Interview Now - 中川晃教 (Akinori Nakagawa) & 染谷俊之 (Toshiyuki Someya) -（2/3）

2018.06.15

I thought that I'd better build muscles just in case (lol)

ab: Appearing on stage and in musicals must be very physically demanding. Do you have any kind of training routine? Is there anything that you do regularly in order to try and build-up your fitness?

Nakagawa: Yeah, you've gotta do something, don't you think Mr. Someya?

Someya: Me? Not at all!

Nakagawa: Really, not at all?!

Someya: Yeah, I've got a lot of physical strength! (lol)

Nakagawa: No way...! It's pretty incredible that you don't do anything and you still have a lot of strength! Are you showing off or something (lol)?

Someya: No, no! (lol) But let me see... When I'm practicing action scenes, I sometimes put on a mask, which can make it quite difficult to breathe. I'm always putting myself in challenging situations without even realising!

Nakagawa: Don't you do any weights or muscle training? But I saw you working out the other day when you arrived early for rehearsals!

Someya: Well, yeah actually I do (lol)! But that's because you never know when you've got to take your shirt off! I thought that I'd better build muscles just in case (lol)

Nakagawa: You might have to show off your muscles!?

Someya: Haha, something like that! (lol)

Nakagawa: I see. But you are talking about muscles from the perspective of "beauty" instead of their practical use. Are you kind of obsessed with the way things look?

Someya: I don't pay much attention at all. When it comes to food, I basically eat everything. I absolutely love greasy food. That kind of thing has never been on my mind.

Nakagawa: What?? I thought that you must be taking good care of yourself (lol)!

ab: You look great!

Someya: No, not at all.

Nakagawa: (With a serious look on his face) More like gorgeous!

Someya: Oh no, you're embarrassing me (lol)! Really!

ab: Mr. Nakagawa, how about you?

Nakagawa: I do weight training and go swimming.

For me, I'm more aware of the muscles I use rather than what's on show. Swimming definitely helps me with my breathing. If there's a production that lasts for one to two months, it can be tough for the cast and crew to ensure that the quality does not drop. Using my throat (vocal cords) as well as my entire body when I sing helps me maintain a certain level of performance.

In terms of muscle training... If you don't keep body balance at the center of things, then it will all be for nothing. Oh, now I remember! I use to learn tea ceremony when I was in high school. At that time, I learnt that when you take something from in front of you, not only should something look beautiful, but you've also got to be clean and sharp without any unnecessary movements in your action. Acting is similar to that, when you stand on the stage, you need to take a deep breath. It is not possible to give your best performance if you are swayed by whats going on. There shouldn't be any waste. You need to be aware that things are working properly. It is important to have a good balance. That's why I am doing muscle training. Health is the most important thing, so I'm pretty particular about food.

ab: You did a column for a cooking magazine, right?

Nakagawa: I am not a great cook, but I love making food and eating! So I guess me and Mr. Someya are kind of opposites (lol)!

Someya: I eat out and just order the food that I like (lol)! It's not good, right!? But recently I have been trying to make sure that I eat more vegetables!

There are a lot of places to eat and buy clothes in Canal City Hakata!

ab: Are there any places you often visit in Fukuoka?

Nakagawa: I've had the chance to visit Fukuoka and Kyushu many times. I love the area. I often go to the theater in Canal City Hakata for stage shows. If there's a production on, then I don't have time to go out in Tenjin and places like that. But there's all kinds of stores in Canal City Hakata. There's lots of places to eat. It feels like a brand new store has opened every time I visit!

If I ever stop to think about where I bought the clothes that I have on... It's often the case that the majority of my things are from shops in Fukuoka. I often buy stuff and eat out in Canal City Hakata! Oh, and there's also the Fukuoka City Museum! There was an Egypt exhibition at that museum supervised by Professor Sakuji Yoshimura. That exhibit gave me a chance to travel to Egypt with Prof. Yoshimura. It was that experience that made me want to go to art and history museums in Fukuoka!

ab: Do you have any favorite Fukuoka dishes?

Nakagawa : There's so many (lol)!

Someya: The ramen is delicious! And there's other tasty dishes, too!

Nakagawa: Well, event organisers would often take me out to eat in my twenties and I ate lots of ramen. But I sort of got over ramen quite early.

Someya: So you kind of quit eating of ramen?

Nakagawa: I guess I moved on to other kinds of food. Of course ramen is delicious, but when it comes to fukuoka food, I think there are other more delicious dishes out there. Ramen is kind of like soul food for Japanese people, so I can't deny its quality, but I suppose I'm probably more into chicken.

ab: Like yakitori and mizutaki (a type of hot pot in which chicken and vegetables are simmered in a traditional soup), right?

Someya: Mizutaki is incredibly delicious!

Nakagawa: I love the mizutaki that "Shinmiura" serve! I'm almost drooling just thinking about it!

Oh, and definitely char-grilled chicken. I love eating chicken that has been grilled on an iron plate and has a crispy, almost black coating! And also Japanese sake! I absolutely love sake!

Someya: That sounds so delicious!

ab: There's around 70 sake breweries in Fukuoka Prefecture. There's a special brewery guide on the asianbeat website called the Fukuoka Osake Meguri!

Nakagawa: (Looking at an asianbeat flier) I actually just saw this and thought "wow, sake information!" ... Mr. Someya, you like ramen, so the "Fukuoka Ramen MAP" is for you, then!

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