Asai Konomi x Yamakawa Ui interview in SWITCH June 2026 Edition
Q I would like to hear about what you have gained through the experience of “5th YEAR ANNIVERSARY”.
Yamakawa: Before I joined Sakurazaka46, my first Sakurazaka46 concert was the Tokyo Dome performance two years ago, and my seat was right next to the pathway in the arena and I found myself completely absorbed as I looked up at the members performing. And now, being able to stand on the pathway of an even larger venue, I wasn't feeling only positive emotions…. Since I still vividly remember what it felt like to look up at my seniors back then, I couldn't help but wonder how I looked like to all the Buddies watching me from the audience.
And when I see myself in an objective way, I really feel that I am still far from the level of the seniors I admired. Ever since I joined Sakurazaka46, all I’ve been doing is chasing after their footsteps, and being able to stand on such a big stage has turned it into a period where I deeply think about how I should be and how I should proceed in the future. Once again, I was reminded of how truly cool the seniors are, and they continue to be figures we can look up to; While as a member of the same group I believe that they will always be people I admire, personally I’d like to grow even more so that I can get even a little closer to them, and stand in such a big stage once more.
Asai: Being able to stand on the stage of National Stadium on this occasion, somewhere in my mind I couldn’t help but to keep thinking of how we were able to stand there because the seniors have never wavered in the path they've taken all this time. We, the 4th generation, have been moving forward in our own way over this past year; but this concert has reminded me many times that in the end, those were all thanks to our seniors… That’s why from now on, I need to be able to feel that I have contributed to Sakurazaka46, that I am able to stand on that place because of my hard work. I think that two days have given me that resolve. To achieve that, I need to work more, even harder.
Q Then, among all the scenes that you saw on those two days, what was the one that left the strongest impression?
Yamakawa: In “Nobody’s fault”, the last song performed at the end of the main show, there was a choreo where all the members faced and reached out their hand toward Morita (Hikaru)-san. That was the first time in the performance we could see Morita-san’s figure, and the look in Morita-san’s eyes remained vividly in my mind. I felt that all the feelings and determination that our seniors have carried until now, and the history that Sakurazaka46 has built, were all reflected in that expression. It might sound like an offhand remark, but she was truly so cool. Being there as one of the members myself, I was able to feel for the first time what it meant to perform with an expression like that, so to say. Of course there were many other sceneries that left an impression on me, such as the lights of the lightsticks seen from the stage or the vast sky stretching above the stadium, but the first thing that came to mind was the look in Morita-san’s eyes.
Asai: The scenery that I saw the moment I stepped onto the stage for the first time is still stuck in my memory. During the “Overture”, we stood up side-by-side and then walked together to where Fujiyoshi-san is. That was the first time I saw the venue that was filled with Buddies and it hit me, “Are they really this many Buddies around?”. Additionally, I am also very happy to have been able to stand in a line with my seniors and see that sight together. I was sincerely happy that I could see that sight together with my seniors and genmates in the same moment, on the same stage. Feeling the warmth of everyone who was there, that was the moment when I thought most strongly, "I'm so happy right now”.
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