Kobayashi Yui interview in Tokyo Calendar March 2024 edition
The interview was conducted after the end of Sakurazaka46’s 3rd Anniversary Live, and right after Kobayashi Yui announced her graduation. The month of December. Kobayashi-san, who exudes a mature atmosphere, blended in with the streets of Ginza in no time. That was the picture at the beginning, taken on a street corner. First, I asked her about her impression of Ginza. “I have the impression that it’s quiet and calming. I feel that most people there are those who are working nearby rather than youngsters” she explains, but also adds that she’s not knowledgeable about Ginza. “There are so many stores here that I feel like exploring. I’ve never been inside a brand-name store before, so I’ll start from there (laughs)”, so she aspires. She sounded as if she would feel more satisfied with her first visit to a brand-name store than with anything she would purchase inside.
She also mentions that she rarely eats outside. She used to go out with foodie ex-members Harada Aoi-san and Ozeki Rika-san to restaurants that they would make reservations for, but ever since they graduated she has been eating at home even more. Lately, she has been ordering home deliveries and eating cooked side dishes from supermarkets, and she also likes McDonald’s McGratin Croquette. There are also times when she hangs out with Saito Fuyuka-san, a member she is close with, chatting for 5~6 hours while having home-delivered Korean “ade”-style (fruits) drinks. She acknowledges that her private life is not the most glamorous and that she has few desires.
“Sometimes I do think of things like, ‘I want that’ or ‘I want to eat that’, but I don’t really act upon it. It’s also because I’m someone who tends to think it’s too much of a hassle. Even when I’d like to go out for a meal, I don’t go if I’m alone, and I’m also hesitant to invite someone else out so I end up not going most of the time.”
When I asked Kobayashi-san what luxury means to her, she said “Luxury… I wonder what? Nfufufu” and laughed to herself. How cute that expression of hers was! After thinking about it, she answered, “I’m the kind of person who mostly spends my day off doing nothing at home rather than making plans for it, so “time is luxury”.” That might truly be what luxury is for someone who has continuously worked as an idol for eight years. 2023 in particular was a year where they progressed at a blistering pace. They released three singles, went on a national tour, and performed in three countries starting with Paris, their first overseas performance, as well as Kuala Lumpur and Manila. They held their anniversary live at an open-air stadium for the first time, and made a comeback at the year-end Kouhaku Uta Gassen.
“It has been a year where we were able to work non-stop. It was better than having a long break in between because I was able to stay focused without interruptions. If I had a long break, it would take me a while to get back up to speed again the next time I start working, so it has been a year where I was able to take a good amount of rest and do a good amount of work.” The reason she says “good amount” despite her very busy schedule might be because this is her last spurt. On February 1st 2024, Kobayashi-san will be graduating from Sakurazaka46. She passed the audition for Keyakizaka46 (now Sakurazaka46) at the age of 16, and has reached this point climbing the not-so-gentle slope one step at a time. In 2023 when she turned 24 years old, she led the group as a 1st generation member in taking steps to expand their activities overseas. Her graduation comes at a time when the group is at its peak in momentum. Normally, one would probably not consider leaving at this golden time, but I wonder what her thought process was that led her to make the decision to graduate.
“When I looked back on everything, I felt that I had done everything that I could within the boundaries of being a member of Sakurazaka46 and an idol. I am satisfied that I was able to put all my effort into producing works and fulfill my wish of performing overseas. When I thought about spending another year in the same place, I felt that even if I wasn’t around, the 2nd and 3rd generation members would still continue to do a wide range of activities. So I wondered if it’s okay for me to leave here and start something new, considering new members will come in the future as well. Though what I will do next is still undecided.”
There was a precise moment when she made her decision. It was on New Year’s Eve, the moment 2022 turned into 2023.
“The moment I counted down to the new year, “Three, two, one, Happy New Year!”, I decided to make 2023 my last year. It was when I was in the kotatsu with my family as we watched Kouhaku Uta Gassen and welcomed the start of the new year. Towards the end of the year, we talked about things like “Let’s do our best with a global view in mind for Sakurazaka46 next year” and “Let’s appear on Kouhaku next year”, and everyone became determined to take the next step forward, so it made me think that perhaps I’ll do my very best with everyone until the end this coming year.”
In addition, the sight of her past self and her juniors also helped her make up her mind.
“The 3rd generation members told me, ‘I have always admired Kobayashi-san, and I’d like to be like you’, and it was like seeing my past self. I also aimed to enter this industry because I admired Nogizaka46-san and other actresses, and it reminded me of how I said “If I join the group, I want to become someone that others can look up to” during my audition. Hearing the 3rd generation say that made me realize that I have become that someone, and I thought, right, I had accomplished what I originally set out to do and was supposed to do.”
Even though she didn’t have any dance experience before her debut, Kobayashi-san is now synonymous with being one of the top dancers in the idol world. There are surely a lot of juniors who look up to and are encouraged by someone like her. When she announced her graduation to the group, her juniors were indeed shocked, with Ozono Rei-san and Matono Mio-san being among the first to cry. And something that Kobayashi-san was concerned about, was how sudden the announcement had felt for her fans.
“After the announcement, there was an opportunity for me to speak with the fans online, and there were a lot of people who were still struggling to come to terms with it and cried as they spoke. I also received many words of appreciation. It made me realize once again just how much I have been a part of each of their lives.”
While she will be graduating, she wishes that her fans’ memories of her will never fade.
“It’s okay for my fans to oshi a different girl, and it’s okay for them to part with Sakurazaka46 too. I want them to live their own lives as they wish. It would make me happy enough if I could leave them with memories in their lives, like "Ahh I was a fan of Yuipon back in my student days" or "I was torn whether to go to the concert or not when I was preparing for the entrance exam", when they look back on the stages that marked their lives one day.”
For Kobayashi-san who is usually modest, yet has kept a blue flame burning within. What has been the most exhilarating moment in her idol life?
“I remember being really moved the moment we stepped onto the concert stage to perform the first song that we rehearsed so hard for, to finally be able to show it to everyone. And also the final song performed on the last day of the tour. It makes you feel that you have made it all the way through to the end, so there is a sense of accomplishment that washes over you”
If that’s the case, then how much emotion will she put into the final song performed at her graduation concert held on January 31st and February 1st? At the end of the interview, I asked her to leave a message to the fans that she will meet on the day of her graduation.
“Truly, thank you very much for supporting me until now. Although it is a graduation concert, I hope that you can enjoy it as a Sakurazaka46 concert like usual.”
That she thinks about Sakurazaka46 first over herself is something that remains unchanged until the end. And it seems that the enduring memory of the group that Kobayashi-san has given so much thought to will support her in her future too.
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