Rain Tree Series: Hayama Riko and Momose Suzuna on Being Told, “You Two Have a Similar Vibe”

Hayama: “Look at the twin-like twin shot!

For the past year, the 17 members who were not selected in the final round of the “IDOL 3.0 PROJECT Audition,” produced by Yasushi Akimoto, have been performing under the name “FINALIST.

Now they are starting a new group under the new name “Rain Tree” and are set to make their major label debut in January 2025.

In this first installment, we present an interview with Rigor Hayama and Sana Momose!

–This is your first interview as a pair, so please tell us your first impressions of each other.

Riko Hayama: ” I first recognized Sana at the audition for the “IDOL3.0 PROJECT. There was a slightly unusual girl who was talking to a mannequin during her self-promotion, and that was Sana. A truly shocking encounter! ”

Sana Momose: ” I went to beauty school, so I brought a wig to the venue to practice haircuts and said, ‘I brought a friend today’ and had a conversation with it. I thought it would be funny (laughs).”

Hayama: “It had quite an impact. But when I actually talked to her, I got the impression that she was more of a girly girl with a soft and fluffy atmosphere, rather than a character who was out of her mind.

Momose: ” My first impression of Ririn is that she is a soft and gentle girl. She always carries around stuffed toys of frogs and bears, and I think she is an interesting girl with her own mysterious world. During our auditions, we were often told that we have a similar atmosphere.

Hayama: “We had similar tastes in the outfits we were given for today’s shoot, and it was cute how we looked like a pair.

Momose: ” I usually have ‘idol bangs,’ but I was happy to have them arranged differently than usual. I hope you will pay attention to the twin-like shots of us!

–Momose “What kind of character do you think you are in Rain Tree?

Momose: ” I think I’m a …… solid person.”

Hayama ” What?　Is that so? 　I think the members call me a “gyaru” (gal).

Momose “I don’t look like a gyaru, but my motto is to live a cheerful and positive life with a “gyaru mind”, so maybe that’s why they call me that (laugh).

Hayama: “I’ m always positive, so when Sana says, ‘Don’t worry! we feel lightened up and are able to move forward. What’s also attractive about Sana is that when I compliment her on how cute she is, she says “ehh~” and sticks close to me or taps me on the shoulder. I just want to see that reaction, so I end up giving her compliments.

Momose: “I’ m too much of a “kamacho” (laugh). (Laughs) “ I’ m actually a very youngest child and a spoiled brat, but I’m a big sister in the group, so I do my best to act like one.

Hayama: ” As Sana mentioned earlier, I am often called a “mysterious girl” by the members. I have my own pace, so I am sure they think so.

Momose: ” Rigo-chan is a soft-spoken girl who seems to be easily swayed by others, but in fact she has her own will and persistence, and I think it is cool that she has a core strength that is not influenced by her surroundings. She also says she goes at her own pace, but she is very considerate. I think she is kind and has a beautiful heart.

–How did you become interested in idols?

Hayama: “I didn’t know that much about idols, but my best friend in high school was an idol. Through her, I got to know Nogizaka46 and various other groups, and I became interested in idols as well. One day, I went to see a live performance of my best friend’s idol group, and the way they sang and danced on stage was dazzling. I was surprised and impressed at the same time, and I thought, “I want to be on stage too! 　 I thought, “I want to be on stage too !

Momose: ” I had always wanted to be an idol when I was little, but I thought that idols were above the clouds and I didn’t think it was something that someone like me could aspire to. I just loved being in front of people, so I thought it would be great if I could express myself on stage someday.

Momose : “When I was in junior high school, I found out that my cousin’s friend was involved in an idol copy dance activity. I went to see a competition where many dance circles from all over Japan gathered to decide who was the best in Japan, and at that time, I wanted to stand on a big stage like that and shine!　I wanted to stand on a big stage and shine like that! That’s when I decided that I wanted to stand on a big stage and shine like that! I also started copy dancing and entered competitions with the aim of winning.

–What were your days like for about a year from the day you were not selected in the final audition for “IDOL3.0 PROJECT”?

Hayama: ” The 17 of us who were unsuccessful in the final screening have been working as “FINALIST” with the goal of making our debut. （I had the opportunity to accompany and assist WHITE SCORPION (formed by the 11 successful applicants) at their release events. However, since we didn’t sing or dance on stage, we felt insecure about being nobody, and we sometimes wondered if we could really make our debut (……).

Momose: “In the limited time available for the release event, the 17 members of Rain Tree seriously discussed how to make people get to know us and how to make them stop in their tracks. We prepared our own clothes related to seasonal events and planned corners to respond to requests from fans. Everyone worked hard to make the show as interesting as possible.

Hayama: ” Compared to WHITE SCORPION, who danced on stage in gorgeous costumes, we were all in plain clothes. I remember Sana, who rarely cries in public, was crying the whole time.

Momose: ” Facing the reality that we couldn’t do the idol activities we had envisioned, we were so frustrated that we cried. I hid it with a mask to cover it up. ……

Hayama: ” I’ve never seen Sana cry like that before.”

Momose: “Someday I’ll wear Rain Tree’s costumes ……”

–What is the reason why you were able to stay positive even when you were going through a tough time?

Hayama: ” The 17 members who shared the same feelings were by my side, and I had a family that stood by me in every situation. Even when I was going through hard times, the support and warmth of the people around me cheered me up, and I was able to look forward and do my best.

Momose: ” When I think things over by myself, I become more and more negative. So I always try to keep my mind upbeat!　I tried to turn everything into a positive thing. I am actually a very negative person who worries about trivial things, but I got over it with my gal mindset (laughs).

–Did you find anything that you have or that you can express with confidence?

Hayama: ” After the audition, more and more of my supporters told me that I have a wonderful natural smile and that my smile cheers them up. I hope that even if I run into obstacles in the future, I will never forget to smile as I go about my activities.

Momose: ” I used to copy idol dancers, so I have been studying my own way of presenting myself, such as facial expressions and detailed movements during performances. I think that my idol-like dancing style is my weapon and the point that I want people to pay attention to.

–What kind of year do you want 2025 to be?

Hayama: “We have experienced many things in the past year, including not only happy things but also painful and frustrating things. I think that is why the bond between the 17 of us has grown even deeper. Next year, I would like to unite everyone’s feelings and do our best in various things. And together with our fans who support us, I hope we can climb up the stairs one step at a time toward our dreams and get closer to our ideal idol group.

Momose: “The first year of our debut will be full of firsts, and I am sure there will be many difficulties. But because this is a dream that has finally come true, I want all 17 of us to face the same direction and do our best to be idols without forgetting the joy and excitement of becoming an idol group. Also, it’s a personal dream of mine, but I make idol costumes as a hobby. ……”

Hayama: ” The costumes Sana made are amazing!　They are full of cute motifs such as pink and ribbons, and are gorgeous and look great on stage. I would love to dance on stage someday wearing a costume designed by Sana.

Momose: ” I have always loved fashion, so I would like to design costumes for Rain Tree someday.

–Momose: “I’ve always loved fashion, so I’d like to design costumes for Rain Tree someday.

Hayama: “I’ m reading a book in which Naoki Matayoshi adds a story to a palindrome that Hikari Mitsushima came up with.

Momose: ” What is a ‘kaibun’?

Hayama: ” It is a sentence that becomes the same word whether you read it from the top or the bottom. I want to come up with my own original palindromes, but I can’t think of anything at all (laughs).

Momose: ” Recently I’ve been hooked on the Nintendo DS, an old video game console, and I’ve been playing “Inazuma Eleven” and “Pokemon: Diamond Pearl” on it. The charger sometimes doesn’t respond because of poor contact, but I’m trying my best (laughs).

Hayama ” I have two DS chargers.”

Momose: ” Really? 　 Lend them to me sometime!

PROFILE
Riko Hayama
Born on March 17, 2005 in Kanagawa Prefecture
Special skills/hobbies: film camera, walking, going to taiyaki restaurants, drinking good water

Sana Momose
Born on August 15, 2002 in Nara Prefecture
Special ability/Hobby/ Making costumes, Copy dancing