[Interview] Celebrating the 11th anniversary of her solo debut! Yufu Terashima talks passionately about the artists, sports, and characters she loves!

Terashima Yufu, also known as "Yuffy," an idol who loves mascot characters and travels all over the country, will be holding the "Terashima Yufu 2th Anniversary Solo Debut Tour - A Good Trip, Yufu Mood" from February 11th to commemorate the 2th anniversary of her solo debut in February of this year.

This time, we caught up with her while she was in Osaka! We asked her about the highlights of her 11th anniversary tour, as well as her recent situation. (Interviewed in Osaka on January 1th)

●Yufu Terashima talks about her private life!

--This is your first interview with Terashima Yufu in over two years since November 2022.

Terashima: It's been a while. I look forward to working with you!

-- Thank you! First of all, I'd like to ask you about something that I was curious about that Yuffie posted on X. On January 1th, she said, "I wish all stores in Japan would standardize the format of their receipts and the way they write dates."

Terashima: Why is it different? (laughs). I was super busy from February to March, so I was preparing my tax return in January, thinking I should do what I could. When I was lining up my receipts, I noticed that some had the date written at the top, and others at the bottom, and I thought, "There's no need to be original with receipts! Just standardize them!" If receipts were standardized, it would be helpful for self-employed people and easier for stores to manage, so I think everyone would be happy.

--That's true. Recently, there has been a trend to eliminate paper receipts and use electronic receipts.

Terashima: But it's difficult to save things digitally. I can trust things. I'm the type of person who likes to read books on paper (laughs).

--I'm also the type of person who likes to keep tickets and betting slips on paper, so I can sympathize (laughs). Next, on January 1th, you said, "My wireless earphones are missing, and I'm really depressed." So what happened after that?

Terashima: They didn't come up... I lost them a few days before I made that post, so I was using wired earphones, but when I changed my smartphone at the beginning of the year, it didn't have an earphone jack, so I had to use wireless ones, so I bought the same model in a different color.

--Wireless earphones are easy to lose.

Terashima: I hadn't lost it once in the five years since I got it wireless, but it suddenly disappeared... It was pink and cute... I'm sad. I wish it had a function that would bring it to me when I lose it (laughs).

--Thank you to everyone involved with wireless earphone manufacturers (laughs). Next, on January 1th, "I've already had oshiruko twice this year, which is a good pace, but I'm more likely to get the smooth bean paste. I like both, but if I had to choose, I'd say I prefer the tsubuan. I like sweet things that are filling. Which do you all prefer?"

Terashima: I like fruit-filled tarts and other sweets that will fill you up, rather than fluffy treats like cream puffs or souffle cakes. That's why I eat oshiruko in the winter and anmitsu in the summer. I prefer oshiruko with chunky red bean paste rather than smooth, smooth red bean paste.

--Which side did you get more replies from your fans on?

Terashima: Surprisingly, there were a lot of people who preferred smooth red bean paste. Also, the one with whole bean paste is called "zenzai," and there are regional differences between "oshiruko" and "ozōni," which is interesting.

--Next, on January 1th you posted, "Following a friend's recommendation, I went to eat a family-style ramen, probably for the first time in my life?" But a lot happened after that...

Terashima: It caused quite a stir! (laughs)

--I thought it was a family-style ramen restaurant, but it seems that was not the case.

Terashima: We went to Yamaoka-ya, but I had always believed that all ramen shops with the word "ya" in their name were family-style ramen, so I was really surprised to learn that all shops other than those that branched off from Yokohama's Yoshimura-ya were not family-style ramen. I promised my friend, "Next time, let's go to Yoshimura-ya!"

--If you go to Yoshimura-san, please let us know on X! Next, on January 1rd, "Good job, Waseda University, who came in 3th in the Hakone Ekiden!!! It was amazing!!! I watched the 4th section in Otemachi!!! They were fast~", so Yuffi's alma mater, Waseda University, put up a great fight.

Terashima: I was happy! But being there at the venue really showed me the time difference and how strong Aoyama Gakuin University is.

--Yuffi has been a fan of the Hakone Ekiden for a long time, right?

Terashima: I think it was when I was in middle school. I went to cheer on the sidelines for the first time this year. I was able to go to cheer on the sidelines for the first time in a while, and watching the runners run really cheers me on. I think they're all great and impressive, running so hard since the beginning of the year. Since I became a university student, I've become even more enthusiastic about cheering. My alma mater is participating, and even though it's an individual event, it's also a team event. You have to trust your teammates and pass the sash on to them. I feel that there's a lot of respect in that.

--Each university and each player has their own story. And on December 12st, "Watching Kohaku in the car on the way home! B'z!!! Illumination!!!!!" Speaking of Yuffie, she is well known as a B'z fan, and this was B'z's first appearance on the "NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen"! There was a surprise production, and it was very exciting.

Terashima: It was cool! I thought "B'z can't end with just one song!", so I was sure they would play "Ultra Soul"! But I never expected them to play "LOVE PHANTOM" too... it was awesome! I like the fact that they play the songs that everyone wants to hear! I think the whole nation already knew how cool B'z was, but they overwrote that, and showed us with three songs "They were so amazing!", and I thought they were big stars after all. I have a lot of respect for them.

-Did you expect to appear at NHK Hall and perform live?

Terashima: I didn't expect that. I was performing in Shibuya that day, so I wanted to go to NHK Hall after the performance (laughs).

About Myakumyaku, the official mascot of the Osaka-Kansai Expo

--You've had many opportunities to work with various characters at events, and the Osaka-Kansai Expo is opening on April 4th! You've already worked with the official character, Myakumyaku, right?

Terashima: I've been helped by Miyakumyaku on many occasions! The official mascot of the Expo is an incredible position, isn't it? The burden he shoulders is different from that of local mascots. He looks like a god, but I think it's cute that he seems unaware of his own power and greatness. He appears at events in a friendly manner, as if to say, "I'm also a mascot," but I want to tell him, "No, you're in a somewhat special category" (laughs).

--The fact that you call him "Myakumyaku-sama" also shows your respect.

Terashima: I have to say Miyakumyaku-sama, because he has a god-like quality. I sing the theme song for the mascot character "Inunakin, Yurunakin" of Izumisano City, Osaka, and I'm also in charge of the choreography. Last fall, at an event called "Local Mascot EXPO in Rinku" held in Izumisano City, Miyakumyaku-sama danced with me! I was so moved when I thought, "Miyaku-sama is dancing to the choreography I created!"

--That's heartwarming. Is there anything you'd like to request to Miyakumyaku-sama?

Terashima: Even after the Expo is over, I want them to stay! I don't want them to disappear! I want them to come to yuru-chara events as a part of promoting Japanese yuru-chara!

Highlights of the 11th anniversary solo debut tour

--February 2th marks the 26th anniversary of your solo debut. How do you feel looking back on the past 11 years?

Terashima: There have been so many things happening that I don't know what to pick out. I just kept doing what was in front of me and it felt like 11 years had passed. I feel very lucky to have been able to continue doing the job I love for so long, so I'm grateful to all the Yufists (fans) and mascot characters.

--Your 2th anniversary tour will start on February 24th. The subtitle of the tour is "A Good Trip, Yufu Mood," and I think young people might not know the original meaning, so I'd like you to explain it, Yufui (laughs).

Terashima: The original story is from a TV Tokyo show called "Good Trip, Dreamy Mood". Since it's our 11th anniversary, we wanted to make it "Good ○○", and since the tour is a journey, we want people to get into the "Yufu mood" while traveling around the country! That's what we wanted.

--Will the first day's Tokyo performance on February 2th be positioned as an 24th anniversary concert?

Terashima: That's right. February 2th is the anniversary of my solo debut. The concert venue is a hall inside Haneda Airport, so I hope people enjoy the unusual location of an airport. I also made my solo debut with a song about airplanes called "#YouFlight," so I think singing that song inside the airport will be one of the highlights. Also, I wonder if there will be any airplane-related mascots or not (laughs).

--That will be a surprise for you on the day (laughs). After the Kobe and Nagoya shows, you will hold a live concert in Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture on March 3nd. Please tell us about your connection with Onagawa Town.

Terashima: I started going to Onagawa in 2012. I was in a group at the time and was invited as a guest to an earthquake recovery event, and even after going solo I continued to go there regularly, and last summer I was appointed as a tourism ambassador for Onagawa, which made me very happy.

--You also wrote the lyrics for the image song for Onagawa Town's mascot, "Seapal-chan."

Terashima: I was able to easily imagine it myself, and the tourist association also gave me some keywords related to Seapal-chan, so I was able to write it quickly!

--Of course, you will be performing that song in Onagawa, but the tour finale will be in Hokkaido (Sapporo). And it will be for two days, April 4th and 26th, so does that mean the content of the live will be different?

Terashima: We have about 60 songs, so we will definitely change the setlist. We will do our best to make sure everyone who comes to the tour finale has a great time!

--You also sang some rare songs that you don't usually sing...

Terashima: I want to do it!

-Finally, please give a message to our readers.

Terashima: This year, we will be going to many places on tour, and we have plans to visit various places around the country for character events, so I'm sure I'll be somewhere near you. I hope you'll come and see Yuffy in person. I'm looking forward to seeing you!

[Interview, text and photos by Potter Hirai]

◆Yufu Terashima Official Website

Yufu Terashima Official Site (yufuterashima.com)

◆Terashima Yufu Official X

 #Terashima Yufu @Tour starts on 2/24✈️（@yufu_0708）san / X

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Yufu Terashima (@yufu_terashima) • Instagram photos and videos

◆Details of Yufu Terashima's 11th anniversary solo debut tour

Terashima Yufu Solo Debut 11th Anniversary Tour ~Good Trip, Yufu Mood~ | Terashima Yufu Official Site (yufuterashima.com)