How to spend your days off, how to approach your work.
After leaving "BETA Climbing Gym," Mr. Fujita headed to Ikenoue, the station next to Shimokitazawa. It looks like he’s spending some relaxing time sipping coffee at "COFFEE COUNTY Tokyo."
"I stop by here often because a friend of mine works here. I always buy coffee beans here to enjoy at home."
The coffee I chose that day was a light roast of the SL28 variety from Costa Rica, processed using the white honey method. It has a clean, refreshing mouthfeel, with bright, lively acidity intertwined with a subtle sweetness. Specialty coffee is so diverse that it cannot be lumped together under a single category. Mr. Fujita seems to enjoy the differences in variety, processing method, and roast level, and says it’s similar to his favorite craft beer.
"I think people tend to think of both coffee and beer as bitter, but when it comes to specialty coffee and craft beer, the range of flavors really expands. It’s interesting how coffee can have nuances that remind you of tea."
On his days off, when he’s not hiking or working out at the gym, Mr. Fujita enjoys drinking craft beer. He says he visits various bars to sample different styles and learn more, and hopes to eventually work in the craft beer industry. As for his career, Mr. Fujita has now settled into his role as an actor. He is currently appearing in upcoming movies and TV dramas, and says he finds the work both enjoyable and challenging.
"I was interested in acting, so when I started studying it, I got more and more into it. Of course, I love modeling and plan to continue doing it, but I also want to develop my career as an actor. The ways of expressing yourself as a model and as an actor are really completely different. But that’s what makes it interesting."
"Getting into character and expressing myself was an experience I’d never had as a model. Intuitively, I think of modeling as a way to express myself. But as an actor, you express yourself by playing someone else. There’s a freshness to that, and it’s a different kind of fun from modeling, where you’re expressing yourself."
Apparently, he has a bitter memory of messing up a crucial scene seven times while acting alongside a veteran actor. However, he says that experience changed his approach to acting.
"Since I don't have much acting experience yet, I tend to overthink my character before filming starts. I’d come up with my own character profile and imagine the kind of gestures they’d make. But if I fixate on that too much, there’s no room left for the character to breathe, and when the director asks me on set to do something a little differently, I can’t do it naturally. So, even though it takes a lot of courage, I’ve stopped over-preparing my roles.”
