On the 5 July 2020 (Sun) broadcast of the TOKYO FM radio show “Sugisaki Hana’s Flower TOKYO” (every Sunday from 8:00 to 8:30). Sugisaki Hana answered a question from a listener, “What is the most courageous challenge you have ever taken?”
Sugisaki Hana: 18 years old, Miyazaki Prefecture, radio name “I’m not good with mushroom types”. Listener email: Good morning, Ohana. Sugisaki Hana: Good morning. Listener email: I’m an 18-year-old university student who always enjoys listening to Ohana’s radio show. Sugisaki Hana: Thank you. Listener email: I have a question. What is the most courageous challenge you have taken so far? I was a high school student until recently, and when I saw a boy I had liked for a year and a half, who was in a different class and who I had never spoken to, going home alone, I thought, “I don’t know what the outcome will be, so I’ll give it a try,” so I ran after him and confessed to him in the courtyard. I think it was the greatest courage I’ve ever mustered up in my life.A lot of things happened after that and it didn’t end up being reciprocated, but I don’t regret trying, and it’s a cherished memory.
I’d love to hear about an incident where you “mustered up your courage”, Ohana.
Sugisaki Hana: That’s amazing…!
R… that’s cool. Yeah… that’s amazing.
But you know, “confessing to a girl you’ve never spoken to” takes a lot of courage, doesn’t it?
And to think that you “have no regrets about trying”… that’s incredibly cool.
R… that’s amazing.
A memory where you mustered up all your courage… What is it?
Hmm… Ah… I mustered up the courage “when I ran for student council in my first year of middle school” (laughs).
Surprisingly, I was involved in things like “class representative” and “student council” when I was in middle school, and in the student council, I would stand in front of the school gate on the way to school and say something like “Please vote for me”, and I would get one or two friends to support me and I would say something like “Please vote for me”. I would do this for about a week, and then I would give a speech in front of the whole grade in the gymnasium and say something like “Please give us one honest vote” (laughs). That’s what I did.
I was in the first year of middle school at the time, and from the first year, I think only one person… Only one person can become a student council member. There were two people running, me and another boy, so it was like… well, how can I put it “battle”? It became like a “fight” (laughs). So I was really nervous. It took quite a bit of courage…
Also, a bit like “I don’t like mushroom types”, I confessed to a boy I fell in love with at first sight when I was in the first year of middle school! It took a lot of courage to do that too (laughs). I confessed pretty well…within 2 or 3 months of starting school. But I couldn’t confess in person anymore, so I confessed by email, but I got rejected…at that time. It’s a bittersweet memory (lol). He said, “Sorry, I like someone else,” and I was really depressed…at that time. Yes (lol).
But “finding the courage” is really important. Rather than not being brave and regretting, “I should have done that back then,” it’s more important to try and regret like Kinoko-gata Sukideo-san, and what’s more, trying and thinking, “I have no regrets,” is just…the best, isn’t it?
Really, really. I thought it was so cool.
Kinoko-gata Sukideo-san gave me courage (lol).
Thank you for your message.