Enjoy Jakarta Roadshow Press Conference

AKB48’s first overseas sister group, the Jakarta-based JKT48, has been appointed “Enjoy Jakarta Ambassador” by the Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office.

In a press conference held in Tokyo, October 15, Nakagawa Haruka (22 y.o.), Ayana Shahab (17 y.o.) and four other members (Shania Junianatha, Jessica Vania, Thalia, Andela Yuwono) participated as JKT48 representatives, and talked about Jakarta’s points of interest.

In the future, they will participate in all kinds of promotional activities in order to increase Japanese tourists travelling to Jakarta.

Nakagawa, who transferred from AKB48 two years ago, told us with a smile that “It’s been 2 years since I moved to Jakarta. It’s a really convenient place to live, with many shopping malls, it’s a town you can live in without worry. I really love it.”

She then adds that “at the beginning I thought the language was really hard, but I became able to talk in 4 months. Now I know all sorts of words, and I even became able to argue in Indonesian.”

Regarding the group itself she clearly states, “There’s a ‘Love Ban Rule’ in JKT too! Romance will wait until after graduation. Now we’re having everyone focus on JKT48.”

Nakagawa then describes how she got involved more deeply with the local customs and culture: “During Ramadan I participated in the fasting too, ate a meal called Sahur with the others at 4 a.m.”

[JKT48] have an exclusive theater in the local shopping mall FX. “I think Indonesian fans are on average younger than the Japanese ones. They all cheer for us without being embarrassed, so their enthusiasm and calls are stronger than when I was in AKB,” or so Nakagawa feels the difference between both countries’ fans. “I’d like for people coming from Japan try Indonesia’s food and culture too. And see our shows too, of course,” she concluded.

This translation combines the Sports Nippon and Oricon articles on the press conference. Banner photograph courtesy of Global News Asia.