[JO1] Tokyo Calendar 220221

A great report in this magazine with JO1 “dance genius” Kawashiri Ren!

“Boiled Jiaozi in Hakusan”
Sharing a night full of surprises

In March 2020 the global boys group JO1 was born from the popular audition program “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN”. Among these 11 top members, Kawashiri Ren-san is called the “dance genius”. His brilliance on stage is well known, but in fact he is secretly in charge of the food reports in JO1. Hence, we called him to a popular Taiwanese restaurant for a collaboration with their boiled Jiaozi. This uncommon performer was able to bring his charm to the table as well.

Kawashiri Ren
Born in 1997, from the prefecture Fukuoka. In 2019 he participated in the audition program “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN” and became a member of “JO1”. Made his debut on 4th March 2020 with the single “PROTOSTAR”. He leads the members as their dance leader with his outstanding dance skills.

Kawashiri-san danced at the Taiwanese restaurant that was the location for the shooting?

“I kinda feel apologetic to the members.”

Right after enjoying the boiled Jiaozi, his friends came into Kawashiri Ren-san’s mind. When we asked who he would take along to this restaurant, he answered “I would take Kono Junki and Kimata Syoya, who love food. All of us can’t really drink alcohol, so we would toast with cola.” and made the gesture alone.
TN: Since the featured restaurant is a Taiwanese one, I decided to go with the Chinese name of the dish, instead of ‘Gyoza’.

This time it was a Taiwanese restaurant, but what kind of restaurants does he visit frequently?

I’m the type of person who just enters the store cause it seems good without actually deciding on it. Some time ago, during some free time before the practice, I went to a tsukemen restaurant with Ohira (Shosei) and Kono and we all ate a large serving. I feel there is a special connection with the people I meet when I just wander in, which in turn sometimes increases the deliciousness and makes me feel closer to them.

A place he wants to revisit is the Korean restaurant “Lock Stock” in Fukuoka. He had visited it for a magazine shoot (TN: City Jouhou Fukuoka June 2021 issue) and he couldn't forget the “Beef Galbi” he ate there in a hurry. He is known as someone who is good at cooking, and his stylishly arranged pancakes became a hot topic. We asked him, who got a good intuition, about his date plan.

"When I wander into a restaurant I feel that the meetings are special and I also feel a sense of familiarity."

"I have kinda a lot of foods I dislike and when the CEO of the company invited me some time ago, when reserving the meal course he asked me about my dislikes and he took them into account. Everything had been delicious. Hence, when we ask each other about our likes and dislikes, convey this to the store beforehand and eat a meal course that fits perfectly, each one of us will eat something different and we might let “the other one take a bite”. But I think this is a bit too delusional (laughs)."

An Italian restaurant with good pasta and pizza is his ideal. Would you meet at the (date) location in this case?

"First, we would have tea. When we drink the tea and walk there, we would discover a lot of other places, (saying) this seems nice, let’s go there on the next date."

By the way, the setting is the first date. You might surrender. Also, on this day something interesting happened. When we left the Taiwanese restaurant after the shooting, he danced a bit to the House music that was played as a BGM.

"I always end up dancing when I notice there is music. A while ago, when I went to the furniture store with someone from the company I danced after some time, too and it seems like I did so for quite some time, and they scolded me (laughs). I also move around while dancing and I even end up dancing in the fish corner of the supermarket. To that Sakana ~ Sakana~ Sakana~ song."

Then, his way of walking changes, fitting to the music he hears. “When I walk when there is a strong wind, I might listen to a heavy song, quietly walk, it would be a beautiful one.”
Whenever a song plays, his body instinctively ends up moving.

His first encounter with dancing was during his 5th year of elementary school. He became absorbed on the spot, and when he advanced to high school he decided “This is going to be my future job.” He chose a high school that allowed him to take a lot of time to devote himself to dancing and he spent all his time practising.

"It was a high school which put a lot of resources into job hunting and when there were things such as job interview training, I, all alone, danced so that it would become my job. I wasn’t that smart and there was really nothing but dancing in my head. That I can do something that I always enjoyed as my job, is a huge blessing."

"I want us to become a group that once we stand somewhere this place becomes our stage."

Out of the activities he has always enjoyed, what moment could be the most exciting one?

"It feels really good when I link the music with my movements. Also, when I dance on stage, I can see various things such as the fans looking at me or them holding boards saying they love (Shiroiwa) Ruki. This is fun. When I’m dancing, I’m imagining that there is another me above my head, watching and controlling me."

How much time has he invested in dancing, do that he was able to widen his perspective while dancing? Regarding him also making the most of his special perspective as the dance leader, he sincerely says “Everyone practises passionately, so I am helped by their power.”

JO1 made their debut in March 2020. This was just when the Corona pandemic started and they finally had their first lives with an audience in November last year. If he could freely choose, where would he like to dance?

"There is something impressive that the member Kawanishi Takumi has said. ‘It doesn’t matter where the venue is. It doesn’t matter if there is one person or 10.000 people in front of you. What you have to do stays the same. Just entertain the people in front of you.’ I relate to these amazing words, so I want to stand on all stages, from huge dome stages, to the ones of small live houses or until a platform in some park. If we stand there, it will be our stage. I want us to become such a group."

And, there are a lot of people he wants to show the best performance to.

"We are a group born from an audition program and we have quite a lot of fans since the moment of our debut, so we don’t want to disappoint these people, and we want to become a group who makes people who just got to know us wish they had known us longer. Exactly because of the fans, we can work hard and practise even in difficult times. I know it might sound like a cliche, but I want to give back (to the fans)."

JO1’s theme is “Go To The TOP”. They are aiming for the top of the world. If you keep on giving back, you will eventually reach your big dreams. Kawashiri-san’s words and dancing are something earnest that makes us believe in this.

Food report part:

Kawashiri turned to the camera after neatly dripping the boiled Jiaozi into the Chili oil when we shot the pose of him feeding the invisible partner. He understood the angle of the shooting and took care of the position of the glass. He is a considerate person.

He made an expression at the directions of the cameraman as if “your date partner was right in front of you” at the Taiwanese restaurant “also” in Hakusan. The staff was surprised by his beautiful sitting figure.

"Since the moment I entered the store, the smell of the spices that let you feel Taiwan made me hungry."

After politely saying “Itadakimasu” while putting his hands together, Kawashiri-san started to eat. “It’s spicy, juicy and really tasty!” was his high praise. As he likes to cook, he was immensely interested in the ingredients.

"The meat of the boiled Jiaozi is amazing! When you eat delicious meals, you end up involuntarily laughing, right?"

When he munched the hot boiled Jiaozi, he said “Freshly made boiled Jiaozi are on another level after all. After eating hot boiled Jiaozi, it's the best to cool your mouth with cold cola!” and in no time he cleaned his plate!

"Rather than too spicy, I like it piquant, so today’s Chili oil is the best! The boiled Jiaozi themselves were already delicious, but I prefer them with Chili oil."

Kawashiri-san said regarding the lone house that he suddenly saw in the back alley of Hakusan (Tokyo) “The outside was retro and lovely, but the inside was unexpectedly modern and chic.”

"It was a wonderful job where I could eat a lot of delicious things. Thank you very much."

Making off movie: