Kaito Shirahase I want to express myself in more diverse settings

■ Profile

Born March 1997, 9.Born in Chiba prefecture.
Belongs to Artist House Pyramid.
She made her modeling debut at the age of 11 in the Chiba Bishoujo Zukan magazine.
At the age of 16, she was selected as one of the top four in the "National Beautiful Girl Encyclopedia" and was scouted, which led to her beginning her entertainment career.
He has starred in three films, and walked the red carpet at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2017 in a leading role at the age of 19. He is currently active in many fields, balancing his work as a TV personality with bodyboarding.
2nd place in the nation for bodyboarding.
Twitter:@kyra_shirahase
Instagram:@kyra.97

Shiranase Kairi is active in a wide range of fields, from acting to TV personality, gravure modeling, and bodyboarding. With healthy, tanned skin and a lovely smile that shows off dazzling white teeth, she is not satisfied with the status quo and is constantly expanding her possibilities. We spoke to her about her diverse career, from her swimming career that began at the age of 0 and her setbacks, to balancing her work as a bodyboarder and actress.

■ Student life devoted to swimming

　My real name, Shirahase Kaira, was given to me by my father, who runs a surf shop, and my mother, who loves Hawaii, by combining "Kaila," which means "the sea sparkling in the sunlight" in Hawaiian, with kanji that means "a gift from the sea." I really love this name!
　I was born into a family with asthma, so I started swimming from the age of 0. When I was a student, I would practice in the morning from 5:30 to 7:00, and then go to swimming practice again after school every day. I wasn't good at studying, so I think I was the kind of student who only worked hard on physical education (laughs).
　I started bodyboarding after graduating from high school. In high school, I was aiming to become a member of the Japanese national swimming team, but I felt that I had reached my limit and was wondering what to do next when I discovered bodyboarding. The exhilaration of riding the waves instantly drew me in to the charm of bodyboarding, and I've been doing it ever since.
　For me, the ocean is a place to refresh myself, and at the same time, a source of energy. However, because I am dealing with nature, I still feel a bit scared the moment I enter the ocean. However, this feeling is very important when dealing with nature. So, whenever I enter the ocean, I look towards the ocean and mutter to myself, "I hope you have a great day today," before I enter.

I realized I liked being photographed

　I started my entertainment career when I was 11 years old, and my father applied to a local free paper called "Chiba Bishojo Zukan." I was then scouted and began working as a model. At the time, I was mainly focusing on swimming, so I wasn't very keen on modeling, but around high school I started to feel like there were limits to what I could make as a competitive swimmer, so I gradually started to think, "Maybe working while being photographed isn't so bad. In fact, I might even like being photographed."
　Amidst all this, I was cast in the lead role in a film. It was a great honor, but because I had no acting experience at all, it was extremely daunting. The most difficult part of acting was reading the author's feelings and thoughts from the script. There is no right answer in acting, so when I was unsure of something, I would consult the director directly. When I was 19, I appeared in the film "Photo Koshien 0.5 Second Summer" and walked the red carpet at the Tokyo International Film Festival. I was so moved that I thought, "I'm glad I've been working in the entertainment industry up until now. I want to work harder." If I'm given the opportunity to try acting again, I'd like to appear in a slightly more serious film like "Shoplifters," or an action movie.

■I want to appear on a variety show and experience Hamada's tsukkomi!

　Recently, I've had more opportunities to work as a gravure model, but it's still difficult to express what readers want from me. In fact, I'm quite stiff, so I often end up with muscle pain the next day after posing in various ways (laughs). I think my charm lies in my smile and healthy sexiness, so I hope to bring that to the forefront in the future. When I released the DVD "1st Impact: Kaira's Tan Lines - Shiranase Kaira," I was able to be photographed as myself, which was a lot of fun.
　Apart from that, I love talking to people, so I'd like to appear on a variety show! I particularly aspire to be on "Dancing! Sanma Goten!!" or "Downtown DX." I'd also love to experience the tsukkomi (comedian's tsukkomi) of Downtown's Hamada-san, who I'm a fan of (laughs). Another dream is to have a swimming competition with Audrey's Kasuga-san. I hate to lose, so when it comes to a competition, I'll give it my all! I'd also like to appear on a quiz show. When I think about it like that, I realize there are still so many things I want to do. I'm greedy, so if I have the chance, I'll try anything and put my all into everything I do.

■It's okay to be unsure about what you want to do.

　What I want to say to all university students is, "Just try doing what you intuitively feel." If you're unsure whether to do something or not, just give it a try. If you find something you want to do, then I think you should work hard at it. Doing what you want to do is better because you won't have any regrets. Worrying isn't a bad thing at all, so I think it's good to worry a lot.
　Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students are forced to study online and are unable to attend school, which is causing them great distress. These times are really tough and difficult. Even if you're taking classes remotely, I hope you'll encourage each other and do your best with your friends. Also, if you can find just one thing that you can do to refresh yourself, I think your mood will change dramatically. Personally, I recommend going to the beach or somewhere else to change your mood!

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on February 17, 2021 by Mana Kitanohara, a third-year student at Kyoritsu Women's University