Singer Isao Bito (82) appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on April 15th. He talked about anecdotes involving his granddaughter and his future goals.
Tetsuko introduced Mr. Bito by saying, "He's now a doting grandfather to his three granddaughters." He said that his eldest daughter has one daughter and his second daughter has two, and he smiled, saying, "I never thought I'd be so smitten with my granddaughters. I guess I really am a grandfather now."
His granddaughters are in the first year of high school, the first year of middle school, and the fourth grade of elementary school. They live nearby and often eat meals together, but he smiles wryly, saying, "My granddaughters talk amongst themselves. They don't really listen to what I have to say." However, he revealed, "My youngest granddaughter (U-chan) is in swimming lessons and said, 'I'm going to do my best to compete in the Olympics.'"
When Tetsuko asked him, "I heard you lost when you swam with that girl?", Bito replied happily, "That's right. I do the crawl, but U-chan does the breaststroke and overtakes me."
Ms. Bito, who made her major debut as a solo singer 62 years ago, says the secret to her continued energy on stage is daily walking and going to public baths. "I go to a public bath, take a relaxing bath, and then have a beer afterward. That's something I really look forward to. Whenever I'm on tour in a different region, I always make sure to go to a public bath," she said, adding, "I want to take care of my health and do my best to keep singing until I'm 100 years old."
