Singer Kenichi Mikawa appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on April 13th. He will turn 80 in May. He talked about his comeback concert after recovering from two serious illnesses and his goals for the future.
Last September, she was diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome and underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted in her heart. In November, she announced that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a designated intractable disease in Japan. After a month and a half in the hospital, she held a comeback concert with Korokke three months after her surgery.
"It was the first time I cried on stage. Everyone welcomed me so warmly, and that made me so happy. They were like, 'We've been waiting for you, welcome back,' and it brought tears to my eyes. I'm so grateful. I'm glad I didn't give up."
Regarding performing a concert with Korokke, she said, "A two-hour concert is still a bit too much for me to do alone. We do it half and half, with Korokke supporting me and helping me out." "I'd like to do a solo concert in the fall. I also want to do a Christmas dinner show."
My appetite and desire for material possessions haven't changed. I ate crab grilled and in rice porridge in Ginza, Tokyo.
She stated, "My goal from now on is to stay healthy and be able to sing for as long as possible," and concluded by calling out, "I'm going to live tenaciously. Let's all live tenaciously too."
