Mayuko Fukuda × Yuichiro Kojima: Part 1 "Working College Students Discuss the Realities of Young People"

Reasons for Choosing University

Kojima: Today, I'd like to talk with Ms. Fukuda, who is both an actress and a current university student, about the theme of "work." You're my junior at university, but you're my senior in terms of professional experience. How old are you again?

Fukuda: 19. I joined my agency at age 4, so I've been watching working adults for 15 years now (laughs).

Kojima: Since I'm in my seventh year at the company, that means you've been working about twice as long as me. First, I'd like to hear about your university life. You're entering your second year this spring, right? Why did you decide to go to university in the first place?

Fukuda: The things I wanted to learn—like literature, art, or expression—weren't necessarily things I needed to study specifically at university, so I agonized over whether to go or not. Actually, I agonized over going to high school for the same reason. I didn't dislike junior high school, but it wasn't particularly fun either.

Kojima: Was it because you didn't have friends you clicked with?

Fukuda: I had people I got along with, but I just didn't find school appealing. That feeling of being confined, everyone doing gym class in the same gym clothes—I really hated it (laughs).

Kojima: Ah. It is compulsory education, after all (laughs).

Fukuda: So for high school, I went with a lighthearted attitude, thinking, "Well, I can only experience high school life now." But it turned out to be incredibly fun. It was just the time when everyone starts to gradually figure out what they like and what they value. University was an extension of that. For me, it wasn't so much a place for learning as it was a place where all kinds of people gathered, a place for all kinds of encounters. I decided to place more emphasis on that aspect.

Kojima: So the appeal was the sheer breadth of people there. But logically speaking, having worked since age four, wouldn't that world be much broader in terms of scope?

Fukuda: But you know, relationships built through work and just regular friendships are different, aren't they? I've always worked hard at whatever job I had at the time, but my friendships outside of work were pretty shallow. When I'd leave the workplace and be alone in my room, I didn't really have anything I wanted to do or anything I liked. I always thought I was a really boring person. It feels like I'm trying to reclaim those little moments from when I was younger, day by day.

Kojima: So, do your friends from high school or your current university play a role in helping you reclaim that time?

Fukuda: That's part of it. Also, when I started living alone as a university student, leaving the foundation of my parents' home made me realize for the first time that everything I do, I do simply because I want to. Once I understood that, all sorts of things became fun again.

Young People and "Communication Addiction"

Kojima: Japanese university students are often described as being in a kind of moratorium compared to students overseas, right? I think many around me see these four years purely as a time to figure out what they want to do. As a senior in the workforce, what do you think when you see university students like that?

Fukuda: Hmm. First off, isn't the "college student" label incredibly convenient? Of course, it varies by person, but generally, they have time and aren't really doing much, right? (laughs) If you say you're a college student, you can just drift around for two months and no one says anything. I have that side to me too, and I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing.

Kojima: So, when you compare the young people around you now to the adults you work with, are there areas where you think, "This is different," or "This is good, but maybe they should learn from this"?

Fukuda: Hmm... (The kids around me now) just keep saying "this is no good," "that's no good," and I wonder if they even know what they like. Maybe that's because the people I've interacted with so far were especially drawn to expression. Some kids say things like "I just want to make money easily," and it makes me really sad. Why do they give up on so many things so quickly?

Kojima: That sentiment is a major trend evident in youth survey results over the past decade. For example, when asked if they liked the word "ordinary," 16.4% said yes ten years ago, but now it's 25.4%. On the other hand, awareness about environmental concerns and social contribution has increased significantly. Overall, it seems like today's youth value living within their means and not being overly aggressive – that's the trend seen by older generations.

Fukuda: Huh, they like the word "ordinary"?! Also, the biggest difference now is definitely the internet, right? Everyone acts like they're great at communication, but they're actually terrible at it (laughs). Like calling someone you've talked to a few times on Twitter a "friend." For me, it takes a lot of courage to say someone is my friend... I don't think I could have deep connections with so many different people.

Kojima: More than being good or bad, I see today's young people as communication addicts. Like how they write their info on Twitter profiles with slashes—"Birthdate/High School/Cram School/University/Clubs..."—it's because they want to create as many points of connection with others as possible.

Fukuda: It must be exhausting. It feels like the value of a person is increasingly determined by how many facts they can list when plotting themselves on a chart.

Kojima: That trend is the same in job hunting. For example, the latest university student awareness survey shows that about 40% of students choose their clubs based on whether they can use them in their self-promotion for job applications.

Fukuda: Wow! Everyone really has it tough...

Is being an actress like job hunting every day?

Kojima: For actors, I think it's about the accumulation of good work naturally building your reputation. But for younger people today, the goal often shifts to "writing it in my self-promotion" first, and they tend to skip the step of actually doing good work beforehand. Sounds arrogant, I know. Fukuda-san, as an actress, do you also feel like having more awards or a longer list of works is better?

Fukuda: I wonder... I guess it's one kind of weapon, not that it's essential, but maybe it's important? For example, if you search "Fukuda Mayuko," Wikipedia comes up, right? It lists past roles—some small parts, sure—but just looking at the volume, it's quite extensive. But conversely, I sometimes think, "So does that mean what's not on Wikipedia isn't me?" Because the number of lines there and the depth of the time I've actually lived are completely different.

Kojima: If we frame that as input versus output, is it a feeling that you want people to see the time you spend inputting as well?

Fukuda: But I also know that if I want someone who knows nothing about me to understand me, I have to show them Wikipedia. Personally, I think my own precious experiences and all the things I've thought about are the most important. But that's actually just self-indulgence. I feel like it's about time I started producing tangible results from all the things I've done that don't get written on Wikipedia.

Kojima: I see. By the way, being an actress is kind of like constantly going through job interviews, right? Is there anything you consciously focus on to get cast for each role?

Fukuda: Honestly, I'm grateful I've rarely had to worry about not having my next role lined up. I've always just focused on giving my all to the work right in front of me. It's only recently hit me that this is fundamentally a job where you might or might not get work. Better late than never, I guess (laughs).

Kojima: To draw another job-hunting parallel, everyone starts by applying to several companies at once. You're constantly juggling interview schedules while the selection process continues. But it's only when you get rejected by all of them and run out of options that you finally start thinking about yourself. That's exactly what happened to me (laughs).

Fukuda: After graduating college, everyone around you gets jobs and gets busy, right? But if I'm the only one with nothing to do on Mondays and Tuesdays, that'd be lonely. I need to start working properly around that time, so I really need to buckle down soon!

※The second part of this interview will be updated on Wednesday, March 19.

---

【Wakamon Profile】
Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department (nicknamed Wakamon) is a planning team that engages with the real lives and mindsets of young people, primarily high school and university students. By understanding their "now," we seek hints to brighten and invigorate the near future. We foresee the future based on their insights and realize new businesses that foster better relationships between young people and society. Currently, 14 project members are based across our Tokyo headquarters, Kansai branch, and Chubu branch. Information is also shared on the Wakamon Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/wakamon.dentsu ).