Yuma Abe’s Maiden Voyage to the US: Unveiling the Motivation Behind His Audacious Pursuits

Abe: I believe You Have to Seize Your own Place of Peace for Yourself

-This year, never young beach celebrates its 10th anniversary. Despite starting as a band with members having little music experience, you’ve participated in numerous domestic events. However, you’ve also experienced various ups and downs, such as members leaving the band. Meanwhile, domestically, the economy stagnates, politicians betray the people, and there’s a sense of stagnation. Was this North American tour a way to escape from such entanglements?

Abe: There’s a lot, definitely. I don’t have many friends in Japan, so I don’t feel a strong pull towards it. But I do harbor dissatisfaction and anger towards the current state of politics in Japan. Even though I keep going to vote and doing what I can, I’m starting to feel, at 33, that there might be personal limits due to the times when there’s nothing you can do. I still believe that you have to seize your own place of peace for yourself.

So, rather than complaining about Japan where I have no friends, I have to think about expanding my horizons and making friends overseas to stay positive. I want to have my place in various countries and build meaningful connections.

– After this North American tour, do you have any goals or projects you’d like to pursue in the future?

Abe: I’d like to go back to America and I’m also interested in South America lately, but considering financial aspects, I want to travel to as many places as possible and make friends with people who are doing various kinds of music in different countries. As you grow older, you become more accustomed to things, and the sense of tension diminishes. If you get too used to the gentle environment in Japan, you become complacent. For me, foreign countries are places that are clearly different, so I think it’s important to dive into environments where unexpected things can happen, and after experiencing that tension, I believe it will change what I can do in Japan as well.