It was a few years ago that I heard that it would snow in Yoyogi Park.At that time, as a result of being very worried about why it snowed, I came to know the wonderfulness of the event called SNOWBANK, and I would like to ask various questions about why I decided to launch this event with Yoshimasa Arai DAZE. It came to me.
It's been a long time since then, and I finally had the chance to take an interview with him, and he talked about his thoughts and dreams.I hope everyone will read his thoughts and take action as much as he can, regardless of size.
XNUMX) Daze has a career as a former professional snowboarder. What kind of snowboarding lifestyle did you spend?
The first time I wore snowboards was Ski Dome Saus, which was near Funabashi LaLaport, where I used to hang out when I was 16 years old.At that time, I was a soccer boy, so it was fun, but after graduating from high school, I got a job once and at that time I was absorbed in the charm of snowboarding.
VHS, which I was addicted to for the first time at that time, was influenced by "subject haakonsen" and "DECADE" in the "Bubble Life" series, but it was Tadashi, Aki, Jun Kamada, etc. who changed everything. It was "REAL PLAYER" on the nuts film that Takashi and Andy appeared on.After seeing that VHS, I was completely addicted to the charm of snowboarding and wanted to be a person on the other side, so I quit the company at the age of 19 and aimed to become a professional snowboarder.
At first, I lived in Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort, loaded an oil stove in a one-box car, and parked under the stairs at Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort Station.Thanks to that, I spent one season and couldn't make any friends. After the season was over, I lived and worked at Harumi Wharf by car, saved money and went to New Zealand.
At that time, Kokubo Kazu and a backpacker happened to get along with each other and were invited to "Come on because it's fun in Makomanai!" After that, I started skiing every year at Makomanai Ski Resort while living in Sapporo.I had been doing half-pipes for a few years, but when I was watching Kazu and Nakai's seven samurai, I felt that what I should do now was not half-pipes, and I started to slip around the jump.
Around that time, Katsushi Matsui spoke to me and started working as an "ACT PICTURES" crew.After that, I spent most of my time in Hokkaido in the winter, and spent most of my time shooting mainly on the terrain and jumps, and in the summer I skated in Switzerland and Ryugasaki.Around that time, I was able to sign a contract with a sponsor, and by the time I had some of the "ACT PICTURES" works, I was able to publish magazines and television.
I was really happy to shoot with Andy, Matsui, Major, and Komatsu, who I admired when I was 19 years old, to appear in the same work and create it.I was really sick of it.What I had envisioned when I was 19 became a reality.
XNUMX) Then I heard that I had an intractable disease, "chronic active EB virus infection".
It was around that time that signs of illness began to appear.At first, I had a fever for a couple of weeks at night.It came periodically once every few months, and each time the lymphatic lines in my neck became very swollen.Even so, I was slipping because the shooting and competitions were packed, but I was so tired that I couldn't stop shaking my hands.When I went to shoot, I used to turn the auxiliary camera with a rider to shoot, but when I shot it, I was often angry because of camera shake.At that time, I wasn't good at taking pictures.
However, while the situation was getting worse, I noticed that my legs were paralyzed to the knee position.People don't notice if they go little by little.By that time, my toes weren't moving well and my riding was terrible.By that time, I couldn't slide well, and no matter what I did, it didn't work, and I was wondering, "Is it my limit as a rider?"To be honest, snowboarding became boring as much as I thought, "I'll quit after spending another season."
For the time being, I went to orthopedics at first to try to get the minimum amount of slippage with just my legs.However, I didn't know the cause and just went through and rehabilitated.Of course, it didn't get better, it got worse, and one day I suddenly fainted at home.When I noticed, I was taken to the emergency hospital.At that time, my memory was gone and I didn't know what it was.Actually, I was planning to go to America four days later, but I forgot about it.
After that, I went to a big university hospital to find out the cause.I was hospitalized and discharged repeatedly for about a year.During that time, I underwent general anesthesia, deflated only the right lung, crushed it, made a hole in the side, and performed a biopsy of the lymph next to the heart, and various hard tests, but I could not find the cause.
Both the doctor and I went to the Kashiwa Cancer Center East Hospital to get a second opinion when it was quite boiled down.I finally found out the name of the disease. "Chronic active EB virus infection".It was said that this disease is a disease in which the EB virus possessed by more than 90% of Japanese people overgrow and cause organ failure, leading to death.
In my case, the number of viruses that were originally suppressed by my immune system and never appeared in my face increased.There were only about 2000 cases in the world on that day.If nothing is done, he will die within a few months and a few years.Bone marrow transplantation, the only case that has been cured, has also been declared a 30% success rate for this disease.I don't know why, and no medicine or cure has been established.To be honest, I didn't know what to do.
What saved me at that time was the support of the snowboarders from all over the country who were connected by the blog I was doing at that time, although the power of her (current wife) at that time was also great.I used to do a blog called dazeblog, but I received hot messages from all over the country in the comment section almost every day. I was wondering, "What am I denting when I am so supported by people all over the country?"
After that, my goal was to meet everyone's expectations, overcome the absolute illness, return as a snowboarder, and report that I was well from the snowy mountains through videos and photos.
XNUMX) I think it was very painful to overcome the intractable disease, but what did you feel while fighting the illness?
The first thing I faced during the fight against illness was the lack of a donor to receive a bone marrow transplant.Bone marrow transplantation requires a donor to provide me with bone marrow fluid.Bone marrow is an image of bone, but it is not bone but cells that make blood (hematopoietic stem cells).It is a blood-like cell contained in bone.The cells are removed with a syringe and poured into the patient's body.However, the people who can provide it are limited to those who are extremely healthy and have the same bone marrow type as the patient.It is said that the probability of matching the types is XNUMX in tens of thousands for others and parents, and XNUMX/XNUMX for siblings.
I had an older brother, so I examined it, but it didn't match, and at that time I thought, "I might die without even standing at the starting point of bone marrow transplantation."At that time, it was the existence of the bone marrow bank that got used to being a little positive.I was able to find it from among those who registered as donors all over the country.Of course, I immediately registered as a patient and searched for a donor.It's easy to get numbers, but I was told that there are 14 donors nationwide that match my bone marrow type.To be honest, I was worried at that time. "Isn't there a few 14 people?"There was no one in the condition that I could offer from that as I expected.At that time, I learned that my health condition, living environment, and family structure may change from when I registered, and I may not be able to provide it.At that time, I thought, "If I survive, I will definitely change it! If a patient who needs a bone marrow transplant is looking for a donor, I will change it to a society where there are 100 or 200 full-match donors!" I thought.
And I was lucky enough to find a donor who could provide me with a bone marrow transplant, although the bone marrow type was not a perfect match six months later.
XNUMX) What made you decide to launch an event called SNOW BANK after your fight against illness?
The X-TRAIL that was being held at Tokyo Dome, which I wanted to get out someday during the fight against illness, has disappeared, so I wanted to hold an event to tell snowboarding in Tokyo someday.After the fight against illness, I began to focus on volunteer activities at the bone marrow bank that helped me.
At that time, I realized that the young people who needed it were going away as much as I could say "bone marrow bank".Then, why not hold a snowboarding event in the middle of Tokyo to attract young people and let them know about the bone marrow bank through me and register as a donor?I thought.This event was named "SNOW BANK PAY IT FORWARD" because "PAY IT FORWARD" = "to convey" the coolness and splendor of snowboarding and the importance of bone marrow banks in the future.
Furthermore, at this event, I would like to encourage patients who receive bone marrow transplants to know that I can be so energetic even if I receive bone marrow transplants by going out all over.When I was fighting illness, there was little good information after I had a bone marrow transplant.I'm going out and working in the hope that you will see me and have the courage.
2011) I have been continuing SNOWBANK since XNUMX, and I think this is the XNUMXth year. Do you have any challenges or goals for the next?
"SNOW BANK PAY IT FORWARD" is celebrating its 4th year this year, but what I thought after trying it for XNUMX years was the difficulty of attracting customers and the difficulty of managing it.When it was held for the first time, it really felt like an amateur had done an event suddenly, which caused a lot of trouble for many people.Nowadays, the number of collaborators is increasing, and this year we have a lot of snowboarding, skateboarding, music, art, fruits, and workshops.
This SNOW BANK wants to become Japan's leading snowboard, bone marrow bank festival, for XNUMX years in a row.And I hope that this activity will create a world where everyone who needs a bone marrow transplant can stand at the starting point of a bone marrow transplant.However, I have a hard time collecting the execution budget for the event every year.
Right now"READY FOR"Take advantage of crowdfunding such as or sponsor yourself"Snow Lord"We collect from 2000 yen per bit (things that are not shareholders but become the main snow) and connect them to the execution budget.I hope that those who read this article will also participate in this activity as supporters of "READY FOR" and snow owners.
This year's event will be held from 11:8 to 9:10 from November 17th to XNUMXth.In addition to snowboarding, we have expanded the space for eating and drinking and selling products, and with the cooperation of Futaba Fruits, we can't take our eyes off the holding of a free fruit buffet and the art tent project of memory sketcher KIBOKO.And also "DAZE BAND"!Lol
Crews such as "STONP", "SCLOVER", "CANDY" and "DIRTY PINP" are scheduled to participate this year as well, so please come and visit us.
Overview
Date and time: November 11th, 8: 9-30: 18
November 11th, 9: 9-30: 17
Venue: Yoyogi Park B district event plaza (open space in front of the outdoor music hall)
Riders scheduled to visit: Atsushi Ishikawa, Ryuichi Hekida, Kazuhiro Kokubo, Kohei Kudo, Yuma Abe, Shouma Takao, Daiki Kaga, Tetsuko Kawai, Emi Hatakeyama, Akifumi Hiraoka, Katsuro Taguchi and others
Participating productions: SCLOVER, STONP, DAITYPINP, MADDOG, CANDY, 夷 film, YONEFILM
Contents: Food and beverage outlets, product sales, snowboard contests, kids skate slopes, skateboard mini lamps, trampoline (Chiba Kings) music live, workshops, ski resort early bird ticket sales, blood donation, bone marrow bank donor registration, talk live, live pane Ting, slide show (Kichiro Hikai, ZIZO), teaser preview (10 years after: revisiting Greenland, Live Naturaly 5), etc.
Sponsors: Aizu Kogen Ski Resort, Epicurus, RIDEOUT SNOWBOARD WEAR, VOLCOM, DRAGON, Marunuma Kogen Ski Resort, Yuki Maji 19, HIMARAK, ALLIAN, LIBTECH, SIMS, FLUXBINDINGS, DEATHLABEL, Monster Energy, HOMESCHOOL
Tournament entry(Deadline November 11st)
XNUMX) Is there anything you would like to tell everyone from Daze?
I think I learned a lot from snowboarding and grew up as a human being.And I think that even the snowboard saved me.I think snowboarding is the best play, the best way to express, and my LIFE.I'm sure I'll keep riding the snowboard until I die.
I feel like I learned through snowboarding that "what you can imagine can be achieved".Everyone reading this article should take the courage to take a step forward by valuing "what you envision" and spend your snowboarding LIFE.
Profile
Arai DAZE Yoshimasa
Born 1979/3/10
sponsor
RIDEOUT SNOWBOARD WEAR
FLUX BINDINGS
SIMS SNOWBOARDS
Himarak
SHIFT
Sisent Tomonii Kirukoto
Hokkaido wall
――――――――――――
Interview and Edit by
