Text: Yukiko Yasuraku
My first solo trip instilled in me a traveler's mindset
OnTrip JAL Editorial Department (hereinafter JAL): Please tell us about a memorable travel destination you have visited and an episode you had there.
Naoto Inti Raymi (hereinafter Naoto): The most memorable trip was when I went to Thailand by myself when I was 20 years old. That was my first trip as a backpacker. It was the beginning of my traveler mindset. Before that, I went to America with two soccer friends for the first time overseas, but even if we were really close, it was still a bit awkward to say, "I want to go here, I want to go there," so I thought that next time I would go by myself. My wealthy friends had been going to Hawaii and other places since elementary school, but I didn't get my first passport until I was 19 or 20, so in that sense I guess I was a late bloomer as a backpacker.
I stayed in Thailand for just under a month. I was free to go wherever I wanted, stay in the city I wanted for as long as I wanted, and I could scrap all my vague plans and go to different places depending on how I felt that day, I had locals teach me songs and have a great time, we played soccer together and became friends and they let me stay there. I was shocked by how free everything was. I had a lot of worries before I left, but once I got there, the world just opened up to me. I'll never forget the pleasure I felt at that time. It was an experience that planted in me the mindset of a traveler.
JAL: It's impressive that you were able to travel solo for such a long period of time for the first time and make friends with the locals.
Naoto: I feel very lucky to have been involved in both soccer and music. Because they are global, they are both extremely important communication tools.
What changed my life was meeting people
JAL: When you travel, do you always have the freedom to travel freely without making strict plans?
Naoto: Yes, that's right. It's incredibly free. In Japanese society, if you live by intuition, you can cause trouble for others, so it's hard to live by that alone, but when you travel, you're not restricted by anyone. When I wake up in the morning, I decide on instinct, "Okay, let's go north," or "Let's take a 40-hour bus ride to a different city."
JAL: Don't you really want to visit the tourist attractions?
Naoto: Of course, tourist destinations have their own wonderful qualities, so I want to cover the famous places, but I don't rely on that alone. For example, when I traveled around the world alone for the first time at the age of 24, I visited 28 countries in a year and a half, but I couldn't bring 28 guidebooks with me, and the Internet wasn't that popular at the time, so I started by asking local people for information. That's where it gets fun. In fact, there's no doubt that the most useful, deep, dense, and new information is held by local people. My stance is that no guidebook or website can compare to the information of local people.
JAL: One of Naoto's strengths is his ability to quickly become friends with local people and travelers he meets there.
Naoto: When you travel solo, nothing happens unless you take action yourself. It's entirely up to you whether you spend a lonely night or get invited to a party in a local home and spend an intense night experiencing the lively culture. There's a sense of tension that if the trip is boring it's your fault, but if it's interesting it's thanks to you, so it can be embarrassing at times, but I still want to speak up.
JAL: It's important not to wait for travel to give you something, but to try to get it yourself.
Naoto: Of course, just going there is fun in its own way. Whether traveling abroad or domestically, an extraordinary world awaits, so just going there is fun. However, the extra alpha bounce is greater when you interact with local people and travelers. This may be an extreme way of saying it, but ruins have not changed my life. I am moved beyond words when I see ruins, but for me, it is the "people" I meet on my travels that bring about a revolution in my heart that will change my life.
What I learned through traveling is the importance of spending time together
JAL: I'm sure your many travels inspire your musical work. Can you tell us about any works that have been influenced by travels, or any stories related to those works?
Naoto: There are loads of them. There are specific travel songs, love songs, and life songs that incorporate lessons learned on the road and outlook on life.
For example, the song "Catch the moment" (from the 2013 album Nice catch the moment!) begins with "Shalalalala~♪ Hello! Nice to meet you. Good-bye. See you again," and then the chorus goes, "Shalalalala~♪ Hello! Nice to meet you. Good-bye. See you again." This song really describes the fleeting encounters and partings that I experienced while traveling.
Naoto: When I go abroad, even if I just pass by someone on the street, our eyes meet and we exchange words like, "Hey, what's up?", or even if we don't exchange words, we greet each other with our eyes. It only takes a few seconds, but it condenses the feeling of meeting and parting. In another example, when I was in a remote village in Africa, I became friends with some children and spent just a few hours with them, but I felt affection for them and was very sad when we had to part. I said "See you later," but I knew that I would never see them again.
The song "I Won't Forget You Now" (single released in 2011) is filled with these experiences. With the lyrics "I'll never forget you now, I'll never forget you now," it is perceived as a love song or a graduation song, but the part "you now" contains the feelings I had during my travels, about wanting to cherish the moments we spend together.
Not only on a trip, but in everyday life, even with people who are really close to you, there is a possibility that the "see you again" may never come, and that you may never see each other again. If you think that it will be the last time you see that person, how precious is the time you spend together? I want to enjoy the moment, be grateful, and remember to respect that person. I want to always convey the feelings I want to convey.
Playing soccer with strangers in Nagasaki
JAL: You have visited many places in Japan, including your 47 prefecture tour in 2018 and your nationwide hall tour in 2019. Are there any memorable places or stories you have shared?
Naoto: Before a live performance, I'll go for a run around town or play soccer in the park, and a few years ago, I was invited by some high school students to play soccer with them for about 30 minutes on a grassy field near the port of Nagasaki.
At that time, he said to me, "Don't people say you look like Naoto Inti Raymi?" and I said, "I get that a lot, but who is he? Is he a comedian?" And so, 30 minutes before the concert... it was pretty close, and when I tried to leave saying, "Thank you, let's do it again," someone called out to me in a loud voice, "Ummm." "My sister said she was going to the concert today." I was so embarrassed. I guess high school students were more mature than I was (laughs).
To me, that's also a journey. Even everyday things can be a journey. How a person walks through the city, how they interact with unfamiliar places and people they don't know. That's what a journey is, I think.
JAL: It seems like there are interesting stories every time you travel, Naoto.
Naoto: As I said before, for me, the things that change my life aren't places or things that happen, but people. I think that's what makes the difference. I'll never forget this episode.
The travel essentials that haven't changed since ancient times are...
JAL: Is there anything you always bring with you when you travel?
Naoto: As I travel, I've gotten rid of a lot of unnecessary things, and some things have changed with the times. For example, in the past, I always had a radio with me. Music and sounds are important sources of information that tell me where I am. When I hear jazzy music, I know I'm in New Orleans, and when I hear the Quran early in the morning, I know I'm in the Arab world. But now that I can listen to the radio on my computer or smartphone, I don't have to take it with me anymore.
Even with all these advances, I still take a picnic sheet with me. It's hard to get things out of a backpack that are deep inside. So, I don't bother to take everything out when I get to the accommodation. If I have a picnic sheet, I can spread out my luggage without getting it dirty, so it's convenient. It's a niche use, though.
JAL: Will you definitely bring your guitar?
Naoto: I definitely take it with me. When I get an idea for a melody, arrangement, or lyrics, I want to be able to find chords to use. I want to immediately materialize what's playing in my head. That's why I often take it with me, but when I have it with me, people ask me to play for them in all sorts of places, so it also plays a big role as an item that helps people become friends with me.
JAL: Do you record the melodies that come to your mind?
Naoto: I record right away. I used to carry a recorder with me, but now I can record with my smartphone, which I got three years ago. I'm gradually losing weight.
What I learned from walking through the Middle East
JAL: What is the appeal of traveling to you, Naoto?
Naoto: There are two: "Break stereotypes" and "An opportunity to foster a revolution in the mind."
"Break stereotypes" is because I have had many experiences where my preconceptions were gradually repainted through travel. For me, the Middle Eastern countries were the best example, and I actually walked overland through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, and other countries, and my image of the country changed dramatically. Some people may have that image in Japan because there is a lot of information about terrorism, but in reality, there are many kind-hearted and cheerful people. However, when I think that there are many people who have not experienced the reality, I feel the importance of questioning stereotypes, taking action on my own, and receiving high-quality information.
About "opportunities that are likely to cause a revolution in the mind." I think that even if people think "I want to change" or "I want to take on a new challenge," they are reluctant to do so. This is especially true as we get older. That was the case for me too.
For example, five or six years ago, I went to Ethiopia, and up until then I had been extremely dependent on my cell phone. However, by living with local people who did not have cell phones, I learned that life satisfaction is so high even without them, and I realized how pessimistic I had been. It is important not to be dominated by information, but to control and use it yourself. I may not have realized this if I had not gone on that trip. This is what is meant by "a revolution in the mind."
JAL: We live in an age where the internet is overflowing with information, but after hearing your story, I realized that experiencing something for yourself is completely different.
Naoto: A lot of things have become more convenient as they are now done online, but as we're talking now, I'm thinking that the direct contact and interactions that come with traveling really can't be done online.
Keeping things fun even when you can't travel far
JAL: 2020 marks your 10th anniversary since your debut, but due to the impact of COVID-19, it has been announced that various 10th anniversary events will be postponed until 2021. Even in this situation, you have been working to be considerate of your fans, such as by live streaming live concerts online. Please tell us how you feel now and how you feel about your future activities.
Naoto: When we couldn't do live shows, I felt really hopeless at first. While artists who were good at social media were getting the word out quickly, I was on the analog side, having made my way through direct communication, so I was really anxious. I felt like there was nothing I could do, like I was being left behind.
However, when I thought about where that impatience was coming from, I realized that I was only impatient because I was comparing myself to others, and that if I didn't compare myself to others, I could take my time. I had written lyrics like "There's no need to compare yourself to others, you're fine just the way you are," in a very arrogant way, but when I realized that it was me who was comparing myself, I was able to start thinking that I should just do my best to make the most of my own characteristics and role, and I got into the mindset of just doing what I can do for now.
So I started doing live streams for my fan club, then I started TikTok and started posting almost every day, and now I'm a full-fledged TikToker (laughs).
Naoto: After much trial and error, we decided to do a paid live stream on July 10th (Naoto Day), the day we hold our annual live concert. We thought that since it was a live stream, it would be meaningless if we didn't do something that could only be done live, and that worked out well; it turned out to be something we would never have done or thought of otherwise.
I think the whole industry is in a state of trial and error, but I feel like this live stream is not a "replacement for traditional live performances," but a new form of content. It was a lot of work for the first time for both me and the staff, but I'm glad that we were able to present this form during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAL: Your EP "Omowakudori" will be released on October 7th.
Naoto: This is my first EP. There are six new songs, so it's very diverse. There are some Inti Raymi styles that you'll think of as "Naoto Inti Raymi," and there's also a new "new Ti Raymi" that I created with creators in LA. There are also songs that kids can sing along to. And the lead song "Omowaku Doori" is a song that shows what Naoto Inti Raymi's current sound is. I'd like Inti Raymi fans who stopped at "Itsuka Kitto" to listen to it too (laughs).
JAL: Finally, please give a message to our readers.
Naoto: For people who love traveling abroad, the current COVID-19 pandemic is a real challenge, and I think many of us, including myself, feel frustrated. But we can turn it around and travel within the country, or even in a smaller area or in our neighborhood, and experience something out of the ordinary, so I think it's important to put yourself in those kinds of places. I'm sure we wouldn't have had that feeling otherwise. Let's keep the fun of traveling going in this way!
Naoto Inti Raymi
Born on August 15th in Mie Prefecture, raised in Chiba Prefecture. Traveled alone to 66 countries around the world, performing live in each place, experiencing the music and culture of the world. "Inti Raymi" means "Festival of the Sun" in the language of the South American Incas.
In 2010, he made his major debut. In 2012, he made his first appearance at the NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen. At the end of 2018, he held his first dome concert in about three years at Nagoya Dome. In September 2019, he held a hall tour of 31 concerts in 25 locations across the country, which was a huge success. In September of the same year, he released a song worldwide through Universal Music Latin, one of the world's three major labels. In January 2020, he appeared in the TBS drama "Please Don't Chant Nembutsu in the Hospital Room" for the first time in about three years.
Their first EP, "Omowakudori," will be released in October 2020.
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