The voice actress Kotobuki Minako is currently living in the UK and she tells her daily life in England through her real words in the serialized interview, “Kotobuki Minako’s Another Wonderland in the UK”.
In the previous interview, she talked about her thoughts and learning through her first job as a reporter at “Wimbledon Tennis Championships”. Also, we also asked her episode related to sports, since Japan was in the middle of “Tokyo Olympic 2020”.
This interview (#17) also reviews her days in the UK for the previous month together with pictures taken by Kotobuki. The UK is currently in the middle of summer holidays. Kotobuki-san travels around multiple locations as “the last run” and what she saw on her journey was…
[Interview and article written by: Yoneda Kaori]
■ Finally visiting Edinburgh Festival! Currently enjoying her vacation
—Your background seems different this time, isn’t it?
Kotobuki: Well, I am actually in Scotland! Edinburgh Festival Fringe will finally be held this year, which I have admired for a long time, and I am here to participate!
※Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The largest art (stage play, music, dance, etc.) festival held at Edinburgh in August for 3 to 4 consecutive weeks. Anyone, from amateur to professionals, can participate. The system allows anyone to perform after paying registration and participation fee, while finding the location for themselves.
—I knew well that you wanted to visit Edinburgh Festival Fringe, so I am happy as well!
Kotobuki: I thought this is my last chance, so I am visiting many places. Because Scotland gets very cold after September, so I am lucky that I could be here in August.
—I apologize for making you work right before the festival…
Kotobuki: It’s okay because I was not in rush! It took me an hour and a half with an airplane from London departing at 7 AM. Honestly, I don’t have a clear target which “I desire to see”, so I don’t have a ticket yet. It’s because there are fliers of each performance are posted around the town and I am planning to visit the performance that I got interested in.
—I see! Do you have a particular interest in themes in which “you wish to see”?
Kotobuki: I want to see the performance by Drag Queen! It7s because Burlesque performance costs a lot of money in London. I wanted to enjoy it there.
—Can you take photos for the next interview if you don’t mind?
Kotobuki: Certainly! I can’t take pictures during the performance, but I will take good pictures for scenes that I can shoot.
—I have received your pictures enjoying other spots other than Edinburgh. I want to review the pictures with your episodes.
■ Brighton, the location appeared in the movie “Keion!”
—You also visited Brighton, the famous spot for spending holidays.
Kotobuki: It is easy to access from London. . It only takes an hour from Victoria Station. I was happy because I could eat tasty seafood. What’s in the picture is cooked lobster with cheese. A white sauce cream was so tasty! Other than this, I also enjoyed oysters and scallops with garlic.
—I also see a picture of a beautiful ocean.
Kotobuki: Brighton is the location for the “Keion!” movie’s ending. Because I wanted to introduce it to my fans through YouTube, so I visited there.
—It was Brighton, where Houkago Tea Time members running and playing instruments!?
Kotobuki: You are correct! Luckily, the weather was great, and it was a wonderful day for photo shooting. Please take a look at pictures of a building that looked like an amusement park appearing little in the movie.
—What is on the next picture?
Kotobuki: A person suddenly begins to place plants on the top of the bus stop when I was waiting for a bus. I asked the staff, “What is he doing?” and he replied, “because many buses in the UK have 2 stories, so it is for enjoyment for users sitting on the upper level” and I took a photo of it because I felt it so wonderful. It is unique for the UK, a place is known for its popularity in gardening.
—How wonderful is it! It is unique for England, where promoting environmental care.
Kotobuki: I had another chance to think about the environment since there was a kitchen van with vegan burgers. Buns are gluten-free and the burger was meatless. But the taste was wonderful. I couldn’t eat all the french fries because it was too many on plates. I took it home and ate it the next day. (laughter)
→Next Page: Eating miso soup at the hotel in the UK!? Enjoying fashionable Japanese restaurants.
—Your next picture is of you wearing a formal outfit. Where did you go?
Kotobuki: I went to eat lunch at the hotel together with my friends. Because it was expensive, I dressed up well.
—The next picture is after lunch? Latte art is very cute!
Kotobuki: You think this is latte art? It’s actually a miso soup! A white moose on the top is a foam-type tofu and what’s in an airplane shape is burned soy sauce. I also ate sushi and gelidium jelly.
—I cannot imagine from the appearance of the hotel. (laughter)
Kotobuki: Where I actually went was a Japanese restaurant inside the hotel. (laughter). The payment method was very fashionable; the bill often comes with a leather holder, but this restaurant handed me a bill with a Japanese novel.
■ What do you want to do first after coming back to Japan?
—There was an episode of you eating Japanese food, and you recently said, “I want to eat shaved ice and baked corn!” in your radio show. I believe your “what-to-do list” after coming to Japan is created, and what comes first?
Kotobuki: I want to bathe in hot spring! This is the definitely 1st place. The 2nd place is putting a raw egg on rice. The 3rd place is visiting Tsurutontan. (laughter) Marukame Noodles opened in England recently, so I visited the restaurant. I enjoyed it, but it made me crave thin noodles and a kind taste of Tsurutontan. (laughter)
—Marukame Noodles in England became news in Japan as well.
Kotobuki: It was big news in the UK! I waited in a long line and now you have to wait up to 90 minutes. It is popular for tasty Japanese food at a low price.
—It may be a cruel question, but do you want to go back to Japan now? Or do you want to stay?
Kotobuki: It is a difficult question… but I prefer to stay. (laughter) However, the lockdown period, which was one of the difficult times, made me wish for going back to Japan. I have more freedom compared to that time and I want to do things that only can be done in the UK. It is not realistic to be in a condition of “I did everything I wanted to do in the UK”, so I will do my best to fully enjoy my life in the UK to make “my task” as little as possible.
—Thank you for your time!
Kotobuki Minako Profile
“TIGER & BUNNY” Karina Lyle/Blue Rose
She is a member of “Sphere”, the group of singers made up of her colleagues, Takagaki Ayahi, Tomatsu Haruka, and Toyosaki Aki
