Singer Kaho Shimada (61) appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) broadcast on December 18. Shimada, who married her husband, pianist and producer Ken Shima, through "Tetsuko's Room," talked about an episode from that time.
Thirty years ago, Shimada fell in love at first sight with Shimada on "Tetsuko's Room," and the two got married. "I met (Shima) at a certain studio, and when we first greeted each other, he said, 'I saw you on Tetsuko's Room the other day,'" he recalled.
Since getting married, Shimada and her husband have been performing together as a duo concert consisting of just piano and singing. "We got married at 30, so we've been together for exactly half our lives," Shimada said with a shy smile. "He's a very patriarchal man at home. A typical Showa era man. I didn't think he'd be someone who didn't do much housework (laughs)."
Shima says that when Shimada is not around, she sometimes goes a whole day without eating because it is too much of a bother to eat. "When I am performing in the provinces, I always return to Tokyo on my days off to check if (Shima) is alive. I usually leave food for her, tidy up the house, and then go home. But in the past few years, she has started helping out a little," she said.
Shimada-san celebrated her 50th anniversary since her debut this year. She started out as a child actor, then became an idol singer before moving on to the world of musicals. "I never thought I'd be celebrating my 50th anniversary, but this is just a milestone. I hope I can keep on performing on stage until my 60th and 70th anniversaries," she said.
When Shimada asked Tetsuko about the secret to staying in the industry for so long, she reminisced, "I went to music school hoping to become a singer, but it didn't work out. That was my first setback. Then I joined NHK and became an actor." She continued, "It's all about eating properly and getting enough sleep. That's it. Also, don't worry too much."
