Kaho Takada: Keep running in the present so that you can make the past a good one

■ Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1996. Active as an actress and TV personality since 2014. Heroine of "Kamen Rider Build" (TV Asahi, 2017), lead role in "Love Isn't It Wrong to Love Me More Than Love?" (Chugoku Broadcasting, 2019), heroine of "Sniper Tokimura Masayoshi's Work Style Reform" (CBC TV, 2020).

Takada Kaho has demonstrated her talents not only in acting but also in many other fields, having won the All Japan Ninja Championship, completed the Yokohama Marathon, and attained a 7th-grade Kendama certificate. She entered the entertainment industry after appearing briefly on a wipe on "Sanma no Karakuri TV." We spoke to Takada Kaho, who says she has truly experienced the truth that "you never know what's going to happen in life."

■My student life as an ordinary girl

　I've always been cheerful, sociable, and always smiling. I was quite athletic, and I was a tomboyish, lively girl who could avoid the ball until the very end of a dodgeball game. I was always a relay runner in elementary school, and in junior high I joined the track and field club, competing in sprints and long jumps. My typical student life consisted of peering at the baseball team practicing next door on the same field, and searching for someone I was interested in. In high school, I joined the dance club, known as the strictest of all the school's clubs, where I learned the importance of hierarchical relationships between seniors and juniors, being 15 minutes early, and the basics of reporting, contacting, and consulting. I had a close group of friends in the same class and club, and on my birthday, each of us would bake a whole cake and bring it to school, and we'd all eat it during the 10-minute break from class.
　The school festival is one that left a lasting impression on me. We wore matching class T-shirts and lined up to take photos with our favorite seniors. When the dance club, which I put a lot of effort into, performed, I got a lot of calls of "Kaho-chan!" from the seniors when I came on stage, and I thought maybe that was the most popular time of my life (laughs). Although I started my entertainment career in high school, being able to live this normal student life is in a way one of my strengths.

■The moment my life changed 180 degrees

　I decided to enter the entertainment industry when I was in my second year of high school. I was walking around Harajuku in my school uniform with a friend when I was approached to be interviewed on "Sanma no Karakuri TV." This led to an offer to appear on the show, and when I appeared on stage sitting on a stage with about 20 other girls, my current manager happened to see me on screen for a moment and scouted me.
When I was scouted, I was worried about my future career path and had many uncertainties about going into showbiz. However, someone from my agency took me to an AKB48 concert, which was hugely popular at the time, and I was so moved that I thought, "The showbiz world is such a wonderful world!" and decided to go into showbiz.
　After I entered the entertainment industry, I spent my early days auditioning. Then, my first job, which also became a regular program, was NHK's "R no Housoku." This program was developed with love by the staff, so I enjoyed every day very much. There were many men and women of my age on set, and I was able to spend my youth in a different way to student life. Takada Kaho is who she is today thanks to "R no Housoku." I am very grateful.

■ When everyone is having fun, I am having fun too

　There are difficult and tough times in my work. But perhaps it's just my personality, but I enjoy everything as an unexpected journey. For example, when my work decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought about how I could maintain my professionalism, and the first thing that came to mind was "makeup."
　So I contacted some hair and makeup artists and photographers I know via Instagram direct mail and planned a photoshoot. It was the first time I'd ever approached everyone on my own, but everyone brought their own themes and concepts they wanted to work on, and it became a place where everyone could do what they wanted, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone having fun made me feel happy too, and it was a very memorable photoshoot.

■Don't hold on to ideals, believe in yourself and keep striving for the top

　I try not to idealize myself on a daily basis. That's because even if I try to "become someone," I won't become that person. I know my own strengths better than anyone, so I try not to get caught up in anything. Like a tuna that dies if it stops moving, I always aim to improve and live my life believing in myself.
　I also always try to do my best in whatever is in front of me. For example, winning the All Japan Ninja Championships, completing the Yokohama Marathon, and obtaining my 7th grade Kendama certification were all things I was initially approached about for TV programs. It was completely unknown territory, but I think I was able to overcome it with guts and hard work because I believed in myself and put in all my effort.

■The next time you connect, praise yourself

　I played a Carp girl in the drama "Koi Yori Suki Ja Dame Desu Ka?" and was very happy when I was cast in a Hiroshima Bank commercial a few months later. I also made my artist debut and received the Japan Record Award, and it makes me very happy when my work leads to the next job.
　In a world where praise is common, even if someone says, "Let's work together again," only a handful of people actually realize that. That's why, when I get the next job, I try to think that it was a good job that I can praise myself for. However, even if there are times when I think, "I made a mistake," I use that as motivation to work hard on the task at hand and make use of my past reflections.

■ It's okay to mistakenly think "I'm amazing" when you're young

Carl Smokey Ishii of Kome Kome Club once said, "Youth is 'stupidity.' When do you become stupid? When you become an adult, you become bound by common sense and narrow your own world." These words really resonated with me. When you're young, you should just rely on your youth and run with it. As you gradually grow up and start to realize different things, you become scared and unable to move. When you're young, as long as you don't forget gratitude, respect, and humor, I think it's okay to be a little deluded into thinking, "I'm amazing."

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on February 16, 2021 by Mana Kitanohara, a third-year student at Kyoritsu Women's University