[Interview] We Spoke with Suzuka Aizawa and Kenta Muramatsu, Who Competed at Miss & Mister Celebrity International 2023
June 4, 2023
We spoke with the two contestants who represented Japan at Miss & Mister Celebrity 2023, held in Malaysia in April 2023, about their experience at the international pageant and their message for finalists aiming for the national and world finals!
■What we felt as Japanese
Kenta
"The world final was held in Malaysia, and most of the contestants were from Southeast Asia.
What surprised me was that we were welcomed simply for being "Japanese."
Japanese culture like anime and sushi, and even Japanese greetings, are well known there,
and just for being Japanese, people would come up and ask, "Can I take a photo with you?" and treat us kindly.
As a Japanese person, I was really happy to see how many people love Japan."
Kazue added, "When you go to a world final, you are called 'JAPAN' more often than by your own name. It really makes you feel that you are carrying Japan on your shoulders."
■The two were the perfect partners!
Suzuka and Kenta
It was striking how both of them said, "I'm so glad we went together!"
Suzuka, who is good at English,
and Kenta, who is great at livening things up.
Being the same age, they say they were the perfect partners.
■The benefits of live streaming and social media
Suzuka regularly streams on TikTok and Kenta on YouTube,
and they say they kept live streaming during the pageant as well.
When Kazue asked, "Was it worth putting yourselves out there?" both nodded firmly: "Yes!"
Suzuka
"Even during the pageant, I was streaming, saying, 'Public voting is starting, please support me!!'
My followers in Japan became interested, joined in, and cheered me on.
I think I was able to place thanks to all my followers."
Kenta
"We both placed, being chosen as 12 out of 48, and I think that was because
we had been interacting with our fans through our regular posts, so they supported us. Es
pecially Suzuka's fans, their support was amazing!"
Then a listener asked,
"What do you keep in mind to win fans' hearts when you go LIVE?"
Suzuka's answer:
"Getting people to comment is the most important thing."
That is why she reads out the names of people who comment, and always sends them a thank-you DM after each stream.
So the secret to her popularity lies in this kind of steady effort and thoughtfulness.
↓Their accounts ✨
-----------------------
▶Rinmaru177
@rinmaru177 (TikTok)
▶Muraken.
-----------------------
■What we wish we had done before the world final
Kenta
"English training.
The pageant we entered had a Grand Final, where we walked the runway, and pre-judging,
and the pre-judging carried a high weight of 60%.
In the speech, one part of the pre-judging, the international judges asked questions in English, but I
answered in Japanese. As an opinion leader, expected to share your views for the sake of social contribution,
I regret not having built up basic English skills."
Suzuka
"I also keenly felt how important language is.
During the one-week pageant, we had a task to make videos in groups promoting the sponsor's makeup products,
and without English you can't join in with the group, and even if you have an idea,
you can't get it across. I want to work on it from now on."
Hearing this, Kazue offered a word of advice:
"Japanese people tend to think 'I have to do it perfectly.' You should have used anything, Pocketalk or Google Translate!"
■What we felt during the world final
Looking at photos of the venue,
Kazue asked, "Looking out from the stage, you must have been nervous, right?"
Kenta answered with a big smile: "No way, it was so much fun!!"
"I had been on audition shows and the like in Japan, but there, everyone naturally saw each other
as rivals.
What surprised me at this world final
was that contestants from every country came in with the attitude of "Let's make this pageant a great success together!"
For example, when my tie was on backwards, someone fixed it with a smile, saying, "Kenta, No handsome!"
I truly felt the motto of Mr. Celebrity International,
"Zero hate. All the people love."
The bonds between the contestants were the best!"
A listener commented:
"That is exactly the co-creation Kazue always talks about!"
■A message to the finalists aiming for the national and world finals!
Suzuka
"The schedule was much tougher than I imagined, but there was even more to learn,
and interacting with people from other countries was a wonderful experience.
Of course you will be nervous, but the real stage happens only once.
Do your best to give 100% of yourself!"
Kenta
"What I felt at the world final was the positive attitude of the contestants from every country.
'There will be plenty of hard things, but let's enjoy it and have fun together!
Let's turn our stage nerves into focus!'
That way of thinking gave me a new realization: "So this is how you get through it!"
Since then, I have also valued "momentum and enjoyment!""
Hearing this, Kazue commented, "I think that is absolutely right."
—————————————————
Polishing your skills is of course important, but
if, right up until the last moment,
you focus only on technique, thinking "What if I get my speech wrong?"
or "Will I be able to perform properly...?",
you can't enjoy the moment, and your face turns tense.
Your skills are what you have built up until then.
In your speech, too, what you want to say should come naturally from your own experiences.
On the day, rather than on technique,
I think focusing on enjoying yourself and having fun leads to a better performance.
——————————————————
Drawing on her own experience, she also said,
"When I went to the world final, everyone's backgrounds were so different that
rather than feeling 'I want to compete,'
my mindset changed to 'Let me do what I can and give 100% of what I have.'"
The two shared their memories of the world final with bright smiles,
and the time flew by.
Thank you so much for sharing your valuable stories!
------------------------------------
Bellissima Japan holds licenses for 25 Miss, Mister and Mrs. pageants each year. Through our partnerships with model agencies in Japan and abroad, we support you in turning your challenge into something that benefits society.
Mrs. Universe is dedicated to women's empowerment and to raising the social standing of women. We run the Mrs. Universe Japan national final in the belief that "a challenge only you can take on brings happiness to you and to all of us."
▶︎About Mrs. Universe Japan: https://www.service.bellissimajapan.co.jp/about-mrs-universe-japan
▶︎MRS UNIVERSE JAPAN 2023: https://www.service.bellissimajapan.co.jp/mrsuniverse2023
▶︎Pre-applications for Mrs. Universe Japan 2024 are now open: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeFCjLVPkEl5ehIIY_DwQM1QXOpPzG7fO0NCeTlUX7o4P-zbA/viewform
We spoke with the two contestants who represented Japan at Miss & Mister Celebrity 2023, held in Malaysia in April 2023, about their experience at the international pageant and their message for finalists aiming for the national and world finals!
■What we felt as Japanese
Kenta
"The world final was held in Malaysia, and most of the contestants were from Southeast Asia.
What surprised me was that we were welcomed simply for being "Japanese."
Japanese culture like anime and sushi, and even Japanese greetings, are well known there,
and just for being Japanese, people would come up and ask, "Can I take a photo with you?" and treat us kindly.
As a Japanese person, I was really happy to see how many people love Japan."
Kazue added, "When you go to a world final, you are called 'JAPAN' more often than by your own name. It really makes you feel that you are carrying Japan on your shoulders."
■The two were the perfect partners!
Suzuka and Kenta
It was striking how both of them said, "I'm so glad we went together!"
Suzuka, who is good at English,
and Kenta, who is great at livening things up.
Being the same age, they say they were the perfect partners.
■The benefits of live streaming and social media
Suzuka regularly streams on TikTok and Kenta on YouTube,
and they say they kept live streaming during the pageant as well.
When Kazue asked, "Was it worth putting yourselves out there?" both nodded firmly: "Yes!"
Suzuka
"Even during the pageant, I was streaming, saying, 'Public voting is starting, please support me!!'
My followers in Japan became interested, joined in, and cheered me on.
I think I was able to place thanks to all my followers."
Kenta
"We both placed, being chosen as 12 out of 48, and I think that was because
we had been interacting with our fans through our regular posts, so they supported us. Es
pecially Suzuka's fans, their support was amazing!"
Then a listener asked,
"What do you keep in mind to win fans' hearts when you go LIVE?"
Suzuka's answer:
"Getting people to comment is the most important thing."
That is why she reads out the names of people who comment, and always sends them a thank-you DM after each stream.
So the secret to her popularity lies in this kind of steady effort and thoughtfulness.
↓Their accounts ✨
-----------------------
▶Rinmaru177
@rinmaru177 (TikTok)
▶Muraken.
-----------------------
■What we wish we had done before the world final
Kenta
"English training.
The pageant we entered had a Grand Final, where we walked the runway, and pre-judging,
and the pre-judging carried a high weight of 60%.
In the speech, one part of the pre-judging, the international judges asked questions in English, but I
answered in Japanese. As an opinion leader, expected to share your views for the sake of social contribution,
I regret not having built up basic English skills."
Suzuka
"I also keenly felt how important language is.
During the one-week pageant, we had a task to make videos in groups promoting the sponsor's makeup products,
and without English you can't join in with the group, and even if you have an idea,
you can't get it across. I want to work on it from now on."
Hearing this, Kazue offered a word of advice:
"Japanese people tend to think 'I have to do it perfectly.' You should have used anything, Pocketalk or Google Translate!"
■What we felt during the world final
Looking at photos of the venue,
Kazue asked, "Looking out from the stage, you must have been nervous, right?"
Kenta answered with a big smile: "No way, it was so much fun!!"
"I had been on audition shows and the like in Japan, but there, everyone naturally saw each other
as rivals.
What surprised me at this world final
was that contestants from every country came in with the attitude of "Let's make this pageant a great success together!"
For example, when my tie was on backwards, someone fixed it with a smile, saying, "Kenta, No handsome!"
I truly felt the motto of Mr. Celebrity International,
"Zero hate. All the people love."
The bonds between the contestants were the best!"
A listener commented:
"That is exactly the co-creation Kazue always talks about!"
■A message to the finalists aiming for the national and world finals!
Suzuka
"The schedule was much tougher than I imagined, but there was even more to learn,
and interacting with people from other countries was a wonderful experience.
Of course you will be nervous, but the real stage happens only once.
Do your best to give 100% of yourself!"
Kenta
"What I felt at the world final was the positive attitude of the contestants from every country.
'There will be plenty of hard things, but let's enjoy it and have fun together!
Let's turn our stage nerves into focus!'
That way of thinking gave me a new realization: "So this is how you get through it!"
Since then, I have also valued "momentum and enjoyment!""
Hearing this, Kazue commented, "I think that is absolutely right."
—————————————————
Polishing your skills is of course important, but
if, right up until the last moment,
you focus only on technique, thinking "What if I get my speech wrong?"
or "Will I be able to perform properly...?",
you can't enjoy the moment, and your face turns tense.
Your skills are what you have built up until then.
In your speech, too, what you want to say should come naturally from your own experiences.
On the day, rather than on technique,
I think focusing on enjoying yourself and having fun leads to a better performance.
——————————————————
Drawing on her own experience, she also said,
"When I went to the world final, everyone's backgrounds were so different that
rather than feeling 'I want to compete,'
my mindset changed to 'Let me do what I can and give 100% of what I have.'"
The two shared their memories of the world final with bright smiles,
and the time flew by.
Thank you so much for sharing your valuable stories!
------------------------------------
Bellissima Japan holds licenses for 25 Miss, Mister and Mrs. pageants each year. Through our partnerships with model agencies in Japan and abroad, we support you in turning your challenge into something that benefits society.
Mrs. Universe is dedicated to women's empowerment and to raising the social standing of women. We run the Mrs. Universe Japan national final in the belief that "a challenge only you can take on brings happiness to you and to all of us."
▶︎About Mrs. Universe Japan: https://www.service.bellissimajapan.co.jp/about-mrs-universe-japan
▶︎MRS UNIVERSE JAPAN 2023: https://www.service.bellissimajapan.co.jp/mrsuniverse2023
▶︎Pre-applications for Mrs. Universe Japan 2024 are now open: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeFCjLVPkEl5ehIIY_DwQM1QXOpPzG7fO0NCeTlUX7o4P-zbA/viewform