[anan no. 2240] Miyachika Kaito

[pigs-canflyy.livejournal.com]

“Overflowing passions, certain dreams.”


Miyachika Kaito is the center and leader of popular Johnny’s Jr. unit “Travis Japan”. This issue’s theme is stretching, coincidentally the same as when the group was on the cover of this magazine previously. When we told him about it, he replied while smiling shyly “I remember, I didn’t really train my body then...”

“Our concerts are coming soon, so I’ve been doing planks before rehearsals, working on my core muscles. I’ve heard that it’ll lead to various good things, like it being easier to project your voice. Core muscles are also important in dancing, such as when you have to do sudden stops after turning.”


Miyachika-san is known to be have a brilliant presence on stage, and his sharp dancing will ensure your gaze is locked on him. When we asked if he had confidence in his dancing, he held back slightly, but answered, “Yes.”

“Of course, there are lots of people who are better than me when it comes to dancing, and I do feel inferior. However, if I’m not confident in my dancing, we can’t say that we’re a group that has dance as one of our weapons.”


Fans are the source of that confidence.

“I’ve never liked how I look. However, after joining Johnny’s, there are people who tell me I look cool and I started to think that there are people who think I’m cool even though I’m like this. I also learnt what kinds of expressions my fans like, and that helped with my confidence. If not for my fans, I would probably still dislike myself. It’s the same for dancing. I’ve never thought of myself as being good at dancing, but there are lots of people who tell me that I’m good at dancing, and I started to want to show them even better parts of myself. For that to happen, I would have to be confident in my dancing. I would like to continue to explore and work on new sides of myself.”


From these words we can see Miyachika-san’s inner passions and beliefs. We wanted to know the secrets behind his unwavering heart.

“I wonder what it is. Even if I hear negative opinions, I don’t let my feelings be swayed in that direction. Rather than leaning towards to negative opinions, I want to give back to the people who send me positive energy.”


“Also, when bad things are happening and negative thoughts start to enter my head, I don’t think it’s wrong to choose to escape.”

“This is similar to how I feel a group should exist, instead of trying to fight in a crowded field, we should say that we are who we are and try to build a new genre for ourselves. I feel that it’s better to aim to be first in a less crowded area. There’s no correct way there, and we wouldn’t use up unnecessary energy. I want us to use our energy building a new path for ourselves. Even if others think it’s unfair and an easy way out, I just want to shine.”


This strong Miyachika-san is relied on by the other members, and is a pillar of the group.

“Yes, I do think the members rely on me (laughs). But rather than me pulling everyone forward, or me carrying everyone’s burdens, the seven of us always give an answer together. That’s why it’s difficult to answer when people ask what do I think being a leader means, and if I had to answer, it would be to always continue being a member. In fact, I’m the one relying on the other members.”


What areas of the other members do you rely on?

“Shizuya is kind. Before our concerts, the atmosphere can get tense, but just speaking to Shizuya calms me down. Genta brightens up the room just by being there. He’s fun, noisy, and is always the same so it really helps. If there’s anything I don’t know, I’ll ask Noel and he’ll immediately teach me. He’s like Siri. It’s good that he enjoys studying to go on more quiz shows. (Nakamura) Kaito’s good point is that he’s unreliable (laughs). I always want to help him and that brings out the reliable side of me, which is good for me. Shime is really flexible so he’s reliable when it comes to activities related to stretching like these. I’m not someone who invites others out, but he’s someone who brings me out a lot. If it weren’t for the current situation, he would be inviting me for lots of meals. Matsukura is good at reading my face. The way he speaks to me is totally different when I’m having fun and when I’m feeling down. I often think that he’s really observant. I’m thankful that he’s cares about me.”


It’s been nine years since the group was formed, and there are lots of fans hoping for a debut.

“Debuting is one of our goals, and if we could do it, we would want to. I’m already happy that we have people supporting us, and I want to give back to these people, so if there’s an opportunity to do so, it would definitely be good. While debuting would be a way of saying thank you, if we keep talking about it lightly, it would probably go further away from us. Rather than saying we want to debut, the more pressing thing is to show our love to our fans. Especially now that we haven’t been able to meet them. Although we still don’t know what’s going to happen, firstly we would like to make our national tour a success to give back, even just a little, to our fans.”