From Garbage Collector to the Stage of Reco… Kenji Hashizume of “MATSURI” talks about his “suffering and ambition” when he was a lowly worker

Formerly a garbage collector: ……

She said, “I moved to Tokyo when I was 19 and didn’t budge for 10 years. It was a really long period of underachievement. That’s why I’m so happy that I’m able to be busy every day like this now.”

MATSURI” is a six-member Showa-era singing group produced by Yasushi Akimoto (67). One of the members, Kenji Hashizume (33), squinted as he said this.

MATSURI” was formed in July 2011 with six members who won auditions in which more than 3,000 people participated. The concept was to “bring Showa songs and Showa pops into the modern age. They made their major debut in January 1925 with the single “Avantur Nakameguro.

The members of the group have diverse backgrounds, perhaps because they are “late bloomers,” debuting after they had all reached 30 years of age. Hashizume used to work as a garbage collector.

Hashizume is a musician who moved from Shizuoka to Tokyo at the age of 19 to pursue his musical ambitions. I think I was just thinking, ‘If I just go to Tokyo, something will start. I continued my music activities while working part-time, but to be honest, my life was cut short. I had been active in a group before “MATSURI,” but things didn’t go well. Even though I tried my best, there was a period of time when I could not get any results. I realized that this was indeed no way to make a living, so I started working as a garbage collector.

There was a time when I wondered what I was doing, even though I had come to Tokyo from Shizuoka to make a living with music. But as I worked, my feelings became more positive. After I passed by, the garbage was gone and the city became cleaner and cleaner. It was easy to see the change, and I felt that I was making a difference in the world.

The work he did as a garbage collector also came in handy after his debut as an artist.

I gained physical strength from running so much, and I also developed the ability to think about how to work efficiently within the limited time available for garbage collection,” he said. The physical strength and efficient thinking are also useful in the activities of “MATSURI. I can truly say that I am glad I did this.

The Audition that Changed Their Lives

In the final stage of the audition, which was a very narrow competition with over 250 places up for grabs, Mr. Akimoto appeared in front of Hashizume and the other contestants.

I didn’t know he was going to be there, so it was a real surprise,” Hashizume said. Mr. Akimoto told us on the spot, ‘You will become artists who can perform in arenas, domes, and budokan, so keep that in mind and do your best. I remember how excited I was, thinking that by visualizing my future, I might be able to reach a dome or a Budokan.

MATSURI” won the Best New Artist Award at the “67th Shine! Japan Record Award” in 2013. She has been steadily climbing the ladder to star status.

I am truly honored to be a part of this project. Although I am a newcomer at over 30 years of age, I want to convey through my performance that ‘if you don’t give up, you can catch your dreams. My current goal is to have my own TV show. We are working hard every day so that we can eventually become a group that attracts attention not only in Japan but also from around the world.

The flashy “MATSURI” is about to begin.