Why did a former Takarazienne start working part-time at a coffee chain after leaving the company?

The company’s main productions of “Sherlock Holmes – THE GAME Is Afoot!” and “Délicieux!” took place from June to September last year. -He is a 94th generation male actor who made his Takarazuka debut in 2008 in “ME AND MY GIRL” in the Tsuki group. While many people take it easy after leaving the troupe, Riwan Hoshizuki was different. Immediately after leaving the troupe, she began working part-time at a major coffee chain and studying for what she wants to do.

From an early age, she pursued her dreams in a “realistic” manner.

I had no idea that the world would change so much in the past two years due to the new coronavirus. Looking back, I was able to perform in “Annie” as a child actor, and then in the Takarazuka Revue, and I was able to reach the place I had been aiming for, which made me feel happy. However, even there, things didn’t always go the way I wanted them to. I think I was able to overcome that thanks to my efforts since I was a child to feel normal and to always keep a neutral mind.

Hailing from Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, Ms. Hoshizuki began classical ballet at the age of three and attended a local musical school from the age of five. Then, at the age of 9, in the third grade of elementary school, she began auditioning for the musical “Annie. Only about 20 out of 10,000 students pass the audition every year, but in her third year of junior high school, she passed the audition and her dream came true after seven years.

I envied the children around me because they were always praising me, but my mother told me clearly that when I was not good enough, I was not good enough, and she kept breaking my nose. But now I wonder if that was a good thing.”

When he was a child actor, he wanted to join the Shiki Theater Company, but as he grew taller and taller, he decided that the Shiki would be difficult. He decided to apply to Takarazuka Music School after hearing that the tap teacher who had choreographed for Annie was also teaching at Takarazuka Revue. In his second year of high school, he took the entrance exam for the third time and his wish came true.

Hoshizuki has two younger brothers, and although she was concerned about the tuition fees …… she was about to incur, she took the Takarazuka entrance exam with no regrets. She worked hard during the last year of the exam, with a schedule so hard that she said she could not have worked harder than this.

I worked hard and worked part-time at McDonald’s in front of the station from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. to help pay for lessons,” she said. I went to school right after my part-time job, and when school was over, I drove one and a half hours each way to Tokyo to go to lessons at ……. I also needed time to practice singing and dancing, so I did my homework on the train. If I worked this hard and didn’t make it, no regrets! But I’m glad I was able to pass on the third try.

During his time with the company, he realized how grateful he was to be on stage every day.

Takarazuka has a theater, and the costumes and sets are wonderful. And the environment of ……, with over 2,000 people coming to see us every day, is a very blessed one for a stage performer. I was aware that this was not the norm. My friends who were on stage with other theater companies said they had to work part-time to make a living, and I was grateful to be able to focus solely on the stage with a theater company that has been around for over 100 years.”

There is a saying in Takarazuka: “Ten years in a male role. Although Hoshizuki had decided to continue until his 10th year, he spent his time trying to cherish how he felt when he reached that age.

In 2017,” he said, “I got a role that I couldn’t have played in my previous capacities. It was called ‘Land of the Gods,’ and I got to play General Galitsky, a military heavyweight in his 60s. I hit a big wall. I had to play a man with more life experience and inclusiveness than anyone else in the scene. I felt that there was still more I could do with this role.

And in 2019, my 12th year, I have been able to play all the roles I had wanted to play. Having gained a sense of accomplishment, Ms. Hoshizuki decided to move on, deciding to graduate in August 2020, but due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, she had to postpone her graduation for a year.

She said, “Leaving a group is not a half-hearted decision, so to be honest, I was a bit perplexed when the decision to leave was made at the last minute. However, during the year that followed, I was able to feel even happier than before about being able to perform on stage.

Finding the Positive in the Negative

Because Takarazuka members live together for a long period of time, differences in values and opinions inevitably arise. If there is any kind of rift, it will show on stage. If we can communicate smoothly at all times, we and those around us can perform more comfortably. …… Mr. Hoshizuki has come to believe so. If you have a way to control your emotions, not only on stage, but in any situation in your life, you will be able to live a better life.

How can I control my emotions better? In my 8th year (Ken 8), the newcomer’s performance was over and I was able to spend more time on myself instead of rehearsing. Now I am studying Hiromi Wada’s Yo-Turn Thinking.”

Ms. Wada, known as a charismatic saleswoman and the author of 67 books, advocates positive thinking. This is different from mere positive thinking, she says, because it is based on negativity. The idea is to find a positive from a negative once a day. By continuing to do this, it is a way of thinking that makes it easier to change the tendency of one’s way of thinking toward the positive. He is working hard to become a certified positive thinking counselor, not only for himself, but also to help those around him.

For example, let’s say you have an injury and have to take time off. For example, if you have to take time off because of an injury, you can find the positives in that. For example, “I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time to think, but I’m glad that my injury gave me time to stop and think about it. By making it a habit to look for such good things, you can turn your life around. By using this way of thinking, I have also come to be able to recognize my good points. I feel that this is very much in tune with the times we live in, and I would like to spread this know-how.

He also has a part-time job and is in the process of learning social common sense.

One month after leaving Takarazuka, Ms. Hoshizuki began working part-time at a major coffee chain as a way to learn about society. This is in contrast to other OGs, who take a period of time to recharge their batteries immediately after leaving the company.

Takarazuka is a special world,” she says, “so while you are still a member of the troupe you are, in a sense, away from common sense. So after I left Takarazuka, I realized that some of the rules that were considered normal in Takarazuka did not necessarily apply in general society.”

Coffee from my favorite coffee chain that I received as a gift during my working years. I admired the environment of that coffee chain because every store I visited was pleasant and the people who worked there were highly motivated. When he started working there, he learned a lot.

There are partitions between customers who wear masks to prevent infection, and it is sometimes difficult to hear when taking orders. Without pointing and checking, they could get the order wrong. Even when I think I have conveyed my message, there are cases where it has not been conveyed, and I am keenly aware of the difficulty of establishing communication. I have found a rewarding part-time job, and I am living a fulfilling life.

My older brother is called TERU, and he is a magician. My younger brother is a comedian named Shirasu Smith. Actually, my brother who is a magician and I are going to have talk live shows in Nakameguro and Ginza in April. We have never had any interaction between our respective fans before, but I was hoping we could do something together someday, so I am looking forward to it! I am excited that we can still start new things in the future.”

In addition, he began teaching kids’ classes at a dance studio in Tokyo. She is a sparkling figure, eagerly taking on new challenges, such as training younger dancers. She is sure to give courage and hope to many people in a different way than she did during her active career.

Talk Live by Riwan Hoshizuki and TERU
Saturday, April 23, 2022 Contact (happy_time_together63@yahoo.co.jp)

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