Yoshikawa: “I applied for the audition with the determination that it would be my last.”

Seventeen members who unfortunately did not make it through to the final selection of the “IDOL 3.0 PROJECT Audition” produced by Yasushi Akimoto have been active for the past year under the name “FINALIST.” They are now embarking on a new journey under the name “Rain Tree” and have been confirmed to make their major debut with the release of their first digital single, “ILU,” on January 29, 2025. This special series dives into the real personalities of the members.

The final episode, Episode 8, features an interview with Shu Kato, Miki Nakamata, and Umi Yoshikawa!

(Left) Miki Nakamata / Born December 22, 2000, from Tokyo / (Center) Umi Yoshikawa / Born February 22, 2001, from Fukuoka Prefecture / (Right) Shu Kato / Born July 13, 2005, from Hokkaido.

── First, please introduce yourselves.

Miki Nakamata: “I’m Miki Nakamata from Tokyo! I love communication, and my special skills are parodies and kendama. I can make up parodies on the spot, and I always carry my kendama with me so I can show it off anytime (laughs). Since we’re here today. (while playing kendama, she performs a parody of ‘The Tortoise and the Hare,’ improvising lyrics about her self-introduction, thoughts on the shoot, and her enthusiasm for future activities).”

Shu Kato: “Amazing! It’s like you prepared the lyrics in advance (laughs).”

Miki Nakamata: “I just put it together in my head right now (laughs).”

── That was a great skill! Please continue with your introductions.

Shu Kato: “I’m 19 years old, from Hokkaido, and my name is Shu Kato. To sum myself up in one word, I’m calm but passionate. I like dancing, reading, and studying!”

Umi Yoshikawa: “I was born in Fukuoka, raised in Kanagawa, 23 years old, the youngest of three sisters—Umi Yoshikawa. Up until partway through the audition, I was working as an esthetician while taking part in the audition.”

Shirt with tie ¥3,289 / Spinz, earrings ¥1,540 / Paris Kids Harajuku, socks ¥1,100 / Antirosa (SHAGGIE), others / stylist’s personal effects

── What impression do you have of each other?

Shu Kato: “Miki-chan is ‘Giri Giri no Miki’ (literally ‘Just-in-Time Miki’), (laughs). When we meet at the station, she’ll dash in just one minute before the train arrives, giving the perfect ‘100-point’ entrance (laughs).”

Miki Nakamata: “I admit I’m always cutting it close, but in the end, I make it on time (laughs).”

Umi Yoshikawa: “Miki has great conversational skills and is reliable, but her reactions are ‘Showa’ and hilarious (laughs).”

Miki Nakamata: “I wasn’t born in the Showa era, though (laughs).”

Knit with tank top ¥8,800 / ACLENT Skirt ¥3,299, Cap ¥2,199 / WEGO Bandana ¥550 / Spinz Boots ¥16,280 / EMODA Lumine Est Shinjuku

Umi Yoshikawa: “Shu is truly a diligent, steady worker.”

Miki Nakamata: “She’s someone who can steadily put in the effort, not just balancing her studies while doing this, but also working hard on her physical training. As she mentioned earlier, she’s always calm. She can objectively look at the group and, when it’s necessary, speaks her opinion clearly. I think that’s amazing.”

Umi Yoshikawa: “But the other day, when I looked in Shu’s backpack, I was surprised to find a hair straightener in the side pocket. I didn’t expect that side of her (laughs).”

Miki Nakamata: “Umi is the epitome of nurturing, and she’s really good at taking care of others! She helps our youngest member, Mio (Suzuno), with her summer vacation homework, and she’s already like the mother figure of the group.”

Long T shirt ¥3,299 / Figments Shirt ¥2,199, necklace ¥1,299 / WEGO Pants ¥14,080 / ACLENT Others / Stylist’s personal effects

Umi Yoshikawa: “When I see someone in need, I just want to help. Since I’m the oldest, I feel like I should be more like an older sister. But in reality, as the youngest of three sisters, I think I’m not really able to pull off the big sister role (laughs).”

── Can you tell us what inspired you to pursue a career in entertainment and why you decided to become an idol?

Umi Yoshikawa: “Around the sixth grade, I became a fan of Fairyts, and from there, I also started liking groups like Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, Nogizaka46, and Keyakizaka46. I began going to their live shows. At that time, I just admired them as a fan. Of course, I had the desire to wear cute costumes and stand on a glittering stage, but I didn’t have much confidence in myself, so I never auditioned.”

── When did your feelings start to change?

Umi Yoshikawa: “When I was transitioning from high school to university, I had to make life decisions, and I thought about what I really wanted to do. Deep down, I still had the desire to become an idol. So, when I was in university, I started auditioning for idol groups, but I failed every time. As I got older, there were fewer auditions I could apply for. That’s when I found ‘IDOL 3.0 PROJECT,’ which had a 25-year-old age limit, and I decided that this would be my last chance, so I applied.”

Rain Tree members Shu Kato (left), Miki Nakamata (middle), and Umi Yoshikawa (right)

Shu Kato: “The reason I admired the entertainment industry was because of the movie Biri Gyaru that I saw when I was in fifth grade. I thought the world seemed so sparkly and wonderful. But when I became a middle schooler, I became known as the study character, and I thought I would just focus on the path of studying from then on. I went to a prestigious school, but everyone around me was so academically gifted and I started to feel like continuing on the academic path might be too difficult.”

── What made you decide to pursue becoming an idol after that?

Shu Kato: “I realized that my longing for that sparkling world was still in my heart. Then, at my high school cultural festival, when I performed as a member of the dance club, I felt the sensation of connecting with the audience for the first time. I wanted to experience that feeling more. After that, I started auditioning for idol groups. But results didn’t come right away, and when I was in my senior year of high school, thinking that going to university in my hometown of Hokkaido wouldn’t lead anywhere, I found the IDOL 3.0 PROJECT.”

Fans helped me find my place in the world.

Miki Nakamata: “I’ve always admired the entertainment industry. When I was zero years old, my parents let me become a baby model, and after that, I appeared as a baby in a commercial for Sekisui House and in the drama OL Visual Kei starring Sarina Suzuki. But I didn’t have the courage to step into the entertainment world on my own, so after graduating from high school, I became a public servant and worked at a city hall. My parents were both public servants, and I had the desire to become one too and build a happy family. My colleagues were kind, and I really believe the two years I spent working at the city hall were happy days.”

── Why did you decide to quit being a public servant?

Miki Nakamata: “I became a public servant because I wanted to help people, but I realized I wanted to do a job where I could help others by expressing myself, not through public service. So, on the recommendation of an acquaintance, I started live streaming on Pococha. Within three months, I reached the highest rank, and I maintained that rank for about a year and a half. Once I felt like I had achieved my goals in live streaming, I decided to move on to the next step.”

Miki Nakamata: “The next step is to show the people who supported me during my live streaming days how I’ve grown and become famous, to repay them. The people who supported me during my live streaming days are still fans of mine, and I truly feel like they saved my life. They helped me find my place when I was lost, and I am deeply grateful to them from the bottom of my heart.”

── Was IDOL 3.0 PROJECT the first audition you took?

Miki Nakamata: “Before that, I applied for ‘The Day I Become an Actress_ Season 1 and Season 3’, which was produced by Yasushi Akimoto. I didn’t get through, and when I was thinking about continuing as a live streamer forever, I came across an ad for IDOL 3.0 PROJECT on TikTok. I thought, ‘This might be it!’ and decided to give it a try.”

── After going through different twists and turns, you will make your major debut as Rain Tree on January 29, 2025. What kind of growth have you felt between the audition period and now?

Miki Nakamata: “I had no dance experience when I first auditioned, so at first, I really couldn’t dance. But now, there are fans who tell me, ‘Miki, your dance was great.'”

Shu Kato: “During the audition camp, you would even skip bath time and practice without sleeping.”

Miki Nakamata: “I really wanted to pass, so I practiced desperately, even if it was something I wasn’t good at. I wanted to be able to do it from the bottom of my heart. I also learned that if you give it your all, you can really improve. I think this experience will be a huge energy for me when I face new challenges in the future.”

Umi Yoshikawa: “During the audition, I did Instagram Live and SHOWROOM broadcasts, and through that, I feel like I gained communication skills. I originally wasn’t good at talking, and I was anxious about communicating with fans. But now, I’m getting more compliments on my talk skills from fans, and I think I’m slowly becoming able to express my thoughts more clearly.”

Shu Kato: “For me, I believe I’ve gained the ability to take a step forward. Before I applied for the audition, I only followed the prescribed path seriously. I was afraid of stepping outside of it and lacked confidence in voicing my opinions. But through this audition process, I’ve gradually been gaining experiences where I’m carving my own future with my own efforts.”

Shu Kato: “By having the courage to take that first step, I was given the opportunity to debut and meet my fellow members. Now, I can open my heart to everyone and rely on them, which is something I couldn’t have imagined before. It’s a huge change from the person I was, who struggled with relationships.”

“I want to increase the number of fans of my generation.”

──Before your major debut, what kind of idol do you want to become in the future?

Nakamata: “I want to improve my talking skills even more, and in the future, I want to be known as the variety specialist of Rain Tree, appearing on various TV programs. Since I love singing, I also want to be someone who can cheer up many people with my songs.”

Kato: “I want to be an idol who can empathize with others and understand their feelings. In terms of performance, I want to do more than just improve my skills. I want to be able to encourage fans, and sometimes even move them to tears, by expressing emotions that touch people’s hearts.”

Yoshikawa: “The reason I became a fan of idols is because I was moved by their performances in live shows and music videos. Therefore, I want to become an idol who can move hearts through my performances. I want to improve both my dancing and singing, and I want to be able to show different expressions depending on the song. I also want to incorporate every detail, like the movement of my hair, into my performances!”

Rain Tree members Miki Nakamata (left), Umami Yoshikawa (center), and Shu Kato (right)

──What are your goals as a group and your personal dreams?

Nakamata: “As a group, our goal is to perform on the ‘NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen’ and hold a live concert at Tokyo Dome. Personally, my dream is to be an MC for a variety show. In order to achieve all of this, I want to always be grateful for my current environment and, no matter how successful I become, remain humble and never forget to be compassionate while pursuing my career.”

Yoshikawa: “For me, our big goal is to stand together on the stage of Tokyo Dome. I want to continue on the idol path with all 17 members of Rain Tree, without losing anyone along the way. Personally, I’m interested in acting, so I would be happy if I could challenge myself with acting roles someday. Also, even though it’s a personal complex, I believe my thin body can be a strength, so I would like to try modeling as well.”

Kato: “For our group, my goal is for us to be loved by people of all ages. To achieve that, I want to increase the number of fans around my age. Personally, I would love to perform in an artist’s music video. I also want to challenge myself in a job where I can use my knowledge of SDGs and international relations that I’m studying in university, by sharing information about those topics.”

──With your busy days leading up to your major debut, are you able to relax?

Yoshikawa: “I’ve been hooked on watching Eiko Kano’s game streaming videos on YouTube for a long time, and it helps me unwind (laughs).”

Kato: “When I have time, I call my family, who live far away, and that relaxes me. I video call my mom and get to see my sister, which gives me energy.”

Nakamata: “I’ve been hooked on a board game called ‘Catan.’ It’s a game for 2 to 4 people and is one of the world’s top three board games. Right now, I play it with my younger brother, but I want to try it with the members, and if I get really good at it, I hope to enter a competition and use it as an opportunity to introduce Rain Tree!”

Rain Tree members Shu Kato (front), Kaimi Yoshikawa (middle), and Miki Nakamata (back)

■PROFILE
Kato Shu
Born: July 13, 2005, Hokkaido
Skills/Hobbies: Cooking, Dance, Choreography, Studying (SDGs, Languages, Sign Language)

Nakamata Miki
Born: December 22, 2000, Tokyo
Skills/Hobbies: Sauna, Mölkky, Karaoke, Kendama (Moshikame), Taiko Drums, Parody Songs

Yoshikawa Umi
Born: February 22, 2001, Fukuoka
Skills/Hobbies: Listening to Music, Watching Anime

Rain Tree Series Final: Shu Kato, Miki Nakamata, and Umi Yoshikawa 17 People Aiming for Tokyo Dome Together!

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