Aoki Haruhi and Hayao Miyazaki flew from Tokyo, landed in Kagoshima, and successfully met up with Joe Hisaishi.
This was also Aoki Haruhi's first time meeting Joe Hisaishi.
Joe Hisaishi, born in 1950, was 44 years old this year, considered to be at the peak of his life.
However, he had already lost all his hair, and because the weather was quite cold, he was wearing a wool hat.
He was dressed quite casually.
If one didn't know his identity, they would just think this guy was an ordinary uncle.
If Joe Hisaishi took off his hat, you would think this guy looked like someone from the underworld.
But Joe Hisaishi smiled very gently and kindly, and when he greeted Aoki Haruhi, he even went forward and gave him a big hug.
This made Aoki Haruhi develop a lot of good feelings for him.
Hayao Miyazaki introduced the two of them, and then the group walked towards the dock where they would board the boat.
Throughout the process, Aoki Haruhi kept silently observing Joe Hisaishi, which made the middle-aged uncle feel a bit shy.
"Aoki-san, is there something wrong?"
"No, no, I just really like your music," Aoki Haruhi said, "I finally met you in person."
"Hahahaha…"
Joe Hisaishi and Hayao Miyazaki burst into laughter.
Then Joe Hisaishi walked over and patted Aoki Haruhi's shoulder, "For this journey of ours, please take care of us."
"No, no, I should be asking you to take care of me."
If Atsushi Shirakawa and Makoto Shinkai mutually achieved success, then Hayao Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi were another example of mutual achievement.
In 1994, Joe Hisaishi was already very famous.
In 1984, he began his first collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki, serving as the Music Director for Hayao Miyazaki's first work, "nausicaä of the valley of the wind," and the movie's soundtrack reached a record high of 8th place on the Oricon chart.
In 1986, he served as the Music Director for Hayao Miyazaki's work "castle in the sky," composing the theme song "Carrying You."
...
Between 1992 and 1994, Joe Hisaishi won the Best Music Award at the Japan Academy Prize for three consecutive years for his scores for Takeshi Kitano's films "A Scene at the Sea" and "Sonatine," and Nobuhiko Obayashi's film "Seishun Den-Den."
It was as if he had a cheat code.
He and Hayao Miyazaki were similar; both were geniuses in their respective fields.
Wait.
Just then, Aoki Haruhi, walking behind the two masters, suddenly thought of a question—
These two, they wouldn't think I'm a genius of their type, that's why they called me, right?
But on second thought, it was really very possible.
After all, Aoki Haruhi was currently the most watched rising star in the game industry, mainly because he was young and could produce many excellent games.
What the heck...
Aoki Haruhi was completely out of sorts at this moment.
He was so embarrassed he wanted to dig out a one-bedroom, two-living-room apartment with his toes.
I'm just a plagiarist.
The reason he gave off a powerful impression was mainly because he was good at picking, choosing games that were explosively popular and profitable, like Diablo and Pokémon.
In terms of talent, Aoki Haruhi admitted he had none.
The truly talented ones are Gen Urobuchi and Maeda Jun; I'm just borrowing their halo to get to where I am today.
Someone like me,
How can I be compared to the masters, worthy of their favor?
...
However...
In fact, Aoki Haruhi was being too self-important.
Hayao Miyazaki invited him to Yakushima for no other reason than to do research for "princess mononoke."
As one of the partners for this animated film, Hayao Miyazaki felt it was necessary to bring him along.
It would also let him experience what he truly wanted to express, so that the game wouldn't go off track when it was made.
Hearing Hayao Miyazaki's words, Aoki Haruhi's face turned ashen.
"Ah? Is that how it is?"
Aoki Haruhi felt like he had taken ten thousand points of damage.
That stings!
"Otherwise?" Hayao Miyazaki smiled, put a cigarette in his mouth, holding it straight like a hamster.
If you weren't paying attention, you might think this guy was holding a straw.
"Hmm, what kind of place is Yakushima?" Aoki Haruhi sighed.
Actually, there was one thing he didn't dare to say—
I've watched your "princess mononoke" a hundred or eighty times, and I remember every detail of it, so it wouldn't really matter if you didn't bring me along.
Man and nature, I understand it thoroughly.
"You'll know when you get there," Hayao Miyazaki said with a smile.
...
The group took a ferry from Kagoshima to Yakushima.
Indeed, just as Hayao Miyazaki said, the sea was foggy.
The weather was bad today, full of clouds.
And it was pouring rain.
The boat was also shaking violently.
Aoki Haruhi originally wanted to go to the bow to experience it, but the captain said it was better not to go outside, lest a big wave come and sweep him away.
It was indeed very bumpy, so Aoki Haruhi could only huddle inside the cabin.
However, looking out from the door, the outside was a misty rain, which was actually quite atmospheric.
Yakushima is also known as "Crying Island" and is the rainiest island in all of Japan, called by local residents "an island where it rains 35 days a month."
Because of its high rainfall and high altitude, the island is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round.
The changeable rainy weather has led the island's residents to develop the habit of carrying umbrellas when going out, so Hayao Miyazaki also reminded Aoki Haruhi to bring his own umbrella before departure.
It's best to get a raincoat.
"Walking on the island in the rain, with the sound of rain all around you, that feeling of white noise, the feeling of rainwater hitting your body through your raincoat, it's truly wonderful," Hayao Miyazaki said with a smile, "You'll like it."
Hmm?
Aoki Haruhi's eyes blurred as he imagined the scene Hayao Miyazaki described.
It sounds quite romantic, doesn't it?
The only drawback was, why was he here with two old men?
And, in fact, Aoki Haruhi himself hadn't quite figured it out.
How could an island with such heavy rainfall become the filming location for "princess mononoke"?
When he watched the movie back then, he didn't remember any feeling of heavy rain.
It's quite interesting to note that even though Aoki Haruhi had lived in Japan for so long and had been to the seaside before, this was actually his first time going out to sea by boat.
Before, he had only swum at the beach, played in the sand, hugged Nao Tsuda and so on...
After actually going out to sea, there was indeed a special feeling.
Especially after the boat had traveled for some time, leaving Kagoshima, the entire sea was covered in a thick fog.
You had no idea where you were going, and the boat was constantly swaying, creating a genuine sense of inner fear.
This reminded Aoki Haruhi of the cthulhu mythos stories from abroad.
It felt as if in the next second, a terrifying and enormous tentacle would reach out from the seabed, gently coil around the ship, and drag it into the depths.
Thinking of this, Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but shiver.
...
However, looking at the sea through the porthole was really not satisfying, and Aoki Haruhi really wanted to go outside and take a look.
So he stood up, wobbled down the aisle to the cabin door, and held onto the door to look out.
Hmm...
He really couldn't see anything.
But the sea breeze outside, carrying rainwater, splashed in and drenched his face.
"The wind and waves are too strong, aren't they?" Aoki Haruhi shouted.
The crew member standing outside glanced at him and shouted loudly, "That's not waves, it's raining!"
"Is the rain that heavy?!"
"No, today's actually pretty good!"
Oh my goodness.
This terrible weather was actually considered good.
So, would they be able to see what Hayao Miyazaki wanted to see on Yakushima?
Just then, Aoki Haruhi suddenly had an epiphany.
No wonder Hayao Miyazaki wanted to stay on the island for a week.
It would be too difficult to wait for clear weather.
...
While Aoki Haruhi was sighing at the bow of the ship, Hayao Miyazaki was sitting in his seat, pulling out a few Apples from his bag.
Wiping them with a tissue, Hayao Miyazaki handed one to Joe Hisaishi.
The latter took a bite and smiled.
The Apples were small, green Apples, and very tart.
But the taste was just right.
Sweet and sour, and most importantly, very crispy.
Hayao Miyazaki looked at Aoki Haruhi by the cabin door, opened his mouth as if to call him over.
But after thinking about it, he decided not to disturb the young man.
Hayao Miyazaki was very pleased to see Aoki Haruhi's interest in the sea.
If a person loves nature, then that person won't be bad.
It makes sense.
If Aoki Haruhi didn't have such careful observation of life and nature, and sufficient insight, he wouldn't be able to write works like CL that touch people's hearts.
Nor would he have made such an excellent galgame as "Your Name."
A few seconds later, Aoki Haruhi returned.
But just as he was on his way, due to the strong winds and high waves outside, the boat suddenly lurched.
With this lurch, Aoki Haruhi almost swayed to one side, nearly falling into a girl's arms.
The other party was looking at him with an expectant expression.
Who knew Aoki Haruhi gripped the back of the seat, holding himself steady.
"Excuse me."
Aoki Haruhi nodded politely and continued back to his seat.
But just then, another jolt.
This jolt wasn't a big deal, but the Apple in Hayao Miyazaki's bag rolled out.
It landed squarely on Aoki Haruhi's seat.
Because it was hidden by the table, Aoki Haruhi didn't see it, and he sat down with a thud, screaming in pain.
Have you seen Tom and Jerry?
It was like the scene where Tom gets a needle in his butt; Aoki Haruhi sprang up instantly.
He felt like he was going to split apart.
He looked back and saw a small green Apple on the seat, squashed open from being sat on.
"Oh my goodness, who put an Apple on the seat?!"
Hayao Miyazaki, seeing Aoki Haruhi's pained expression, couldn't help but turn his head away.
He suppressed a mischievous grin, not daring to laugh out loud.
It was really too hard to hold back.
...
Upon arriving at Yakushima, it was pouring rain.
It was truly pouring rain.
Although Hayao Miyazaki had already arranged local accommodation and there were dedicated people to pick them up, the car was delayed by about an hour due to the heavy rain.
After the group got into the car, they realized the rain was simply absurd.
How heavy was it?
Let's put it this way: even with the car's wipers on max speed, the rainwater splattered onto the windshield like a fire truck had opened its hydrant.
It simply couldn't keep up.
It was like driving through a waterfall.
Visibility was extremely low; in Aoki Haruhi's opinion, besides the flashing taillights of the car in front, everything outside was just rain.
He couldn't see anything.
And the car was half-submerged in the rainwater, almost up to the windows.
Under these conditions, it was truly a miracle that the car was still moving forward.
Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but sigh; in his first half of life, he had lived for over thirty years, and after rebirth, he had lived for many more years, totaling over forty years, and he had never seen such absurd heavy rain.
It was like a great flood from back in the day.
Fortunately, the rain came quickly and fiercely, and left just as quickly and fiercely.
After about ten minutes, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.
A red glow appeared in the sky outside.
Only then did Aoki Haruhi realize it was already evening.
He poked his head out and saw the distant sky, ablaze like fire, with auspicious clouds spread out like an angel's six large wings, unfurling outwards.
They were rendered colorful by the sunlight, like a dream.
Below were the towering mountains, blending with the clouds in the sky.
He couldn't help but utter a sigh—
"So beautiful."
...
It was getting late, and according to the original plan, seeing the Jomon Sugi was probably out of the question, so the group could only check into the arranged hotel first and go the next day.
This time, Aoki Haruhi and his companions were very lucky; although the weather forecast predicted heavy rain for the next day, the sun actually came out.
Hayao Miyazaki told him that coastal weather forecasts were usually not very accurate, and the actual conditions depended on the day itself.
So the group set off towards the Jomon Sugi.
From the entrance, walking in, the round trip to Jomon Sugi would take about 10 hours of hiking.
When he heard about the 10-hour journey, Aoki Haruhi was completely dumbfounded.
And it was all on foot!!
What the heck...
What was I here for again?
But looking back, Uncle Joe Hisaishi and Hayao Miyazaki were still excited, and the two of them combined were almost 100 years old, yet they weren't afraid of a 10-hour journey.
Aoki Haruhi was truly impressed.
...
At 4 AM, they set off before dawn, putting on their shoes and hiking poles, and the three men followed the guide.
They walked through the dense forest.
Aoki Haruhi quickly understood Hayao Miyazaki's reason for choosing this place—
Yakushima has vast forests, and because it rains all year round, the air is humid, so the trees are lush, and lichens, mosses, and various plants all grow very well.
Often, on a crooked, fallen large tree, there would be over 100 different types of fungi growing.
Some small mushrooms were truly visible to the naked eye.
Moss played a magical role in nourishing all things on this island.
Being in it, there was a sense of being in the world of "princess mononoke."
It seemed as if at any moment, San would ride out of the forest on her white wolf.
"Ah~ this island is really nice, Miyazaki-san, I can imagine that your future work will be excellent," Joe Hisaishi said.
"I hope I can also create excellent music!"