{"id":657339,"date":"2026-10-26T07:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T07:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/657339\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T07:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T07:02:11","slug":"10-of-the-nicest-celebrities-weve-met-in-japan-over-the-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/657339\/","title":{"rendered":"10 of the nicest celebrities we\u2019ve met in Japan over the years"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Who wowed our reporters the most with sheer friendliness?<\/p>\n

Our website has been around for quite a while now, and over the years we\u2019ve even had the opportunity to rub shoulders with famous movie stars and musicians from time to time. Considering we\u2019re known for behavior that some may deem \u201cgross<\/a>\u201d or \u201cindecent<\/a>,\u201d it wouldn\u2019t be too shocking if they treated us like the schlubs we admittedly are, but there have been a few who really seemed to shine as genuinely good people.<\/p>\n

So, our Japanese language writers would now like to take a moment and give credit where credit\u2019s due to the famous people from Japan, as well as famous people from abroad who visited Japan, who really made a positive impact on us.<\/p>\n

When it comes to celebrity interviews, P.K. Sanjun is usually our frontline reporter. As such, he\u2019s met the likes of Will Smith<\/a>, Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/a>, and Tom Holland<\/a>, to name a few. But here are the people who made the biggest impression on him.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Chris Pratt<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve interviewed a lot of Hollywood actors, and they\u2019ve all been really nice. I sort of think you need to be in order to make it out there.<\/p>\n

But among them, Chris Pratt stood out as a super nice person. When I finished my interview, I was just sitting there feeling awkward, but he took the initiative and said, \u201cHey! Let\u2019s take a photo together!\u201d It was a god-tier gesture and made me fall in love with the guy.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Maximum the Ryo-kun<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a very private person. You could even say he\u2019s mysterious, and very artistic too. But he\u2019s also an absolute legend and totally down to earth when you talk to him. So much so that I found myself wondering, \u201cDoes a celebrity like this actually exist?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rest of the band [that he\u2019s in, Maximum the Hormone], were great too. Nao-chan immediately snapped a picture after Ryo-kun shaved my eyebrows. Even though it\u2019d been years since I last interviewed them, Daisuke-kun greeted me with a friendly \u201cLong time no see!\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Ue-chan, who shyly chatted with me about kendama<\/a>, was wonderful too. In short, Maximum the Hormone aren\u2019t just great because of their music. They\u2019re a class act as well.
If I ever get another chance to meet Ryo-kun, I want to ask him why he loves [\u201980s Japanese rock band] Lindberg so much.<\/p>\n

Mr. Sato\u2019s been known to do a few interviews in his days as well, including none other than Santa Claus<\/a>. But what big names managed to out-nice even Ol\u2019 Saint Nick for our star reporter?<\/p>\n

\u25cf Cunning Takeyama<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve met the famous Japanese comedian Cunning Takeyama a few times now, and every time his genuine kindness shines through. His work often involves interacting with the general public in TV segments, so he seems to make a conscious effort to make people feel at ease. That gentle, approachable character he shows the moment he meets someone is something that I aspire to emulate as an adult.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Shinichiro Azumi<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been invited on his TBS radio show Nichiyo Tengoku a few times. Even though it\u2019s a live broadcast, he went out of his way to look after me because of my lack of experience in this setting. He has a way of completely managing the flow of conversation but never lets it show by drawing stories out of me naturally. It\u2019s the mark of a true professional and made a strong impression on me in the way I could relax and have a natural conversation with him.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t often see Yoshio interviewing famous people, unless it involves a money-making scheme<\/a>,\u00a0 but he\u2019s often behind the camera at these meet-ups and has interacted with plenty of famous people as well. Here\u2019s who made the biggest impact on him.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Matt Damon<\/p>\n

I was a photographer at an interview with him<\/a> during the release of Jason Bourne. He might be a world-famous actor, but he didn\u2019t act like it at all and answered every question from P.K. with sincerity. I\u2019ve been present for a lot of celebrity interviews, but Matt Damon was the nicest of them all. It really took me aback how humble someone of his stature could be. He was just a very cool guy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25cf Yumi Adachi<\/p>\n

I was the photographer when Seiji interviewed her while pretending to be Yngwie Malmsteen<\/a>. I always thought she had a very elegant fashion sense and way of life, so I was intimidated to meet her, but she turned out to be incredibly friendly and cheerful, exactly like she is on television. While we were standing around waiting, she noticed I had the latest iPhone at the time and said, \u2018Wow, it\u2019s got three lenses!\u201d I still have and cherish that phone to this day.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Yumi Adachi and Yngwie Malmsteen (Seiji Nakazawa)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The interviews where Seiji Nakazawa pretended to be Yngwie Malmsteen<\/a> in an effort to join famous people\u2019s musical projects were always dicey ones. They rarely ended up being actual interviews, and the famous people involved would have had every right to chew us out for making a mockery of the whole process. But it\u2019s also a chance for celebrities to really show how easy-going they can be, as Ahironeko recalls.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Non<\/p>\n

This was our very first Yngwie project<\/a>, and I was the photographer. The awkward tension in the air was so thick both for us and the people on her side. None of us really knew what was going on.
Considering that, it wouldn\u2019t have been a surprise if she just snapped at us with, \u201cExcuse me\u2026 What the hell are you doing?\u201d But she was all smiles the whole time. A true goddess.<\/p>\n

Takashi Furusawa is a newer addition to our staff and hasn\u2019t been to as many interviews as the others. But that doesn\u2019t mean he hasn\u2019t had his own brushes with greatness.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Miki Narahashi<\/p>\n

Miki Narahashi is best known as the voice of Misae Nohara in the long-running hit Crayon Shinchan<\/a>.
But for me, she was also my senpai when I was at voice acting school. I still clearly remember how she always looked out for me, giving me advice and kind encouragement when I had problems.
It was a true honor to have studied under her for two years, and I still cherish that experience to this day.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Nararhashi has played the mother of Shin-chan for the entire run of the series.<\/p>\n

As Takashi mentioned, not all of our celebrity encounters come from interviews. Many of our writers have also appeared on TV and radio over the years, where they\u2019ve bumped into famous faces. Go Hatori has a few memories along those lines too.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Kuroda<\/p>\n

I met Kuroda, from the comedy duo Messenger, when we appeared together on a TV show in Osaka in 2014 and I was asked to talk as a spam email expert. I was so nervous that my legs were shaking uncontrollably, but he kept tossing out these perfectly timed, light-hearted jokes that completely eased my tension. He had a way of making everything I said funny and was just a truly kind and thoughtful person. I\u2019m filled with both gratitude and admiration for him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25cf First Summer Uika<\/p>\n

I met First Summer Uika (a singer, actress, and media personality) while doing voice acting and on some TV sets. She was always very approachable and easy to talk to. It left a big impression on me! One time she even came all the way from her dressing room to where I was working to say hi. I\u2019m such a big fan of hers now that I even have an acrylic standee of her on my desk. I even have a T-shirt with her on it that I\u2019ve kept secret until now.<\/p>\n

This certainly isn\u2019t an exhaustive list, but 10 is a nice round number and lets the real cream of the crop rise to the top.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re a mega-famous, internationally known movie star, musician, and\/or athlete, please apply to have us interview you, and you may just be one of the lucky few to make a future nicest-ever list. Please submit your applications in an orderly fashion, and we\u2019ll get back to you as soon as we can.<\/p>\n

Photos \u00a9SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese<\/a> ]<\/p>\n