J-Mate

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Interviewer: Anyway, I was hoping to proceed this interview in a "Past-Present-Future" theme if you don't mind.
Miho Yoshioka: Oh, that's fine.

Interviewer: Okay, first the basics then (laughs). Miho, you're from Osaka, correct?
Miho Yoshioka: Yes, I'm from Osaka.

Interviewer: Care to be a little more specific?
Miho Yoshioka: East Osaka.

Interviewer: What kind of girl were you?
Miho Yoshioka: Hmmm, I wonder what kind of girl I was...I think I was on the reserved side...

Interviewer: Just like you are now? (laughs)
Miho Yoshioka: Right (giggles). When I was really little...like back in Kindergarten, I was really energetic. But I started to calm down a lot since I entered public school.

Interviewer: Was there any reason why you became so reserved?
Miho Yoshioka: No, not that I can think of. Maybe it's because I was surrounded by noisy kids. I seriously didn't talk much back then. All the adults told me that I acted mature because of that.

Interviewer: So how was life like when you were that young?
Miho Yoshioka: I just played everyday like all the other kids (laughs). I remember trying to climb the tree in the school yard at recess time. That and playing on the monkey bars. I also wanted to do rhythmic gymnastics after I watched the Olympics. That and volley ball.

Interviewer: How about studying?
Miho Yoshioka: I liked to make things more than studying. I always liked to try different things. I guess I just did whatever I felt like (laughs).

Interviewer: Anything else you remember from your elementary school years?
Miho Yoshioka: Let's see...I vividly remember the time I fought with my friends. You know how little girls throw tantrums often? That would cause fights and we'd stop being friends...then get back together only to fight again...I think that's all I did back then.

Interviewer: Was your first love also back then?
Miho Yoshioka: I don't remember it too well, but I think it was back in Kindergarten. There was this really nice kid...but he liked one of my friends.

Interviewer: Really? I bet he's regretting it now (laughs). So once you got into Jr. High...?
Miho Yoshioka: I was on the swimming team in Jr. High.

Interviewer: Were you always good at swimming?
Miho Yoshioka: Not really, but it was just something I liked.

Interviewer: Any other hobbies besides your club activities?
Miho Yoshioka: None at all. My friends were learning instruments or going to after school academies but I just did nothing. I didn't find anything to find an interest in. That continued into high school...all the way until I started this line of work.

Interviewer: Did you think about what you wanted to be back then? A certain career in mind?
Miho Yoshioka: My sister was learning the piano because she wanted to teach Kindergarten. I started thinking that being a Kindergarten teacher or a babysitter would be nice because of that. I also wanted to become an actress...but something like that was on a totally different dimension from reality.

Interviewer: So you were looking for something to do during your Jr. High and High school years.
Miho Yoshioka: Yeah. There was nothing I was really interested in doing...and I figured that even if there was, it would be something that was out of my reach. I tend to give up easily.

Interviewer: What did you enjoy the most back then?
Miho Yoshioka: Well, the school trip for one. I also liked local festivals so I went to alot of those. Oh, I liked to play with my friends as well.

Interviewer: I think that's true for pretty much everyone that age.
Miho Yoshioka: There was no hobbies for me to fall on. My friends were like that too so...there were a lot of kids just laid back and doing nothing.

Interviewer: What type of job did you do after you graduated?
Miho Yoshioka: I worked as a waitress for a while.

Interviewer: How did that lead you to you becoming a race queen?
Miho Yoshioka: My friend who was a race queen invited me to try it out but I had reservations about the type of stuff I would be doing so I declined. However I bumped into her about a year afterwards and she happened to be with her studio's boss. We talked for a while and I somehow ended up auditioning a month later.

Interviewer: A month after you met? Wow. Were you mentally prepared?
Miho Yoshioka: I was really nervous. All the other girls had taken lessons on how to act like a race queen...so I was really the only one who didn't know what to do. I didn't even had time to go on a diet. When it was my turn to come up, I said something like "My body isn't that of a race queen right now, but it's a job that I want to do and I'll promise I'll be fit before the race starts!"...and I passed!

Interviewer: What type of work did you do at first?
Miho Yoshioka: After the audition...there was a race a month after that...and then a photo book...then I did work as a campaign girl...oh and I also did some work as a lingerie model for a Taiwanese company.

Interviewer: You did all that in what span of time again?
Miho Yoshioka: About a 1/2 year?

Interviewer: Weren't you taken back by how big of a change your life went in such a short span of time?
Miho Yoshioka: Not at the time. I was just happy that I had lots of work lined up. The only worries I had was making sure that I had the stuff I had to remember while I was a Suntory Campaign Girl down correctly.

Interviewer: So you got used to the work very quickly? I'm still nervous when I have to do work as a race queen. I had a hard time smiling. I would think I'm smiling but I wouldn't be in Miho Yoshioka: the photos. I think it's my eyes. I tend to be uncomfortable around strangers so I didn't enjoy my job much for the first 3-4 months. I was just way too nervous. After a couple months had passed though, I started recognizing some of my fans so I slowly managed to ease up a little.

Interviewer: What did you enjoy the most about being a race queen?
Miho Yoshioka: When the costumes would come out...and putting it on and getting pictures taken with everybody, or when we would go to the hot springs after a long days work.

Interviewer: So you finished your time as a race queen last year, and now you're spending most of your time doing photo shoots for magazines and the like, not to mention TV spots as well. With all this diversification of the types of work you do, is there one that you enjoyed the most?
Miho Yoshioka: The photo shoots, the TV related ones, they all were fun in their own way. I just like how none of them really ever end...I'm just happy that everyone are accepting me so easily. If I was to say something about the future, it would be acting.

Interviewer: Why is that?
Miho Yoshioka: Just the idea of a non-existent person existing is fascinating to me. I think it's amazing that something so fake can touch the hearts of the viewers. That's why I greatly admire the actresses I see on TV. I think it's a field that is very deep, and it's something I definitely want to try even though I know it'd be very hard.

Interviewer: I know you have a lot of work to do nowadays. Do you still have time to enjoy yourself outside of it?
Miho Yoshioka: I don't like the whole idea of going home to sleep right after finishing work. So for example, if I got home at 9PM, I'd first take a bath and then just kill time until 2AM or so by calling my friends of listening to CDs...I definitely want time to do that. I guess you can it thinking time or time to cheer yourself up...so I try to make time even when I'm busy.

Interviewer: I know where you're coming from. But does that mean that you don't have time to go out and do something?
Miho Yoshioka: Well, I do cook. I really like cooking. I live by myself so I'll just make something and rate it in my head (laughs). That in itself is a lot of fun to me. It's good the body as well. I've gotten into making different types of drinks as well recently. I'd mix milk with different juices and fruits and try it out. I get this "It's healthy and tasty!" feeling when I do it (laughs).

Interviewer: So you have fun making it and have fun eating it...and it's good for your health.
Miho Yoshioka: Hmm, I think you got it down good! (laughs)

Interviewer: Is there something you want to do if you had the time?
Miho Yoshioka: Hmmm, let's see...I get to travel around a lot on work, but I want to travel somewhere for a week or so by myself. I know I'm pretty well traveled because of the work I do...but it's still something I want to do. I even read those travel pamphlets they leave out near the train stations even though I don't plan on going (laughs). That's just something that's fun to do.

Interviewer: You stand out a lot even now, but type of woman do you want become in the future?
Miho Yoshioka: Well, I want to become a beautiful actress, but being a mother would be nice too. There's a lot of things out there that I admire so...I tend to be greedy...but ideally, I want to continue my work and have lots of children. I want to become this super mom that can does work well and makes time for the kids.

Interviewer: That's pretty unique. There's other stuff I think about too. Like what will I do if I ever marry?
Miho Yoshioka: Would I want to live in Osaka or move to Tokyo? If I married I would want to head back to Osaka, but what would I do if my husband said no? All this even though I have no intention of getting married now (laughs). If I wanted to continue my work it would have to be Tokyo.

Interviewer: It sounds like you're definitely putting in the time thinking (laughs).
Miho Yoshioka: There's so many things I want to do yet I hate not giving something my best effort. I want to make my own furniture, I want to cook...I would even go to a sports club if I had time.

Interviewer: Why don't you try doing all of it?
Miho Yoshioka: Hmmm...there's just so many things I want to do that I don't know where to start.

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