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Please
introduce yourself and, if you want, tell me your age.
Maikawa
Yuno (pink costume): I’m Maikawa Yuno, also known as Yunopino! I’m the pink member of Jankenpon and an
11-year-old sixth grader.
Seki Nanaco (red costume): I’m Seki Nanako, the red member of Jankenpon. I’m 11 years old.
Hirara Kii (yellow costume): I’m Hirara Kii, and I'm 12 years old. I’m from Okinawa.
Anzai Miori (light blue costume): I’m Anzai Miori, Jankenpon’s light-blue
member! Everyone calls me “Miorin”. I’m a fourth-grade elementary school student
and I’m 9 years old. I love singing,
dancing, and cute clothes. Nice to meet
you!
Shiratori Sophie (purple costume): I’m Shiratori Sophie, and I’m 11 years
old. I’m one-quarter American and
one-quarter Japanese. [Note: I believe
Sophie means she’s half American and half Japanese.]
Who is the leader, and what does your role as leader involve?
Yuno: I’m the leader. My role is
to help bring the group together and keep everyone united.
What inspired you to become an idol?
Yuno: At first, I wanted to become a model and was already taking
lessons. Then I was scouted. When I went to observe an idol performance,
the idols looked so bright and dazzling that I started thinking, “I want to
become an idol like that too.”
Nanaco: I wanted to stand on a sparkling stage and become an idol who
could bring smiles to everyone.
Kii: I’ve always loved singing and dancing, and I wanted to stand on a
stage that people admire.
Miori: I’ve loved singing and dancing since I was three years old, and I’ve
always loved wearing cute outfits and costumes. When I saw idols performing on stage in
sparkling costumes, I thought, “I want to be like them someday!” That's what inspired me. Even now, I’m so happy every time I get to
wear a cute costume and perform on stage.
Sophie: I was scouted, and since I already loved singing and dancing, it
felt like the perfect fit for me.
Please tell me about your first audition.
Yuno: The Best Kids Audition when I was one year old.
Nanaco: My first audition was the Star Scout Grand Prix, where I won the
Runner-Up Grand Prix award. I was
nervous, but I had so much fun!
Miori: My first audition was Kirachalle when I was in first grade. I entered both the model division and the
vocal division. I reached the second
round in vocals and the final round in modeling. I was disappointed with the results, but it
was a wonderful experience and made me want to challenge myself again.
Did you have any experience singing or dancing prior to this?
Yuno: I started dancing when I was in preschool and began singing lessons in
kindergarten.
Nanaco: I had experience in cheer dance, but I had never sung before.
Miori: I’ve been taking dance, ballet, and piano lessons since I was
three years old, and I’ve always loved singing and dancing. I’m still trying lots of new things while
working toward my dreams.
Sophie: I was taking dance lessons before I auditioned.
What does being an idol mean to you?
Yuno: An idol is someone who brings happiness and energy to people.
Nanaco: It means giving energy to others while also receiving energy from
everyone and continuing to shine.
Kii: It means making people smile through music and dance and giving them
even a little bit of energy and happiness.
Miori: To me, an idol is someone who can make people smile and cheer them
up. When fans call out my name or wave
light-blue penlights at our concerts, I think, “I'm so glad I became an idol!”
Can you tell me about a special memory of performing on stage?
Yuno: My birthday event, where so many people came to celebrate with me.
Nanaco: Going on tours and making our CD debut. There were so many first-time experiences, and
I’ve made so many wonderful memories.
Kii: Releasing a CD, visiting many places on tour, celebrating birthdays,
and participating in events. I’ve made
so many wonderful memories.
Miori: Jankenpon’s first anniversary concert. I was so happy to celebrate our first year
together with everyone who supported us. Seeing all the fans from the stage made me
want to work even harder.
Sophie: Performing at Design Festa for the first time. It was a live show on a big stage, which made
it really special.
What song do you enjoy performing the most?
Yuno: “Yakusoku” (“Promise”). The lyrics
are filled with so many emotions, and it’s a beautiful song.
Nanaco: “E-Jan!” and “No.1.”
Kii: “Yakusoku” and “Kirakira Pikapikarin Rin Rin Rin”.
Miori: My favorite is “Jankenpon”!
It’s the same as our group’s name, and it’s so much fun to perform live.
I especially love how it brings the fans
and members together. I hope even more
people will discover Jankenpon and sing and dance along with us.
Sophie: “No. 1”.
What did you do on your last day off?
Yuno: Most school holidays are spent doing live performances. Recently, though, I had a rare day with no
school, concerts, or work, so I went to Disneyland with my family and close
friends. It was so much fun!
Nanaco: Honestly, most of my days off are spent performing with
Jankenpon.
Kii: Making bead art and looking for capsule toy machines!
Miori: I love shopping! I enjoy
looking at cute clothes and accessories and could do it all day. When I buy something new, I get excited about
wearing it at our casual-clothes events. Shopping is one of my favorite things to do.
Sophie: I recently went on a date day with my mom in Jiyugaoka.
Do you think you will continue to be an idol for years to
come? Why or why not?
Yuno: Yes, because I love being an idol. At the same time, I’d also like to work as a
model, actress, and multi-talent entertainer in the future. I want to challenge myself in many different
fields.
Kii: Yes. I want to keep improving
my singing and dancing and become an idol who can continue bringing smiles and
energy to everyone.
Miori: Absolutely! I want to
become better at singing and dancing and introduce even more people to both
Jankenpon and Miorin. My dream is to
stand on a huge stage someday and perform at Tokyo Dome.
Sophie: Yes! I want to become an
idol who can perform around the world, just like K-Pop idols do.
Was there a personal challenge you had to overcome to become a
better idol?
Yuno: I’ve always wanted to improve my singing and dancing. That’s been a goal since I joined, and it’s
still something I continue striving for every day.
Miori: I’ve been dancing since I was little, but singing is still
difficult for me sometimes. Singing
while dancing is even harder, but I’m working hard in both my vocal and dance
lessons so I can give great performances. I want to keep improving little by little,
even in the areas I’m not confident about.
Sophie: I want to work harder on social media so more people can discover
our group.
Sophie, you’ve done some traveling outside of Japan. Out of the places you’ve been to, what was
the most special to you?
Sophie: A cruise between Florida and Mexico, and my grandpa's house.
Do you have a special message for your fans in America?
Yuno: Hello! My name is Yuno. I like pink!
My special skill is doing a standing backbend.
Nice to meet you! To everyone in
America, thank you so much for supporting me from so far away. It makes me really happy. I hope you’ll continue getting to know more
about Yuno in the future! Thank you for
your support!
Nanaco: I want to keep growing and bringing smiles to even more people. Thank you for your support!
Miori: Hello everyone in America! I'm Miorin from Jankenpon! It would make me so happy if people in
America could get to know Jankenpon, even from so far away. I’d love to perform in America someday! When that day comes, please join us and shout “Jankenpon!”
together with us! Thank you for
supporting us!
Sophie: Thank you for discovering JKP!
I’d be so happy if you continue to support us. I’d love for us to visit America someday, so I’ll
keep working hard. Please support JKP!
Special thanks to Noguchi Masato of SPIRAL MUSIC for arranging this interview. As always, thanks for reading my blog!
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