The web short drama "First Wind's Miracle" (9 episodes in total), starring former "Nogizaka46" member and actor Hina Higuchi, has been released on the official Suzuki Domestic Motorcycles TikTok and YouTube channels. The story features motorcycles, and Higuchi, who has a regular motorcycle license, rides a Suzuki "V-Strom 250SX" in the drama. Higuchi, who said she "always wanted to work on motorcycles," talked about the filming and the appeal of motorcycles.
◇Even when he can't drive privately, he continues to study and visualize
She got her regular motorcycle license in 2021, when she was still a member of Nogizaka46. At the time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "Work was cut back and I spent more time at home, so I asked myself, 'What do I want to do?'" She said. In the midst of all this, she came across a book.
"It's a story about a girl who rides a motorbike called 'The Girl at the End of the Line' by Harada Maha. I'd always thought that motorbike riders were cool, but when I read the book, I realised that I really did have a passion for motorbikes, so I decided to take advantage of this excitement and get my license (laughs). I started going to driving school on impulse."
No one in his family had a regular motorcycle license, so "when I told my parents, they were both worried." He thought he would be strongly opposed, but his mother told him, "My mother is a fan of Eikichi Yazawa, so she wanted to get one too."
"My mother's influence was the reason I was interested in motorcycles. I used to read the manga "High Teen Boogie" that my mother used to read, and the main character rode a Suzuki "GS400". From then on, I started to think that motorcycles were cool."
Although I managed to get my license, I never had the chance to ride a motorcycle privately again.
"The staff at my agency tell me, 'It's dangerous, so you have to be really careful,' and I'm worried about my family, so four years have passed without me taking any steps... So I was surprised to be approached about this, and I was really happy because I had hoped I could use it in my work somehow!"
While filming the drama, he had to drive for the first time in a while, so he went back to driving school.
"Maybe because I had been studying and doing image training all this time, the instructor said, 'There's nothing to teach you, you'll be fine.' I had always wanted to ride a motorbike, so even though I wasn't able to ride privately, I continued studying, watching motorbike videos on YouTube, even after I got my license. I realized how important studying and image training are!"
◇What touring course would you like to go on?
In the movie, she rode along a road that ran along the coast. Looking back on the filming, she said with a smile, "I was happy to be able to ride a motorbike, which was my dream." "The motorbike I rode this time had the advantage of raising your line of sight, so it was fun to be able to see the distant scenery well, and I was able to feel nature, which was really nice!" she said with a cheerful voice.
He thinks the best part of riding a motorcycle is the "comfortable breeze." "I think there's a breeze that's unique to motorcycles, that you can only feel on a motorcycle. It's hard to put into words, but the moment when you feel like you're one with the bike, and you really feel like you're racing through it, is the best feeling."
As for the appeal of motorcycles, she also said, "My world has expanded." "When I talk to older co-stars and staff at work, many of them are motorcycle enthusiasts, and it has become a conversation starter. They invite me to go on tours with them, and my connections with people have expanded. I really feel that change," she said with a smile.
"Through this short drama, my desire to ride a motorcycle in my private time has been strengthened even more," he said. He said that a touring course should be somewhere with nature, and added, "It would be great to go touring on a remote island with rental motorcycles! Once I get used to the natural roads, I would like to ride through the night view of a city, and I would like to go to see the sunrise over Mt. Fuji from the highway," he said with a sparkle in his eyes.
The drama tells the story of a university student, Sakina (played by Higuchi), who is struggling with job hunting because she can't find what she wants to do, who meets a woman, Kaede (played by Minori Taira), who dreams of traveling around the world on a motorcycle, and begins to reexamine herself and grow. Behind-the-scenes footage of the drama, including an interview with Higuchi, is also available on YouTube.
