Ruriko Kojima: “I am truly blessed and I want to live up to the expectations of those who support me” [Exclusive Interview].

In this issue, we present an exclusive interview with Ruriko Kojima, 32, a celebrity who has been at the forefront of the entertainment industry for 13 years since she entered the entertainment business at the age of 15.

Ruriko Kojima: “I’m far from smart now, but that’s the real me. But that is the real me.

I would be lying if I said, ‘I don’t find it hard.

Kojima says that her current life has become much simpler. When she was single, she used to spend the money she earned as she pleased, but now she invests it only in what she really needs.

He says, “Surprisingly, I don’t want things anymore. I used to love fashion and buy clothes and live in a high-rent apartment, so I want to lecture the me of that time, saying, ‘You should live somewhere less expensive and save your money’ (laughs). (Laughs.) “You don’t need a house so big that you have to run down the hallway to get to the front door when the intercom rings!　I said.

I don’t want to be a spendthrift, but I don’t want to be a cheapskate either. As a business owner, I still have a lot to learn, so I try to spare no expense when it comes to business-related expenses, such as acquiring knowledge and traveling to visit farmers around the country.

Furthermore, he says that his cost-consciousness about time has also changed dramatically.

Customers who visit our stores don’t just give us their money, they also give us their precious time. I felt the weight of that. Since my days at Hollypro, I have been taught not to be late, but I realized once again that it is not just good manners, but also that we are giving our time to many people involved and the staff.

He says that he learned all the common sense of society from his time in high school.

I was also protected. It was only when I became responsible for everything that I realized how important it is to have an organization that protects you.

I would be lying if I said that I don’t find it hard at all, because the weight of responsibility on my back sometimes makes me tingle. But it’s not just hard. Many people are helping me to do what I want to do. So I am truly blessed, and I want to live up to the expectations of those who support me.

Kojima repeated this phrase many times during the interview. Why is it that she is able to say this even after experiencing the turbulence of her husband’s sudden death?

She said, “So many people have helped me over the past year. From the day my husband passed away until today, there has been someone who has been there for me, whether it be a family member or a friend, to make sure that I am not alone.

One friend just nodded and listened to me when I was in the depths of grief, and took my hand and pulled me up when I tried to stand up. There were also acquaintances who gave me ideas when I tried to start a business and helped me with practical work. I don’t know how I could have been so blessed.”

He doesn’t even try to be liked.

When she is at work, her family takes care of her two-year-old son. Kojima revealed one rule that he has set for himself: “In the future, I don’t want my son to ask, ‘Why isn’t my father home?

I think there will come a time in the future when my son will ask me, “Why doesn’t my family have a father? I think there will come a time in the future when my son will ask me, ‘Why is there no father in my house? I have imagined many times how I would face such a question. But I still don’t know what kind of words I should use to tell him.

But I have decided on one thing. That is that I want the first thing I learn about my husband to be from my own words, not from the Internet. And I want to continue to tell people how irreplaceable our son is to us.”

The tea business is in the process of considering a business model that will allow it to reach even more people in the future.

For example, mothers raising children sometimes don’t have time to drink tea. I think it would be great if we could offer a café service with childcare so that they can take a break and relax. I would like to propose a time when people can leave their children in the care of a childcare worker and enjoy tea in a safe environment.

Her future goal is to have her 40-something self say, “Thank you for working so hard in your 30s. When Kojima said this, a strong light came into his eyes again.

There was a time when I used to have a longing to become someone like you, but in the past year, I have completely lost that longing. I realized that I can’t be the same as someone else even if I admire them.

I don’t want to be disliked willingly, but I also don’t want to be liked anymore. I don’t need to force myself to be liked, and I think it’s fine if I just be myself. ……See, SMAP has been singing this song for a long time. You know, SMAP sang this to me a long time ago: “You’re not number one, you’re only one” (laughs).

(Laughs.) A flexible strength that transcends the world’s evaluation. Perhaps this is the true form of the Kojiri-Muso.

Ruriko Kojima: “I am far from smart now, but that’s the real me. But that is the real me.

From the May 1-8, 2026 issue of FRIDAY