Yusaku Maezawa's manager: Going to space, becoming a film director. "Why I Went to Space" opens December 29.

In December 2021, entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano, an executive at a related company, launched into space as "private astronauts." They became the first Japanese civilians to spend time aboard the ISS (International Space Station) and safely returned to Earth on December 20th.

Two years later, we heard that Mr. Hirano would now be making a film about this space journey as a 'film director.' We immediately sought his insights. Dentsu Inc. Creative Director Makoto Sasagawa explores his real-life space travel experience and the filmmaking process.

Pre-flight interview article here:

Yusaku Maezawa's Manager Heads to Space as a Civilian Astronaut.
 

https://whyspace-movie.jp/#modal

The motivation stems from a desire for peace

Sasagawa: Congratulations on completing your first directorial work, "The Reason I Went to Space." It finally opens on December 29th. The number of theaters screening it is steadily increasing, isn't it?

Hirano: Thank you. It will be screened at 94 theaters nationwide.

Sasagawa: The movie flyer is also wonderful—that shot of Mr. Maezawa against the blue Earth background. You took that one too, right?

Hirano: I was surprised to find the Earth was cloudier than I imagined, and it didn't appear as vividly blue as I'd expected. Even when we passed over Japan, it was often obscured. Getting that shot with the blue Earth as the backdrop was quite challenging.

Sasagawa: That's a feeling only someone who's been there can truly understand. By the way, was the film project planned even before you went to space?

Hirano: Initially, we hadn't thought about making a film. About two months after returning to Earth on December 20, 2021, the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted. Given that Mr. Maezawa and I had traveled on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, it became difficult to share our message, so we decided to wrap things up for the time being.

Later, while organizing the footage we shot, I found several scenes where Mr. Maezawa spoke about world peace. I felt a strong desire to share that message with the world in some form, and that's when I decided to complete it as a film. That was around April 2022. The next month, we filmed Mr. Maezawa's comments in New York, which marked the start of turning it into a film.

Film Highlight #1: Watch this and you'll understand how to get there! It's essentially a "space travel guide."

Sasagawa: Even before going to space, we could fully sense the atmosphere of the training and other scenes through the almost daily journals Mr. Hirano wrote. But video really is powerful, isn't it?

Hirano: People tell me, "So you really were training!" (laughs). For me, I focused on creating something that highlights the documentary value of the footage I'd accumulated. I was conscious of revealing every last detail of this previously unseen "how-to-get-to-space" guide. I consider that one of the film's highlights.

Sasagawa: It's like a comprehensive travel manual following the timeline: training → launch → space → return. It also serves as a guidebook for becoming an astronaut. I've never seen footage that reveals this much information so clearly, even in my work related to space.

Hirano: Absolutely. While making it, I was surprised at how much information we could actually share. As Mr. Maezawa mentions in the film, those who go using their own money have greater freedom in what they share and say. But I imagine there would be all sorts of issues if astronauts selected and funded by taxpayer money were to share the same level of information. That's precisely why I think it's something Mr. Maezawa needs to do.

Sasagawa: I had this preconceived notion that space agency censorship was incredibly strict.

Hirano: That's what most people assume, right? It wasn't quite that bad. The real challenge was filming—we had cameras rolling constantly. On Earth, we could use equipment freely with no stress, but inside the ISS, we were always battling data limits and outdated gear.

Sasagawa: What do you mean?

Hirano: There are restrictions on bringing SD cards to the ISS. They only provide one hard drive, but it's old and transfers data very slowly, so it fills up quickly. As it neared capacity, we'd have to make daily decisions like: "Stop filming video and just take photos from here," or "Delete this video to free up space." Charging was also limited, so it was a serious problem.

Sasagawa: Knowing those precious images were captured under such harsh conditions makes you see the film a little differently.

Film Highlight #2: The "Sound" That Makes It Feel Like the Rocket Is Launching Right Before Your Eyes

Hirano: While it's part of the film's documentary value, the sound is something you absolutely must experience in a theater. Especially during the rocket launch scenes.

Sasagawa: The sound was incredible! Honestly, a real launch has an indescribable intensity, right? It feels like the Earth might shatter.

Hirano: We tested it repeatedly to recreate that intensity as faithfully as possible. I believe we've reproduced the ground-shaking, air-splitting sound pressure of a rocket launch at the same level as being there. I hope the theater's sound system lets you experience the sensation of being at Baikonur.

Sasagawa: Mr. Hirano, you experienced the launch inside the spacecraft this time, right? Being right next to those engines with their immense output, you must have felt sounds and vibrations incomparable to watching from outside.

Hirano: You'd think so, right? But it was completely different. Inside the spacecraft during launch, it's actually quiet.

Sasagawa: Really!?

Hirano: It was an unbelievable silence. Mr. Maezawa and I even looked at each other and thought, "Huh? Did we already take off?" It felt like we just floated up. The G-force during launch was less than 4G, and it felt like a comfortable pressure. It was quiet, and my body didn't feel strained at all.

Sasagawa: So inside the rocket, launch is quiet and comfortable. That's a surprisingly unexpected truth.

Hirano: That's why in the movie, we depicted the rocket launch not from the astronauts' perspective inside, but from the perspective of the people watching from the ground.

Sasagawa: As an astronaut, Hirano, I want to ask you about the reentry scene in the movie. What struck me was how incredibly fast the descent looked, even with multiple parachutes deployed. And the moment it hit the ground, there was this explosion-like thing, and it looked completely charred black. Unlike the launch scene, the movie portrayed it very briefly. Wasn't that landing terrifying?

Hirano: The impact was shocking. It felt like being rear-ended by a car.

Sasagawa: Really! Was your body okay?

Hirano: Not at all. Just as we got within 80 cm of the surface during descent, the solid rocket motor fired a reverse thrust toward the ground, cushioning the impact. That's what causes the dust cloud. Plus, the seat is designed to lift up upon landing. With this double cushioning, the impact isn't as severe as it looks.

Sasagawa: After landing, when you exit the Soyuz, you can't walk on your own, right? Is that because the impact caused damage? Or is it because your muscles atrophied in zero gravity? I always wondered which it was.

Hirano: It's neither. Your body has adjusted to the weightlessness on the ISS, so it forgets the sensation of Earth's gravity. Even if you try to get out of the capsule, your body feels heavy and you can't lift yourself. It just sticks to the floor. However, unlike us, professional astronauts who stay in space longer do experience muscle loss.

Incidentally, regarding impact, the moment the parachute opened at 10,000 meters was more intense than landing. It felt like being violently swept away. That sensation is impossible to train for on Earth, so it was truly shocking. Also, just before that, when we re-entered the atmosphere from space, we experienced G-forces beyond anything I could have imagined. It felt less like falling and more like being crushed. It was seriously intense. It felt like I couldn't breathe. So, to sum up, space is tougher on the way back than on the way there.

Sasagawa: The sound design for the launch scene is the second highlight, but from an astronaut's perspective, I learned that space is tougher on the way back.

Highlight #3: "Challenge and Peace" Conveyed Through Space and Film

Sasagawa: Without spoilers, could you also share some story-related highlights?

Hirano: It's the story of Mr. Maezawa, who quit a successful company and pursued his dream to go to space. He speaks so purely about chasing dreams and never giving up on challenges, even as a grown man. I think people like that are rare. I edited it hoping more people would see this man who, no matter his age, never gives up on his dreams and keeps challenging himself.

If I were to add one more thing, as mentioned earlier, the impetus for making this film was the outbreak of conflict in the world. I hope that the words spoken on the ISS, gazing at Earth from space, completely unintentionally, might serve as a fresh opportunity to reflect on peace and conflict.

Sasagawa: Hearing those words spoken inside the ISS at a time when no one imagined this future would unfold now carries a different meaning, doesn't it? I was deeply moved by the unadorned, unprepared, heartfelt words in the film. I think this feeling was possible precisely because Mr. Hirano, who knows Mr. Maezawa well, directed it.

Hirano: That makes me happy. I don't think messages about dreams, challenges, or world peace are the kind that get across so easily. But I do hope that, along with the beautiful image of Earth from space, they reach as many people as possible.

Toward the next space project, "dearMoon"

Sasagawa: At SPACETODAY, we're also awaiting the completion of SpaceX's spacecraft for the lunar orbit project "dearMoon." With both Mr. Maezawa and Mr. Hirano—two members who've experienced space—on the company, it seems you'll be able to prepare thoroughly.

The first private space project to orbit the moon. They will orbit the moon aboard a SpaceX rocket led by Elon Musk. They will return to Earth in about a week. Eight artists from around the world were selected to travel to the moon based on Mr. Maezawa's wish to "open up opportunities to go to space to more and more diverse talents," as he acquired all the seats.

Hirano: What will we do in space? I believe we can contribute to the planning and preparation. We traveled to the ISS through a Russian agency, so there were restrictions on what we could bring and what we could do. However, I believe there will be almost no such restrictions on the next SpaceX spacecraft, which will greatly expand what we can do. Even when it comes to taking a single video, there were restrictions on the equipment we could use on the ISS, but next time, I think even the choice of equipment will be different.

The eight artists going on the lunar orbit mission have already been announced. What will each person specifically do? Will there be any group collaborations? And since this project involves orbiting the far side of the moon, which has never been publicly recorded on video before, how will we document it and preserve it as humanity's visual heritage? There are still many necessary preparations and objectives to define.

The website for the lunar orbit project "dearMoon" is here:
https://dearmoon.earth/ja/

Sasagawa: The "footage of the far side of the moon" captured by SpaceX will be an important record, distinct from the "space travel methods" documented in this film. Are there areas for improvement in SpaceX's spacecraft beyond just the equipment?

Hirano: I think meals, bathing facilities, and water systems definitely have room for improvement—they remain challenges. Space food wasn't so much about being tasty or not; some dishes just didn't suit Japanese palates. The curry featured in the film was Japanese food brought in from JAXA, and it was delicious.

But this time, regarding food, I think if it's properly developed, you could bring anything. The key point for space food is long-term preservation, but the next trip to the moon is only a little under a week. I think we should just bring things that taste good on Earth. I thought anything liquid that could splash around was completely out of the question, but that wasn't the case at all. Liquids stay put if you don't move them, so it was surprisingly manageable.

Sasagawa: The experience of someone who's actually been there is invaluable.

Final Thoughts

Hirano: Simply put, it's a space travelogue about going to space and coming back. But within that, there are dreams and challenges driven by belief, the necessity of cooperation from many people, human connections, and multiple "reasons why I went to space" – as the title suggests. I hope viewers will resonate with at least one of these.

Sasagawa: The highlights of the film are its "documentary value," "sound," and "the themes of challenge and world peace."
One final question: Only a handful of people worldwide have ever experienced space or zero gravity. As one of them, Hirano-san, if you had the chance, would you want to go back to space?

Hirano: I would! If I could.

Sasagawa: Really!? That's a huge change from your mindset before going. If you do go again, please let us interview you after your return from the moon.

Hirano: I'm not actually going to the moon (laughs), but if I did, sure.

"Why I Went to Space" Official Website:
https://whyspace-movie.jp/#modal