>>14156011--You experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake when you were in the fifth grade of elementary school.
>It was the scariest shaking I had ever experienced, but I was at school at the time, and since I was in the upper grades, I tried not to be scared in front of the anxious younger children. I was able to go home that day from the person whose parents came to pick me up, but since neither of my parents could come, I stayed at school.--How much damage did you suffer?
>My mother's work place was hit by the tsunami and her car was ruined, and my brother could have been swept away by the tsunami if the bus had been one bus ride later. My father, a fisherman, used to work on a fixed-net fishing boat. At the time of the earthquake, he used to take a certain amount of sea urchins and abalone at a certain time of the year, and although the boat and hut were ruined...my father was safe. I still hate the sound of the sirens that go off during earthquakes.--You watched wrestling for the first time after the earthquake.
>When I was in the 6th grade, New Japan Pro-Wrestling came to my hometown for a charity wrestling event, and that was the first time I learned about professional wrestling. I was invited to go by a junior who liked Tanahashi (Hiroshi), and I was hooked. In junior high school, I applied for a project sponsored by Real Japan Pro Wrestling (led by the first Tiger Mask) to take kids from my school to Ganryujima, and I was accepted. At that time, there was a party where we could have dinner with pro-wrestlers. I was thinking, "There are no wrestlers at all," when suddenly, during the final photo shoot, he pulled a mask out of his pocket and started wearing it (laughs). (laughter). I was so surprised and it left a strong impression on me. 