of thoughts like “If I fail, I can’t meet the seniors” and because I really liked the group, it’d be really frustrating if I failed. My tears wouldn’t stop when I was imagining the future of me failing the audition, and I couldn’t even speak properly during the evaluation.

— Ishimori-san, you couldn’t stop your tears as well during the fourth round of the audition, right?

Ishimori: That’s right! The next day was the final round, and I never thought I’d make it that far. So when I got into the fourth round I realized that I might become a member, and making it into the final round was already something really big to me. During the final round, when I finished my self-promotion, I changed my clothes right away, had my makeup done, and just waited for the announcement. I was able to keep on progressing, and maybe because of  that I wasn’t able to avoid losing my cool. In the end, my mind just couldn’t keep up with it.

— Then, what was the moment that made you feel that you’ve become an idol?

Murayama: Just recently. However, I still don’t feel like an idol yet. I liked idols, but I’m not cheerful and energetic like them. Rather than becoming an idol, the realization of “I’ve entered Sakurazaka46” is starting to dawn on me.

Ishimori: Same as Miu, when I hear the word “idol” what comes to mind is Nogizaka46-san and AKB48-san. But as I had more opportunities to stand on the stage, such as the shooting for the music videos like for Natsu no Chikamichi, the Omotenashikai, and the 3rd TOUR 2023, I gradually started to realize that I have joined the group that I was following.

The first time they noticed each other was…

— By the way, when did you first notice each other?

Ishimori: In the waiting room for the final round.

Murayama: Ah, you’re right!

Ishimori: When I entered the waiting room, Miu and Yamashita Shizuki-chan got there first and they seemed to be getting along really well already while talking to each other. I’m a shy person, so I was all stiffened up and couldn’t join the conversation, but both Shii-chan and Miu seemed to be really having fun chatting, so I thought “It’s amazing how they’re not nervous at all.” But when the audition started, both of them cried hard on the stage (laughs). That was quite funny.

Murayama: The staff told us how much time we had left. When they told us “Ten minutes to go!”, I panicked and stopped talking to anyone. But Rika was silent the whole time.

— Has your impression of each other changed since you first met?

Ishimori: It has. Miu was more cheerful. She has a pretty face and a somewhat cool image, but not long after we passed the audition, I noticed that she’s someone who talks a lot. She also does funny things that make you laugh and her comments are also funny, so she has this nice contrast.

Murayama: Just before, Rika also said that “I find it scary to open my heart to someone else.” and I was getting that impression from her until relatively recently. But, around the time when the tour was over, I’ve started thinking that maybe she has opened up her heart more. Actually on that topic, she wouldn’t tell me anything during the training camp.

Ishimori: Huh, was I really like that?

Murayama: Within the third generation members, I think she’s someone who I talk to more often, but compared to the other girls who would cry their problems out, she might be someone who tries to figure things out by herself. However, Rika has been contacting me first recently… Umm, Rika contacting you first is a really rare thing, you know! That made me really happy, she even invited me for a meal recently. I felt that maybe she has opened her heart more, but how was it actually?

Ishimori: Yes, you’re right (smiling shyly).

— Seems like Murayama-san always stayed close to Ishimori-san during the training camp in order to get her to open up her heart.

Murayama: From the beginning, I was concerned with the fact that she’s the eldest. If she wasn’t the eldest, would she have acted more spoiled with everyone? That’s what I had in mind, but we can’t really change our age, right? I’m three years younger than her, but I wanted to be someone who Rika can talk to whenever she needs to, so it was mostly me that initiated the conversation.

— Ishimori-san, what do you think about that?

Ishimori: She talked to me quite a lot even before the training camp started. Moreover, Miu can empathize  with me, or more like she understood why I was worried about things. She’s always taken care of me. The timing of her messages made me think, “How does she know that I’m feeling down right now!?” She really helped me every time.

Ishimori Rika’s thoughts

— Regarding Ishimori-san, the blog you posted on June 5th made me feel like you’ve changed. You wrote this: “For me, I’ve lived my whole life believing it’s “continuing to move forward without showing weakness.” Having that belief, during the training camp documentary that was released on YouTube, I pretty much didn’t cry at all. But the truth is, back then I’d be practicing by myself in the middle of the night crying my eyes out. It was this combination of both my body’s inability to memorize the choreo no matter how much I practiced, and a growing impatience as the deadline grew near. But because of my inexperience of never truly showing weakness to anyone before, and my fixation on this skewed perception of what strength is, I’d never been able to let anyone see my tears. That’s how I’d always lived. Despite being that way, when I felt the kindness of everyone supporting me throughout the tour, or I met eyes with my seniors while performing BAN during the Osaka concert, I thought, “Maybe I was wrong about what strength is””.

[T/N: This is actually from Odakura Reina’s blog, not Rika]

Ishimori: I’m the type who doesn’t usually show my tears in front of others even when things are hard. I’m actually a crybaby, but I really never cried in front of everyone before. However, there was this time when the third gen members gathered and talked, that’s when I cried in front of them for the first time. I can’t tell you what happened in detail, but I think that was the moment when I was finally able to free myself up a little.

— What prompted that change of mindset?

Ishimori: I’ve never been good at making friends, and because I can’t express myself, I was also having a hard time getting to know other people. So, the fact that I was together with the same people for such a long time felt really strange to me. But after all, if you spend a lot of time together, you get to know them better, and your affection for them grows. I especially felt that I wanted to get closer to them during the tour.

— Did something change within you after opening up your heart more?

Ishimori: I started thinking that I want to be together with them more. Umm… This might be too early to say, but in Sakamichi group’s history, I’m relatively one of the oldest when I joined the group. When I work, I’m always thinking that the amount of time I will stay as a member will be shorter than everyone else, and I’m always thinking about my final days of being a member of Sakurazaka46. However, because I want to be together with everyone more, the feeling of “I still want to stay in Sakurazaka46” has grown even more.

— How is Murayama-san feeling after hearing that?

Murayama: I’m so sad! But I also think that she’s admirable for thinking about the future even though it’s just been half a year since we joined Sakurazaka46…

Ishimori: I often talk about this to Miu.

Murayama: She says it straight away, that she’ll graduate someday.

— Do you have a tendency to plan things backwards?

Ishimori: Exactly, I tend to plan things backwards, and I’m also a realist. I do have dreams, but I can’t help but look at the reality, so I think about a lot of things in my life backwards. I always live my life thinking about what I should do and what choice is the right option to pick.

— Is that one of your precautionary measures in life?

Ishimori: “Precautionary measure”?

— For example, when you are happy, the happier you are, the more devastating it will be to lose it. That’s why, you think about the worst case that could happen first, so if someday you lose your happiness, you feel a little better, or something like that.

Ishimori: That might be true. I can’t be an idol forever, so I might’ve been preparing myself for that “someday”.

Murayama: Not just Rika, there are a lot of realists in the third gen.

— It’d be amazing if you say “I plan to continue until I’m around 40 years old” a few years from now.

Ishimori: Hahaha, I guess so. However, I’m not that mentally strong, so if I get rid of my feelings of “I have to graduate someday,” and limit my perspective to “This is all I have!”, when things get tough, I won’t have a place for my mind to rest, so I keep taking precautions.

— It’s important to keep your feelings in check, isn’t it?

Ishimori: That’s right. Rather than thinking of it as something negative, I think it’s actually a healthy thing for me.

— So your mindset of “I can’t show my weakness to other people, I have to be strong” was a precautionary measure and a way of self-defense for you. But, you’re now able to share your feelings with the members. I wonder if you meeting the members was a big part of why you changed.

Ishimori: Yes! I think so too.

Murayama Miu’s thoughts

— Speaking of self-defense, Murayama-san has also talked about it. You wrote on your blog, when you received the song “Seijaku no Bouryoku”, Takahiro-sensei asked you “What does loneliness mean to you?” and you answered “It’s nothingness”. Then you wrote “It’s not nothingness at all but I answered nothingness. Surely I was just being stubborn.”

Murayama: Yes. Everyone else said things like “Loneliness is freedom” or they talked about what lies beyond loneliness, but I didn’t want to say what I thought out loud, so I just answered “It’s nothingness” and got it over with. I was always alone when I was in high school, so I spent all my time telling myself “There’s no such thing as loneliness.” That’s why… I acted tough and answered “It’s nothingness” that time.

— The fact that you said you were acting tough and being stubborn is proof that you’ve become stronger.

Murayama: That might be true. The choreography for “Seijaku no Bouryoku” has a destructive feel to it in the first place, and there are also parts with intense dynamics, so my feelings change every time I perform the song. I answered that loneliness is nothingness, but I said on the blog “I’d rather express my feelings and be broken than feel nothing. If I get broken then I get broken, being broken seems more interesting than feeling nothing all the time,” I realized that I might still have something to tell even when I’m  broken when I wrote that in my blog.

What changed after joining Sakurazaka46

— After joining the group, you’ve changed not only in your skills, but above all that, also as a person. But, is there anything else that has changed for both of you ever since you joined Sakurazaka46?

Ishimori: I speak quite a lot when I’m on the job, but when I’m with everyone, or during the break time during lessons, or when we have to wait for something… In those moments when I’m being my true self, I don’t speak at all. I’ve been living my life thinking of myself as an uninteresting person, but recently I’ve started thinking that talking with everyone is fun. I already talked about this, but now I think that since we’ve met each other already, I might as well try to be closer to them too.

Murayama: As Rika said earlier, I was really cheerful when we first joined. When you think of bright and cheerful third gen members, someone like Itoha or Nagi (Kojima Nagisa) would come to mind, but it would feel like normal to see me being really noisy if I were to join them. However, about after we were introduced to the public, I started to build a wall between myself and the third gen members… Actually, that happened up until recently. I would be clingy to the older members like Rika or Yuzuki-chan, but I spent less time with the other members. I don’t know the reason, but it felt like our hearts were far apart. But after finishing the “Seijaku no Bouryoku” MV, I’ve been able to join in with everyone again.

— So there wasn’t any big reason for it, you just built a wall unconsciously?

Murayama: That’s right. I distanced myself from everyone unconsciously.

— But, you’ve gotten closer to them again now.

Murayama: Yes, I have.

— I wonder why that was…

Murayama: For a while, it became hard for me and Shizuki to talk with each other. She was the closest to me during the training period, we even had sleepovers together. She was the closest one to me, yet our relationship was not going well… But right around the end of the “Seijaku no Bouryoku” MV shooting, we were able to speak to each other like before. It was all thanks to the members, especially Yuzuki-chan and Rika. So, I sent a message to Shizuki that said “Do your best for centering Seijaku no Bouryoku.” And then, it was just like before… I’m really, really glad. Thank you… for giving me the push.

Ishimori: Don’t mention it!

— When it comes to things like that, the people who are watching over them are more glad than the people involved, right?

Ishimori: (With a big smile) That’s really true! The two of them didn’t realize that everyone already noticed. The atmosphere between the third gens really improved after that.

Murayama: Umm, I’m really sorry (laughs).

Ishimori: It’s fine! Since it turned out really well in the end (smiles).

— It’s a good story with a happy ending! Also, I can really feel the familial bond of the third gen members, you’re a very well-balanced group of eleven.

Ishimori: Hehe, thank you very much.

Murayama: When I was in school, I really had no interest in other people, I’ve never made friends by myself. So the fact that I was able to open my heart like this is thanks to everyone. Everyone in the third gen is a really good girl.

Their positions in the group

— What kind of position do you think each other holds among the eleven third gen members?

Ishimori: I think Miu is the mood maker, in many ways. When Miu is excited, everyone becomes cheerful. For better or worse, she’s easy to read, so when she feels down, everyone tries to pull her back up (laughs). In that sense, I think she’s the center of our circle. If Miu is having fun everyone also has fun, if Miu is sad everyone feels sad too. I think she has that strength, so she’s the mood maker after all.

Murayama: Rika is someone who is like a kotatsu. If you just go to her, you will find some kind of answer. She has a warm personality and also has much more life experience than me, so she feels like an older sister who you can rely on. Everyone loves Rika, so if Rika is heartbroken, everyone will rush over with great force. 

— How about using this as an opportunity to convey your gratitude to each other?

Murayama: I’m glad that Rika is the eldest of the third gen. Thank you for always staying by our side (blushes). Can I say one more thing? When we were on the way home after eating together, she told me something like “I rely on Miu quite a lot, you know?” She’s not the type that would say something like that, so I remember feeling very happy about it.

— At what point did she say that?

Murayama: She said it so suddenly. We were just walking and she said “I rely on Miu quite a lot, you know.”

Ishimori: I’m truly happy that Miu is a part of the third gen. If Miu wasn’t there, I wouldn’t be able to open my heart for everyone. She has always taken care of me and treated me kindly. Her presence means a lot to me.

— Every time Ishimori-san speaks, and even now, Murayama-san is grinning.

Murayama: Hahaha. I mean, she doesn’t usually talk about things like this, so… (blushes) This has been a really good opportunity.

Ishimori: I’m also glad. I don’t know what kind of criteria was used for selecting the two of us, but I’m happy that it’s with Miu. I’m happy to be featured together with her.

Murayama: I wonder if the fans know that we are good friends and often consult with each other?

Ishimori: They might not even know that we are good friends in the first place.

Murayama: I talk to Rika often on a daily basis, but we never had the chance to talk about each other like this, so I’m really satisfied now because I was able to hear things that she normally won’t say.

Ishimori: Honestly, I’ve never really felt Miu’s affection towards me. That’s why I never thought that she “likes” me, but today she expressed it in her own words… that made me a little happy.

Murayama: Just a little!?

Ishimori: Hahaha, that made me really happy!

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Raw: anon

Translation:  meg

QC: inno