This half of the feature has 2 different Q&A sections. Chigi answers questions from Graph readers and questions inspired by her upcoming performance of One Night of Stars and Greatest HITS! in Nagoya’s now-closed Chunichi Theatre. (Part 1 here.)

Questions from readers

I’m very picky about my food, so I tend to leave a lot behind… Chigi-san (Sagiri), what would you do if you were served something you hated while eating out? Also, please scold me with love. [Kiyoko]
I’m not really picky about anything…it would depend who I was eating with, but if something I didn’t care for was brought out as the main dish I would do my best to eat it anyway. Scold you? Let’s see…Now eat without needing me to scold you first! (laughs)

How did you spend the New Year’s holidays? [Chigi’s Servant]
This might be the first time since I joined Takarazuka, but I went back to my family home for the end of the year. My sister and her husband came too, so I played with my nephew a lot. But then our family dog Andy would come over very sadly as if to say ‘pay attention to me too!’ I found that so adorable it just made me fuss over my nephew more (laughs). I went back to Takarazuka on the 31st, and then I went to the New Year’s Day assembly at the theatre the next day. I took photos with a bunch of different people… Also, the same as last year, Sakihi Miyu-san made o-zouni¹ for me. The white miso kind. She put my favorite lily bulbs in, so I was really happy! The miso was a little thin, though (laughs). But she did realize that herself (laughs).

Are you good at parking? [Tsurunko]
Ah…I don’t like it much. Therefore I just drive in facing front. I’m really careful when pulling out as well. Parking also makes my fatigue levels really obvious. If I’m clearheaded I can slip right in. But if I’m tired I have to keep pulling out and trying again.

Tell us 3 good points about your acting partner, Sakihi-san! [GreenLove, Fuu-chan, and MyMelo]
She always responds right away to my ‘air slap’ (laughs). After that…if it’s some kind of special event she’ll always (laughs) give me something handmade. How many nights must she spend making this stuff…For Christmas she gave me an electric handwarmer with rhinestones all over it. I really liked the design, but…I couldn’t help thinking ‘wouldn’t it be warmer without the stones?’ (laughs). And third is how she gets all pouty and flustered if I tease her by pointing out the problems with her hair or makeup. I find that really funny so I’ll end up wanting to see that and let things slip out (laughs).

Talk about how much you love your nephew! [Snow-Emblem Piccata]
I honestly find it kind of embarrassing to tell people around me ‘I love this so much!’ But…of course my love for my nephew would slip out (laugs). Every day I’ll watch videos of him and smile, he’s really…so cuuuuute. Since in ‘One Night of Stars’ I play the child version of my character I thought I could use him for character building inspiration, but he’s still just a baby (laughs). But I think as an actor there’s a lot I can learn from how straightforwardly he displays all his emotions!

This year your first performance will be in Chunichi; what is it that you absolutely have to bring with you? [Uepon]
Salt. When I get to where I’ll be staying, I put a tiny bit of sale in the four corners of the room and at the sink. It’s like a protective charm. It’s not as if I feel much when I do it, though, so I do forget once in a while (laughs). If I feel uneasy before a performance, too, I’ll taste some salt and it’s a really bracing feeling.

Questions inspired by the Nagoya performance of ‘One Night of Stars’/’Greatest HITS!’

Sagiri-san’s character of Haruoki is obsessed with stargazing; what were you obsessed with as a child?
Roller skates and pogo sticks! The roller skating was because I loved the band Hikaru GENJI². But skating on concrete was a really bumpy ride, and I couldn’t do the cool stops or reverse. No matter now hard I tried I couldn’t be like Hikaru GENJI, so it was pretty upsetting to young me.

This is a restage performance, but is there anything you would like to do once again in your private life?
Skiing! In Sasebo there’s a grass ski slope so you can ski even in summer. I used to go there a lot.

If you were a ruler, what laws would you put in place?
Uh…well, first I would get other friends to settle on the basic laws, and then I’d rather just fuss with the minor points (laughs). Deciding on everything from the beginning would be a bit much… But I prefer a world with rule of law. You can freely enjoy yourself, but within certain limits.

What have you thought was ‘Great!’ lately?
Sorry to make this about me, but…in the movie the next Grand Theatre show is based on, ‘Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate’, there’s a scene where the main character throws his haori up and slips both arms into the sleeves³, and when I tried it at the costume fitting I was able to do it on the first try! Daimon (Nozomi Fuuto) has apparently done it in a show before⁴, so I asked where I should hold it, but on the first try? I was really happy about that.

What has been a ‘HIT’ with you recently?
I’m not one to be really interested in beauty supplies, but recently I’ve been really excited about this lip cream… (laughs) Even though I’m like that, Tomomin (Yumeno Seika) was good enough to tell me ‘this one is great, you have to try it!’ about the CLINIQUE lip cream. I had already tried out a lot of different ones, so I was thinking ‘I already know about all the good stuff’ but…this topped them all! It’s my #1 right now!

Any thoughts about Chunichi theatre shows?
I’ve gone there for performances quite a few times, so I’m fond of the theatre and I think it’s sad that it will be closing. Besides that, of course there’s the Nagoya food. There’s a lot of really hearty food everywhere, so it’s got this, I don’t know, really reassuring feeling, like ‘I definitely won’t starve here!’ (laughs) It’s energizing and gives me the power I need for the shows. We often all go out to eat as a group and I love the atmosphere with warm food plus warm people. But I think my favorite Nagoya dish is the miso udon (laughs).

1 – O-zouni is a traditional dish to serve during New Year celebrations in Japan.

2 – Hikaru GENJI was a popular boy band of the late 80s, known for doing live performances on roller skates.

3 – As seen here:

4 – Most likely in Kurawanka, though this is unconfirmed.