Ethos ✧ 22 ✧ he/him ✧ ISTJ

Ito Kashitaro lecture meeting “Make your dreams come true!"By Asahi Shimbun Company on December 22 2017

chachameleonn:

Ito Kashitaro, a singer and songwriter who is popular among junior high and high school students. Started posting to Nico Nico Douga from 2011, attracted attention and do major debut in 2014. Exceeded 700,000 followers on Twitter and also appeared on the big festival “Countdown Japan” at the end of last year. At the lecture meeting for junior high and high school students in Tokyo on December 22, last year, for the first time he showed his episodes in elementary school days when he was bullied and college days when he got into poverty. Even if he is facing adversity, he changed it to positive and grab his dreams to reflect himself at the past until now, “It was a life where I keep struggling over and over again. Any dream is alright so I want you to decide the start and the limit by yourself” He sends a yell to the students.

Telling my past story, for the first time

Other than his music activities, Kashitaro also active in a wide range of fields such as radio personality. “I fell in love with his singing voice” “He is always encouraged me” He gathered so much warm supports from Junior high and Senior high school students.

However, even now, he has never talked about his youth. A lecture meeting “Make your dreams come true!” sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun company · Tokyo central Asahi-kai invited 350 Junior high and High school students. It’s his chance to talk for the first time about the half of his life progress from elementary school until the beginning as a band members.

My experience of being bullied “Become positive today”

“A life where I struggled and struggled. My first time speaking like this” Kashitaro who began to talk suddenly confessed, “I was bullied for 6 years in elementary school”

“even until now the news are still reporting about bullying issues, it was the same as that, the bullying was so cruel. In my case, the bullies themselves didn’t remember much about it”

Even so, Bullying experience is “A plus” said kashitaro while looking around. “Because I can understand other people’s pain. I couldn’t speak ill to others. Even for a joke.”

“The people who think they couldn’t hurt anyone’s heart, they might have experience being hurt in the past. So, now, I don’t want people that being bullied to think about bullying another person again. That experience might either become positive or useless, it dependent on oneself. For me, I become kind to people. When people become kind, they will be trusted by other people.”

There are painful times and not being able to doing anything right. “Those are a step to grow into adulthood” He spoke passionately.

Mistakenly enters “A theater company”

In Junior high and High school, points of contact with music activities comes up. Kashitaro said that he liked musicals because of parent’s influence in childhood. “I loved [Shiki Theater Company]. Everyone’s singing so well. I also want to be good at singing so I thought I could be able to practice if I joined a theater company.”

He search about his desired “theater company” also experienced scouting to it and “save up” for the entrance fee. Although it was splendidly scouted, it was not a musical theater he imagined, but an actor training school.

“I thought I could only sing a song, but the voice, body movements and acting were the main. I thought I’m going to regret it, but the lecturer soon used me on the spot, saying that my voice was good. Even if I got misunderstood at first, acting became more and more interesting for me.”

And acting, “Has something in common with music.” He said. That is “art=expressing things”

For example, Pablo Picasso’s work [Guernica] that was refer to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. “Picasso wanted to tell something and he had a feeling that he need to convey it, so he decided to express it through drawing. Acting and music are the same, if there is nothing to convey, nothing will be conveyed.” He said powerfully.

“I have something I wanted to tell to the world. And that become my motivation power”

Being deceived and poor, but still facing forward

After going on to university, Kashitaro started working on a full-scale band. However, unexpected things happen. “We was deceived by adults saying “let’s make a debut” and took a lot of money from all the five band members.“ Kashitaro who left his parents and lived alone felt an extreme poverty at one stroke.

It seems that there was also a case where he only has 7 yen, while there are still days until his private tutoring salary to comes out. However, while he spend his days hungry without food he keep facing forward “That was something that can’t really be experienced easily, and vocalists who have a different experienced from other people should be able to sing songs that different from other people” he said positively. He also have been out of good health sometimes, but his friends helped him.

“"You’re hungry right. Let’s go to a ramen shop.” said a friend as they withdraw money at ATM. I could see the balance in the screen, there is only 2200 yen. They lowered 2000 yen from there and lent me 1000 yen. I will never forget the taste of ramen I ate with that money.“

The band that always together in joy and sorrow breakup with the university graduation, but Kashitaro passion for music never disappeared. “Let’s start from scratch again.” They started a street live for three to four hours every day at Kawasaki station.

“There were few people to stop by to see, but still continuing everyday anyway, here is the guts for music were trained. My encounter with Shibata, the guitarist who still working together with me until now is also in Kawasaki. The visitor did not increase at all for several years, but it was never a waste.”

In parallel with street live, continued to contribute to Nico Nico Douga, kashitaro fulfilled his dreams to do major debut. “I had always been told that I don’t have charisma,  It feels strange now that I’m no longer being told so.” Even so, he said there are still troubles until now.

“Everytime I get off the stage, I think I’d like to show a better live performance next time. People can’t grow without trouble”

To make dreams come true “I’m continue to struggle”

Kashitaro has talked about his personal experiences so far. Finally, he talked about “How to engage with dreams”.

When he was a cram school instructor or a private tutor, the problems he heard from the students seems to have been mostly about study, course, and future dreams.

“I have heard a lot of consultation about the students who have trouble “I have no motivation” or “ I don’t want to go to school” There are a lot of people who have not decided their dreams, but there is no need to force yourself to have a dream. I have found my dream early, but if you can’t find yours, you should struggle until you find it. Struggling when you haven’t find it, is the same as you’re struggling after finding it”

“I want you to struggle without being disturbed by the values ​​of the society and the media.” He said. “The thing you can’t do the most is to not doing anything, even if you have been told that you are useless, you should struggling if you believe you are valuable, it’s yourself who decide the start and the limit.”

Kashitaro has decided to have a throat surgery this year. At the end of the lecture, he promised the students listening seriously.

“I love music. so, I’m continue to struggle from now on”

Ito Kashitaro with fox mask as a trademark, with the outstanding singing skill as a weapon, booming in the category of “tried to sing” on a video posting site. The total number of playback on the posted video from 2011 exceeds 58 million views. Did major debut with 1st album “Ichii Senshin” in 2014. The 3rd album “Niten Ichiryuu” which was released in October 2017 ranked ninth in Oricon Weekly chart. A nationwide tours take place after released are totally SOLD OUT. He is a singer and songwriter who is expected to be continue active in 2018.