Actress Kasumi Yamaya's second photobook, "Long Distance, Now Here." (KADOKAWA), was released on June 26th. The photobook captures her "present" as she approaches her 30s, and Yamaya reflects on her 20s, saying, "My biggest impression is that it went by in a flash," but adds, "I feel like I've had a good warm-up before turning 30, and I'm even more excited to enter my 30s." She shared her thoughts on her "present" life.
Yamaya was born on December 26, 1996, and is 29 years old and hails from Miyagi Prefecture. She made her acting debut in 2008 in the Fuji TV Getsuku drama "CHANGE," and has since gained attention for her roles in the Super Sentai series "Shuriken Sentai Ninninger" (2015-2016) and the movie "Code Blue: The Movie" (2018). She has also appeared in the NHK Taiga drama "The 13 Lords of the Shogun" and the Asadora drama "Ranman." In the currently airing drama "BROTHERS IN ARMS （Toyotomi Brothers!）", she plays Dashi, the wife of Araki Murashige and a beauty known as the "modern Yang Guifei," which has become a hot topic.
For Yamaya, her twenties were a "very fulfilling" time, and she reveals, "I don't think even a single millimeter of that time was wasted."
"For better or for worse, I was busy, I worried a lot, I made a lot of mistakes, I caused a lot of trouble for people, but that also led to new encounters. I've been 29 for almost six months now, and I've been able to resolve all the mistakes and breakups from my twenties that had been lingering in the back of my mind, and I've ended up with good relationships. I feel like this is the age when things turn around for the better, and my twenties taught me that ultimately, any failure can become a good memory and a good result depending on yourself."
Yamaya, who will turn 30 in December, described her feelings as "I can't wait to turn 30, and I'm ready to get off to a flying start, like my engine is running at full throttle."
"I think that milestone ages make it easier to try new things without thinking about the consequences. I feel like all the things I've been putting off will suddenly become clear the moment I turn 30, and I'll be able to say, 'Let's do it all! Let's try it!' I'm really looking forward to seeing what I'll be able to challenge myself with at that time. If I had to choose, I'm especially excited about work. I'm filled with excitement at the prospect of embarking on a new adventure."
What kind of actor do you aspire to be in the future?
"I think the roles I'm assigned are always the reliable ones for the production. I think I'm establishing a position where the director and producer think, 'If we put this girl in, the production will run smoothly.' When I was in my early and mid-twenties, I didn't know if that was good or bad. I've come to realize that I'm better suited to supporting roles, and I think my acting career will be about mastering that. However, if I aim for supporting roles first instead of leading roles, I don't think I'll ever get there in the first place, so I want to pursue an acting career where I aim for leading roles, but not necessarily giving up the leading roles, and being entrusted with supporting roles."
