Official Mas Oyama
Website
Artist, Surfer, Karateka
No. 1
Wataru
Continue to make real efforts.
It's the foundation for everything that you do.
He learned Kyokushin Karate from an early age and later became a singer-songwriter. He has been influenced by Hawaiian reggae, hip-hop, R&B, and country, and has established her own original music style, ``Island Music.'' She is currently aiming to become a professional surfer and is participating in the Japan Pro Surfing Tour.
Wataru
I started karate at the age of 5. It was very difficult to continue practicing every day without a break, and I felt like giving up many times. Even so, I continued to train to become stronger, and during my high school days I continued to rank 3rd in Japan for three years, but I decided to leave karate to concentrate on my career as a singer. But after that, I was worried because I felt like I was more lively when I was practicing karate. While my desire to do karate once again grew, I also didn't want to go back to those grueling days. At that time, a person who was helping me in karate said to me, ``Why don't you aim for black belt?'' and I was inspired and decided to take the examination for promotion. Now that I think about it, I think I wanted solid confidence in myself.
Why did he dare to try Kyokushin Karate again during his career as an artist?
No. 2
I decided to get a black belt and kept going to the dojo in between my singing activities, but this was more difficult than I imagined...I was having a terrible time every day. A group of 10 members who are trying to build up their bodies to regain their blanks and fight with the will to die. The instructors at the dojo I attended were very strict and did not allow me to be promoted easily, so my training became increasingly difficult. I was really inspired by how my juniors, who were stronger than me when I was still active, were able to acquire skills without me even realizing it. It was difficult to balance this with my singing career, but I knew that if I didn't work hard, I wouldn't get any results, so I always practiced hard with the mindset that I could do it. On the other hand, there were also challenges mentally. As the promotion examination approached, I found myself becoming more and more nervous. To be honest, I could only sleep for 2 hours the night before the screening. Due to lack of sleep and excessive stress, my mind and body were far from perfect, but I can't use that as an excuse. The only thing that supported him was his innate spirit. The result was...I passed with flying colors. Of course I felt happy, but my biggest accomplishment was being able to be proud of myself, knowing that I had finally achieved something that made me who I am.
Every day, he continues to practice with the aim of obtaining a black belt.
No matter how hard it is, keep trying to achieve what you have set out to achieve. Taking on the challenge of becoming a black belt made me realize how important this is. The experience of not giving up and continuing to strive even when things were difficult, the discovery of knowing one's own limits, and the accomplishment of climbing out from there. Of course, the black belt itself is a treasure, but I think the real treasure is walking through the journey. And that path led to his career as a singer and surfing. As a singer, I feel nervous and anxious before going on stage every time, but even so, once the song starts, I am able to perform with a fighting spirit and not give in to the audience's power. In surfing, once you have made up your mind, you can put in as much effort as you want, even if it's a tough road to becoming a professional surfer. I think this is possible because I know the value of not giving up. Even if I fail, I will continue to try without giving up and that will support me in the future. That's why I want to continue to take on challenges and make efforts.