<figure id="attachment_451711" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451711" style="width: 8192px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0bf6db4e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/98888e150e3a31fc362cfa17fa62d4ca.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451711" class="wp-caption-text">Hashizume interviewed by FRIDAY Digital</figcaption></figure>
<h2> Formerly a garbage collector: &#8230;&#8230;</h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> She said, &#8220;I moved to Tokyo when I was 19 and didn&#8217;t budge for 10 years. It was a really long period of underachievement. That&#8217;s why I&#8217;m so happy that I&#8217;m able to be busy every day like this now.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p> MATSURI&#8221; 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.</p>
<p> MATSURI&#8221; was formed in July 2011 with six members who won auditions in which more than 3,000 people participated. The concept was to &#8220;bring Showa songs and Showa pops into the modern age. They made their major debut in January 1925 with the single &#8220;Avantur Nakameguro.</p>
<p> The members of the group have diverse backgrounds, perhaps because they are &#8220;late bloomers,&#8221; debuting after they had all reached 30 years of age. Hashizume used to work as a garbage collector.</p>
<figure id="attachment_451716" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451716" style="width: 5464px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4e27e7b5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/6abc782188153a1258536ff6565ead32.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451716" class="wp-caption-text"> In 2012, they performed at Tokyu Kabukicho Tower.</figcaption></figure>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> 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, &#8216;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.</span><span class="strongInContent"> I had been active in a group before &#8220;MATSURI,&#8221; but things didn&#8217;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.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> 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.</span></p>
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<p> The work he did as a garbage collector also came in handy after his debut as an artist.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> 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,&#8221; he said. The physical strength and efficient thinking are also useful in the activities of &#8220;MATSURI. I can truly say that I am glad I did this.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" If you don&#39;t give up, you can catch your dream."></div>
<figure id="attachment_451717" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451717" style="width: 5464px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e61c3411"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/9cf2b398854fbeaf60883f42d774ec5a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451717" class="wp-caption-text">Debut single reached No. 1 on the Oricon Weekly Ranking</figcaption></figure>
<h2> The Audition that Changed Their Lives</h2>
<p> 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.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> I didn&#8217;t know he was going to be there, so it was a real surprise,&#8221; Hashizume said. Mr. Akimoto told us on the spot, &#8216;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.</span></p>
<p> MATSURI&#8221; won the Best New Artist Award at the &#8220;67th Shine! Japan Record Award&#8221; in 2013. She has been steadily climbing the ladder to star status.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> 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 &#8216;if you don&#8217;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.</span></p>
<p> The flashy &#8220;MATSURI&#8221; is about to begin.</p>
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 Kazuhiko Nakamura

 MATSURI" is a six-member Showa-era singing group produced by Yasushi Akimoto (67). Kenji Hashizume, a former garbage collector with a unique background, talks about his past and future.

From Garbage Collector to the Stage of Reco&#8230; Kenji Hashizume of &#8220;MATSURI&#8221; talks about his &#8220;suffering and ambition&#8221; when he was a lowly worker

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

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