From Garbage Collector to Stage Kenji Hashizume Talks About His Rise
Hashizume speaks to FRIDAY DigitalPreviously worked as a garbage collector
“After moving to Tokyo at 19, I spent ten years without making any progress. It was truly a long period of struggling from the bottom. That’s why being this busy every day now makes me really happy.”
Hashizume Kenji (33), a member of the six-person Showa-era pop group MATSURI, produced by Akimoto Yasushi (67), said this with a soft smile.
MATSURI was formed in July ’23 after six members were selected from an audition with over 3,000 participants. The group’s concept is bringing Showa-era kayōkyoku and pop music to the modern age. They made their major debut in January ’25 with the single Avanchure Nakameguro.
Because all the members debuted after turning 30, the group is considered late bloomers, and their backgrounds are varied. Hashizume, for instance, had worked as a garbage collector.
In ’24, the group performed at Tokyu Kabukicho Tower.“I decided to pursue music at 19 and moved from Shizuoka to Tokyo. I think I had a mindset of, ‘If I go to Tokyo, something will start happening.’ I continued my music activities while doing part-time jobs, but honestly, life was tight. Before MATSURI, I was in other groups, but things didn’t go well. No matter how hard I tried, results didn’t come. I realized I couldn’t survive like that, so I started working as a garbage collector.
There were times I wondered, ‘I came all the way from Shizuoka to Tokyo to do music—what am I doing?’ But as I kept working, my mindset became more positive. After I passed through a street, the garbage would be gone, and the city became visibly cleaner. The changes were easy to see, and I could feel, ‘I’m really contributing to society.’”
His experience as a garbage collector also proved useful after debuting as an artist.
“You develop stamina because you run a lot, and you learn to think about how to move efficiently within limited collection time. That stamina and efficiency mindset have been useful in MATSURI’s activities. I can honestly say I’m really glad I did it.”
Debut single tops the Oricon weekly chartAn audition that changed his life
Amid all this, a life-changing audition took place. In the final stages of the extremely competitive race—over 250 applicants for just a few spots—Akimoto appeared before Hashizume and the other candidates.
“I hadn’t been told he would show up, so it was a real surprise. Right there, Akimoto-san said, ‘You all will become artists who can perform in arenas, domes, and even Budokan. Keep that image in mind and work hard.’ I remember feeling excited, thinking, ‘If I imagine my future like this, maybe I can actually make it to the domes and Budokan.’”
MATSURI won the New Artist Award at the 67th Kagayaku! Japan Record Awards in ’25 and has steadily begun climbing the ladder to stardom.
“This is truly an honor beyond what I deserve. I want to express my gratitude from the stage to the fans who have supported us and to all the staff involved. Even though we’re debuting after turning 30, I want to show through our performances that if you don’t give up, you can achieve your dreams. My current goal is to have our own show. Ultimately, we aim to become a group that draws attention not only in Japan but worldwide, and we are working hard every day toward that.”
The dazzling era of MATSURI is about to begin.
PHOTO： Kazuhiko Nakamura