<figure id="attachment_410188" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5472px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410188"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6a5050a4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/6780c4dbe3870e7262943426390e0c78.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410188" class="wp-caption-text">Takuya Matsuoka (right) from &#8220;MATSURI&#8221; and Oto Abe (left) from &#8220;Gekidan 4 Dollar 50 Cent.&#8221; A surprising two-shot captured in Nakameguro.</figcaption></figure>
The last train had already departed from Nakameguro Station.
In front of a closed shutter, a man and a woman stood close together, engrossed in conversation. Their outfits were casual, yet they were strikingly attractive enough to catch the eye. Could they be Takuya Matsuoka (35) from &#8220;MATSURI&#8221; and Oto Abe (24) from &#8220;Gekidan 4 Dollar 50 Cent&#8221;?
Abe reached out and playfully patted the taller Matsuoka on the head, suggesting a rather close relationship. Without hesitation, we decided to approach them for an interview.
<a href="#" data-ident_hash="787c964d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/e02e04a7d6ab3100adab1d0e0df37c4d.jpg" alt=""></a>Matsuoka (right) and Abe (left) engaged in conversation in front of the shutter at Nakameguro Station.
──Excuse me, we&#8217;re from FRIDAY. You&#8217;re Matsuoka-san and Abe Oto-san from &#8220;MATSURI,&#8221; right?
Matsuoka: &#8220;Huh&#8230; Ah, yes.&#8221;
<figure id="attachment_410191" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5472px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410191"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ab56234f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/6ce0606f48f1dc839fa74c98c14f20db.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410191" class="wp-caption-text">Matsuoka (right) and Abe (left), who cannot hide their surprise at the sudden direct hit.</figcaption></figure>
── You seemed quite close. Are you dating?
Abe: &#8220;No, we&#8217;re just colleagues. We&#8217;re both part of the Akimoto Yasushi-produced group.&#8221;
── Weren&#8217;t you on a date just now?
Matsuoka: &#8220;No, we just happened to run into each other there and had a quick chat. We have work after this. There&#8217;s a group meeting.&#8221;
At that moment, other members of &#8220;MATSURI&#8221; appeared. It seemed they really weren’t on a date. That day, January 22, was &#8220;MATSURI&#8221;&#8216;s debut day. That explained why they were working so late into the night.
&#8220;MATSURI&#8221; is a six-member male vocal group that emerged from the &#8220;Don&#8217;t Give Up on Your Dreams! Male Group Audition,&#8221; held in June 2023 for those aged 25 and older. Under the production of Akimoto Yasushi, they were formed alongside their brother group &#8220;SHOW-WA&#8221; with the aim of reviving Showa-era pop songs for the Reiwa era. Their average age is 34.5 years. The group consists of members with diverse backgrounds, including a former major-label artist, a former garbage collector, and a former nurse.
<figure id="attachment_410192" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5472px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410192"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3463be97"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/23aa44a54ea2667d0605b325577112dd.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410192" class="wp-caption-text">Members of &#8220;MATSURI&#8221; gathered at Nakameguro Station.</figcaption></figure>
In fact, they had once lost a showdown against &#8220;SHOW-WA&#8221; for their debut, missing their chance. However, they gathered over 20,000 signatures on their own and managed to seize their long-awaited debut from the brink of failure.
We asked them again about their thoughts on their major debut.
Matsuoka: &#8220;Honestly, I&#8217;m just really happy, and I strongly feel once again how wonderful this group &#8216;MATSURI&#8217; is. I believe it&#8217;s because of these six members that we were able to overcome so many challenges and finally achieve this major debut. Meeting such amazing members is the greatest blessing.&#8221;
Watanabe Shin: &#8220;Over this time, we&#8217;ve had more opportunities to talk as a group and spend time with our fans, so I feel like our bonds have grown even stronger. We’ve had a lot of discussions about how to make things better, which I think has really brought us together as one.&#8221;
<figure id="attachment_410193" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4649px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410193"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="17cd8139"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/6751cbde12caf4d7e118de6a1cb73221.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410193" class="wp-caption-text">The members of &#8220;MATSURI&#8221; talking to the press about their joy on the night of their major label debut.</figcaption></figure>
Their debut single, &#8220;Aventure Nakameguro,&#8221; was released on January 22. What kind of song is it?
Yanagida Yūki: &#8220;This song is about the push-and-pull of romance between a man and a woman. The lyrics have a very Showa-era feel, so I think listeners will find it nostalgic. But at the same time, the composition incorporates modern musical elements, creating a perfect fusion of Showa and contemporary styles. You could say it’s a Reiwa-era mood kayō (romantic ballad). There are parts that feel familiar and nostalgic, and others that feel fresh and new.&#8221;
Finally, we asked about their aspirations for the future.
Onodera Tsubasa: &#8220;Akimoto-sensei gave us an amazing song, &#8216;Aventure Nakameguro,&#8217; so we want to bring out its full charm and make it a defining mood of the Reiwa era. Also, since we debuted this year, we want to aim for big stages like the Japan Record Awards and Kōhaku Uta Gassen as MATSURI.&#8221;
After overcoming numerous trials, MATSURI has finally achieved their long-awaited debut. Any romance scandals will have to wait until they reach even greater heights.
<figure id="attachment_410194" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4755px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410194"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="66f5b332"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/58897ba5002bb0058445cb5c8f854ac5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410194" class="wp-caption-text">The members of MATSURI in the familiar choreographed pose from their major label debut song, &#8220;Aventure Nakameguro.”</figcaption></figure>

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