REMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATA

Words : Mitsuki Takahata
     Edit : Shoko Matsumoto
Styling : Ai Suganuma（TRON）
     Photography : Akira Yamada
Hair & Make-Up : Yukari Hayashi
Flower Design : Yoko Uda（logi plants & flowers）

REMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATA
REMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATA

日本語
English

  • REMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATA
  • I was raised in an area in Higashi Osaka City. It is close to Nara Prefecture and takes about 40 minutes to Shin Osaka by car. People used to think that the area was a bit rough, as they often saw kids riding double on a motorcycle there. But I can unwind myself in my hometown and the candidness of the locals feels comfortable for me. Now I live in Tokyo where individualistic ideas are common and people tend to be humble and considerable to others. In my hometown, on the other hand, unknown old lady sitting next to you on a train may speak to you or give you some food. I do like the coolness of Tokyo but sometimes miss such unique warmth. I feel secure when I’m in my hometown, though I sometimes complain about it. Recently more trains are in service in my town and you can directly go to Shin Osaka Station. So I travel by train whenever I visit the area.


  • My earliest memory of Osaka is when I was at elementary school. There was just one class a grade in my school, so I had had exactly the same classmates for 6 years. A boy who I always walked to and from school together used to keep an eye on me not to fall down and hurt myself. I remember that my friend and I sometimes went to a bathhouse together on the way to home, and the mistress of a café gave us ice cubes on some hot days. We also played childish pranks and got told off by grown-ups, or rode a unicycle to go to and from school. I really enjoyed those days. After that, I studied hard throughout my school years. It is not that I was hardworking but I just couldn’t keep up without doing so. And I loved to read books, especially mysteries. I was once lost in reading it on a train and missed my stop. I remember that my parent got angry about it (laughs). My friends from school and I still have a good relationship, we are just like family members. It is not so easy to meet up with them often because we are busy with work and some of us have a new family, but we see each other at least once a year. The time spent with my friends who have loyalty to our hometown is my best memory of Osaka.


  • REMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATA
  • Though I lived in Osaka until I was 15, I started to live by myself in Tokyo to go to lessons after I made my stage debut. I was not nervous at all without any prior information and the only problem was that there were cockroaches in my apartment (laughs). I really enjoyed the lessons and living there with my actor friends of the same generation coming to my place. I then returned to Osaka once but moved to Tokyo again when I entered high school.


  • After growing up, I got a role in an NHK morning drama and stayed in Osaka for 6 months for the shooting. I frequented Tsuruhashi to stuff myself with Yakiniku or Fukushima for some drinks in those days. What impressed me most was a Yakiniku restaurant called Arai. Because the place is filled with smoke, customers have to put their jackets in plastic bags and wear goggles before eating (laughs). They serve a good skirt steak, so I visited there often as if going to an amusement park. Zeroku’s Monaka ice cream was also my favorite. I got the coffee flavored one and vanilla flavored one to go whenever passing by the shop.


  • REMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATA
  • I visited my parents’ house in Osaka during this New Year’s holiday. My family and I played a round of golf together for the first time and it was a so fresh experience. I often go back to Osaka during Year-end and New Year’s holidays and when I perform there, but the city makes me rediscover the closer sense of distance to others and culture full of laughter every time I go there. I think it is unique in Osaka that people laugh off any mistakes and hardship as jokes. I naturally speak with a Kansai dialect when talking with the locals, and I’m happy with that because I think it is my natural self.


  • I love fashion and change my outfit according to who I will meet. Because I like vintage clothes, I started visiting vintage clothing shops when I was in high school. I even traveled to the U.K. just to see some vintage clothing shops. I’d rather wear favorite garments for a long time than owning lots of clothes. My closet is full of vivid, colorful items as I feel empowered in those. I got to know NEPENTHES when seeing my male friend wearing the brand’s clothes. The fascinating thing about NEPENTHES is that the clothes look great both in women and men. I recently like to mix items made of different materials in an outfit or to match a stylish tweed jacket with sweat pants. As for today’s clothes, I find the outfits with NEEDLES’ red sweat pants and beautifully shaped pants from RHODOLIRION really amazing. NEEDLES’ tailored jacket and matching pants impressed me most with the elegant design and soft texture. Lifting my mood up through fashion is one of my dearest pleasures.

REMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATAREMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATA

REMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATAREMINISCENCE of OSAKA 追憶の大阪 - MITSUKI TAKAHATA

Mitsuki Takahata : Born in 1991 in Higashi Osaka City, Osaka. She made her acting debut after winning a leading role in a musical. Since then, she has played various roles in musicals, stage plays, NHK morning dramas, TV dramas and movies. In 2025, she will play Elphaba in the Japanese dub of Wicked scheduled to be released on March 7, as well as in musical Waitress from April to May and in movie Kokuho scheduled to be released on June 6.