What I want to see is something "out of the ordinary." Hairi Katagiri talks about her carefree travel style

The taste of seasonings changes depending on where you go. That surprise is what made me love traveling

On Trip JAL Editorial Department (hereinafter, JAL): Katagiri-san, you are known to be a travel lover, but have you loved traveling since you were a child?

Hairi Katagiri (hereinafter, Katagiri): No, I didn't like it that much when I was a child. I was the type of kid who would say things like, "I don't want to go!" the day before a trip, and make my parents feel uncomfortable (laughs).

JAL: So what made you fall in love with traveling?

Katagiri: I was born and raised in Tokyo, and I had a vague aversion to the countryside. When I was in my twenties, I was going to tour Shikoku for two months for a theatrical job, and when I first heard about it, I was half in tears and said, "I can't leave Tokyo that far!" But when I actually went, I ended up having a lot of fun (laughs).

JAL: What was fun about it?

Katagiri: The show was like a play touring small towns all over Shikoku, and it was really interesting to see how the ingredients and miso used in the cooking changed slightly at each place we went to. At that time, you couldn't buy barley miso in Tokyo, so I was like, "What is this sweet miso?" That's when I started to enjoy touring Shikoku.

Also, it was the season for pomelo, a fruit that is a specialty of Kochi, and they were sold in huge bags over there. I bought some and ate them every day, saying "It's delicious, it's delicious" (laughs). After that Shikoku performance, I started to actively do regional performances and traveling performances. I've been to all 47 prefectures for one-man plays and other things.

JAL: So it was the food you ate while traveling that made you start to enjoy traveling.

Katagiri: Yes, at first. Or rather, when I was young, I was driven not only by travel, but by an overwhelming interest in food (laughs). My father was a salesman at the time and traveled to all 47 prefectures, and each time he would bring back local foods as souvenirs for my family. He seemed to enjoy feeding us unusual foods. So I think I naturally became interested in food.

JAL: When did you start traveling abroad?

Katagiri: That was also when I was in my 20s. My first trip abroad was to Hong Kong with some coworkers. I had been working part-time at movie theaters since I was 18, and I ended up going with some of my coworkers.

I'm not good at group activities, but that trip was basically free, and we decided to just eat dinner together, or we decided to meet again at a certain time, and it was a pretty relaxed and fun trip. That time, we only ate Chinese food, including food stalls. My friends said, "I'm done with Chinese food," and ate at the hotel restaurant towards the end, but I was the only one who kept eating Chinese food (laughs).

JAL: It's a great opportunity to taste authentic Chinese food (laughs).

Katagiri: Since I started working on TV commercials and dramas, I have been traveling abroad more often for work. In the past, the economy was good, so I was able to go to many countries for filming, such as Saipan, Guam, and Thailand. I also stayed in Finland for about a month and a half for work on the movie "Kamome Diner." However, Guatemala was the first time I went abroad by myself.

JAL: Apparently your younger brother lives in Guatemala.

Katagiri: Yes. My brother was a backpacker who traveled around the world from around college age, and met his current wife in Guatemala and settled there. At the time, we were brother and sister who didn't really talk to each other. So, when I was in my 20s, I didn't know anything about where he had been or anything like that. It seemed like he wasn't interested in what I was doing either.

But when my brother suddenly told me that he had started living in Guatemala, I was a little worried. So I decided to go and check it out on my own, on behalf of the family. It was more out of a sense of mission than to enjoy the trip. Looking back, I'm surprised I went alone to a completely unknown country (laughs). But because of that experience, I've become comfortable going alone to countries that not many tourists go to.

It doesn't have to be a tourist spot. Imagine a story from the people in the area.

JAL: What do you usually do when you travel?

Katagiri: I'm not particularly interested in tourist spots, so I look for movie theaters wherever I go. I used to work at a movie theater, so I'm familiar with them, and I'm always curious about them. Wherever I walk, I can't help but wonder, "Where is the movie theater?" It was also great that I was taken overseas for a project for JAL's in-flight magazine. Thanks to that, I've been able to see movie theaters in many countries.

JAL: Is there any movie theater that you have particularly fond memories of?

Katagiri: On the Big Island of Hawaii, there is a street named after me, "Haili Street," and if you walk down there toward the coast, there is a large movie theater called "Palace Theater." As I was touring the place, I talked to the movie theater staff and learned that many of the old movie theaters on the Big Island were built by Japanese immigrants. They work in the bright sunshine, and on their days off, they watch movies from their home country in the darkness of a movie theater. I was deeply moved by this, and even now when I think about it, I get teary-eyed (laughs).

JAL: It seems like there are a lot of human dramas hidden within.

Katagiri: That's right. When I went to Delhi in India, I asked the man who was acting as my guide, "I just want to go to the cinema!" and he took me to a cinema he used to go to when he was young and told me some stories about the cinema. I love hearing those kinds of stories (laughs).

Also, movie theaters are often located in downtown areas, so if you look for a movie theater in the area you're visiting and go there, you can get a lot of information from the people there. That way, you can feel at ease walking around an unfamiliar town.