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Oh, she is so cute!
Everyone in Japan has watched her grow up.
Her name is Ai-chan, or Fukuhara Ai-san.
Please come this way.
Hello.
She is married to the husband of a Taiwanese handsome table tennis player.
It has been five years since she became a mother of two children.
Please have a seat.
I would like to ask you about your life as a mother who has supported you since you were a player.
You won a silver medal in London and Rio Olympics.
You are world famous.
I think you are amazing.
Thank you very much.
I know you have been crying since you were a child.
But you retired from playing table tennis three years ago.
Yes.
When you retired, you said you were prepared.
I have been playing table tennis since I was three years old.
I am used to the world.
At first, I couldn't imagine my daily life without playing table tennis.
It was a very courageous decision.
I agree.
Your husband is a Taiwanese.
He is a table tennis player.
His name is Jan Honje.
He still plays table tennis.
Do you support him often?
I don't support him for the first time.
On the contrary, I support him.
I learn a lot from him.
I discover new things every day.
You live in Taiwan, don't you?
Yes, I go there and back.
I spend a lot of time in Taiwan now.
I plan to move to Japan from now on.
Really?
When my child enters kindergarten.
I see.
You need words.
Yes, I do.
Can you speak either Chinese or Japanese?
I think children are amazing.
For me, it is Japanese.
For my mother, it is Japanese, of course.
When I speak with my family in Taiwan, I speak Chinese.
I think children are amazing.
Your mother is in Taiwan now.
Yes, she is.
It is safe for you to live with your children, isn't it?
I live in a wheelchair because of my weak legs.
However, I live well with everyone's support.
When you got married, your husband and you came to my house specially.
You came with a very handsome husband.
Thank you for calling me.
We have a video. Please watch it.
Is he kind?
Yes, he is.
He looks so kind.
Yes, he is.
Is she cute, too?
She is super cute.
He said you are super cute.
Super super cute.
Your husband sent you a letter.
What?
I haven't heard of it.
Please.
To my wife...
Yes.
No matter what happens, don't worry.
Yes.
I will always be by your side.
Young.
I love you.
Heart, heart, heart.
That's all.
Yes.
Thank you very much.
Are you still kind to your husband?
He is kind.
Yes.
But you sometimes quarrel with your husband.
Yes, I am one-sidedly angry.
What makes you angry?
What makes me angry...
For example, during pregnancy, I wanted to drink orange juice and grape juice.
He asked me what I wanted to drink, and I said I wanted to drink two.
He told me to drink one for now.
After drinking one, he will buy me another one.
During pregnancy, I am not very stable.
Even though I want to drink two, I quarreled with my husband.
That's selfishness.
Yes, you are right.
You are right.
That's about it.
Well...
Yes.
Then you are really good friends.
Thank you very much.
You are right.
Your husband and I had a special relationship in Tetsuko.
He has been living in Taiwan since then.
Yes.
At first, were you surprised by the difference in culture?
Yes.
For example, we don't eat cake even on Christmas.
Oh.
On Christmas, we often ask "When is it?"
You don't celebrate Christmas much, do you?
Yes.
On New Year's Day in February, everyone thinks about New Year's Day.
Yes.
When I started eating cake for the first year, I couldn't say it out loud.
I wanted to buy a cake, but my family asked me "Why are you eating cake now?"
But now, they are trying to learn Japanese culture.
Oh, really?
Yes, they buy me cakes.
Oh, really?
They are kind even in that regard.
Yes.
What about food?
I practice Chinese food.
Yes.
I learned it from my coach.
I especially like Taiwanese food.
When I want to eat sashimi, I go to a Japanese restaurant or a supermarket and buy it.
Is that so?
Yes.
But do you sell sashimi in supermarkets now?
Yes, I do.
But it's one whole fish, so I try to cut it into three pieces while watching it on YouTube.
Is that so?
Yes.
So now you have a mother, a husband, two children, and you living with five people.
Yes, that's right.
But your husband is a table tennis player, so he is busy and often goes out, isn't he?
Yes. Basically, he only comes back on Saturdays and Sundays.
Of course, he also practices and plays table tennis.
Yes, that's why he is often busy and not around.
I guess your husband is also on a trip.
Yes.
You must be surprised that your children are growing up when you come back from a trip.
Yes, I'm learning more and more words.
My eldest son is becoming more and more like an oshama.
He puts out high heels for me for work and puts on lipstick himself.
Really?
I tell him to imitate me and put it on, but I put it on his chin.
That's cute.
Yes, I think that kind of growth is different even if you see it every day, so my husband is surprised when he comes back.
Yes.
But it's been a while since you came back, so your children will be happy, won't they?
That's right.
First of all, when I come home, of course I wash my hands, shower and change clothes, and then I play with my children.
But I feel like I'm going to jump in before I wash my hands or shower, so I'm like, "Wait a minute!"
That's right.
Yes.
I guess that's another happy thing for your husband.
I think it's a source of power for him to work hard.
That's right.
Yes.
What do you do with your children at home?
We often help them cook together.
Oh, really?
My eldest daughter doesn't know how to crack eggs well yet, but I want her to actively challenge various things.
Yes.
I want her to help me crack eggs or mix safe potato salad.
That's cute.
This picture is of everyone taking "young corn," which is the process of removing a mustache.
That's cute.
What do you usually eat?
I usually cook, so I eat Japanese food and Western food.
What I found very interesting is that while my eldest daughter was pregnant, I spent a lot of time in Europe, such as Germany and Czech Republic.
Oh, really?
Yes, because of my husband's matches and so on.
When I was pregnant with my eldest daughter, we ate a lot of Western food or Chinese food, such as German food and so on.
And while I was pregnant with my eldest son, I ate a lot of Japanese and Chinese food.
I guess you want to eat what you grew up with.
But you seem to like everything.
What do you have here?
Basically, Chinese food and Japanese food. My mother likes Japanese food and my daughter likes Western food, such as white sauce, meat sauce, and pasta.
So we make different kinds of food every day, so that we don't have dissatisfaction with each other.
But you seem to like everything now, don't you?
Yes, I do. I can eat anything every day.
It's good for you, isn't it?
But you have a lot of ingredients in Taiwan, don't you?
In Japan, there are many kinds of vegetables and fruits that you haven't seen before.
Since I was one years old, I've been eating dragon fruits.
I've been eating dragon fruits for the first time since I turned 20.
I guess it's unique to Taiwan.
What kind of food is your mother good at?
My mother is Chinese, and she is very good at Taiwanese food.
So last year, for my birthday present, she asked me to teach her how to cook, instead of cooking.
She asked me to teach her how to cook something like stir-fry of spicy pork and bamboo shoots.
She asked me to teach her how to cook, not as a gift, but as knowledge.
Does your mother live near here?
She lives about an hour away.
But your mother is really good at cooking, and she is very kind.
When you and your husband are at work, your mother comes to visit you.
As a Taiwanese culture, there are many cases of wives coming to work.
I see.
Both my father and mother are actively supporting me.
You've been hiding from your children that you were a table tennis player, haven't you?
Yes, I've been hiding it for now.
You haven't shown them your medals, have you?
No, I haven't.
Have you ever played table tennis with a racket?
No, I haven't.
I sometimes hit the ball, but I don't really play table tennis now.
The racquets I used in Rio Olympics used to bite me a lot.
They were like toothpicks.
I don't really play table tennis as a player.
Both of my parents are table tennis players.
I don't want them to feel any pressure growing up.
When you're three years old, it's the same as when you first started playing table tennis.
But in my case, I have an older brother who is ten years older than me.
I felt that three years older brothers and three years younger brothers are different.
Do you think your children are well-behaved?
Yes, they are. When I go to work, they say "Have a good day" and send me off with a smile.
I think they are well-behaved.
I saw you crying with your mother when you were young.
Could you show me one of them?
Thank you.
This is Ai-chan.
Wow!
Ai-chan is crying.
It's too late for you to cry.
You cry because you are frustrated, don't you?
Yes. I don't cry for my partner.
Since I was little, I have been crying a lot.
But I don't cry for my partner. I cry for myself who can't do it.
You must have been frustrated.
I wasn't frustrated about losing. I was frustrated about not being able to do it.
How many hours did you practice table tennis in one day when you were in elementary school?
In elementary school, I practiced for about four years.
I practiced for four hours in one day, from six o'clock in the evening to ten o'clock in the evening.
I practiced at a nearby club.
You must have been frustrated.
Yes.
Since you were little.
Yes.
We are all really poor.
You may say you were popular at that time, but we didn't see you play table tennis that much.
Thank you very much.
We all saw you on TV.
We saw you play and cry.
We were cheered up by people all over Japan.
Even now, when we meet for the first time, we are often told, "You've grown up!"
We are like your relatives.
At that time, we all thought you should win or cry and felt sorry for you.
Also, you were on TV every day at that time.
Yes, the media told me to stay at home.
Oh, did they?
The media told me how to jump rope and ride a bicycle.
Oh, did they?
Yes, they also pushed me to ride a bicycle with an auxiliary wheel and played with me.
Oh, did they?
When I was little, I thought you had a camera growing out of your shoulder like a Gundam.
I was little and only five years old.
I learned how to teach a voice and how to open a tripod.
Oh, did you? That's interesting.
I received a lot of support.
What would you do if a child told you they wanted to play table tennis?
Of course, I would worry about it a lot, but I don't think I would teach myself.
However, if it is a path chosen by children, I would like to do my best to support them.
Well, for children, their father is a table tennis player.
It may not be something they want to do.
That's right.
At home, we have a lot of rackets and balls.
I see.
They are familiar to me.
Why don't you want to be a coach and play a table tennis?
I've been taught how to play table tennis since I was little.
I still can't be spoiled by my mother.
I have a relationship with my coach and players.
I want my children to be spoiled by me 100%.
So I don't want to teach them.
I see.
Yes.
What did you do when you wanted to be spoiled by your mother?
When I wanted to be spoiled by her, I would either put up with it or ask others to play with me.
Your mother must have been very strict with you about making you play table tennis.
I see.
However, you still have a relationship with your mother that cannot be separated from that of a coach and a player, don't you?
Yes, I still do.
When my mother was still active as a player, she cooked for me.
She has a cooking license, so she still coaches me how to cut vegetables, how to make miso soup, and so on.
Does she?
Yes.
I see.
I can see that you have learned a lot from your mother.
Yes.
My mother has been teaching me how to play table tennis since I was three years old.
She must have been very busy, but she could make three different kinds of miso soup.
That's right.
She also made a menu for me.
I think it's amazing.
Now that I have two children, I think about recipes and nutrition when I make every meal.
I couldn't make every meal perfectly, but now that I am a mother, I can understand how hard it is for me.
Your mother must have been amazing.
I think so, too.
She must have been waking up earlier than me in the morning to figure out how to live her life.
When I was little, I thought she wouldn't be able to sleep.
That's right.
It's been three years since you retired as a table tennis player.
What kind of life did you have as a player?
I think I had a very happy life as a player.
I was very happy to have so many people supporting me and supporting me.
Do you have any regrets about retiring?
While I'm trying various things now, when I come back to Japan from the airport, I have to write my job description.
I didn't know what to write there.
Until now, I wrote "professional sports player" or "table tennis player."
I didn't know what to write there.
I once wrote "young man" and I was asked to write it in more detail.
I see.
I'm studying every day.
Of course, I've been playing table tennis for 25 years, so I've been pulled into the world I've been in.
But now I'm trying to move forward every day because I think that's what I should do.
I see.
But do you still want to be involved in table tennis in the future?
Yes, I actually set up a company.
I see.
I want to make the most of what I've experienced so far and do my best to contribute to players and society.
I see.
Do you have any specific plans?
After I started living with my mother, she passed away.
I've been living in a wheelchair since I was a player, but table tennis is one of the few sports that parents and children can do together.
Wheelchairs were not common back in the day, so I'd like to make it more borderless and make it a sport loved by many people.
- I see. - Yes.
- I'm sure your mother will be happy about it. - Yes.
- Do you consult with your husband about such things? - Yes, I get a lot of advice.
- I also consult about making a name tag and the color of the name tag. - I'm sure your husband will be happy if you support him like that.
- I'll do my best, too. We're a couple, but we'll do our best not to lose to each other.
- Have you ever been to see your husband's game? - Yes, I used to cheer with my father in the audience.
When I was a player, I thought that parents would not be happy if they did not leave results.
I thought that if I lost, I would not be happy.
But when I saw my father's game for the first time, I could see that he was doing his best.
I was relieved to know for the first time that parents would be grateful just for showing their hard work.
- I'm sure your mother will be happy about it. - Yes.
The burden of my heart that I had carried on my own has been released.
- Do you still want to be Ai-chan even if you are reborn? - Yes.
It's an honor for me to be able to meet Tetsuko- san like this today.
It's also an honor for me to have started playing table tennis at the age of three.
If I can meet the same person, I would like to be Ai-chan.
- That's right. - Yes.
- I will support you all in the same way. - Yes, thank you.
- If you like, I would like you to show your children who have grown up a little more. - Yes, thank you.
- I think you can rest assured. - Yes.
- Thank you very much for today. - Thank you.
- Please say hello to your husband. - Thank you.